Patronage

So far, if you have been reading along to find out what is possibly going to become of this character who has taken on the foolish errand of explicating himself in public, whose options are limited and enthusiasm vast, you may be trying to add up in your mind the possible ways that he actually is going to survive, because if you have read this far you think you would like him to survive, even though the whole thing seems pretty sketchy. 

Let’s just stipulate that my world is a different world. Oftentimes the usual laws don’t apply. But after all, there are some laws and that means something has to work, so what the heck is it going to be? 

If you’re getting into the weeds of it at all, you might think, well, he is probably going to be doing less performing because of his hands, but he has these musical portraits that he does. Maybe that can turn into something. He said something about YouTube and Tik Tok and true, somebody makes money from doing those things, but why would it be him? 

I want to say, I feel for you, if you are trying to figure this out, because I have been working pretty hard to figure it out, and it’s not like I have a whole pile of answers. 

What I do have is a lot of experience inventing things, inventing strategies, trying things out, seeing what works. I am a pretty good learner and I adopt new technologies when I can. I work practically all the time and that gives me the chance to fail a lot and also land on some things that work really well. 

So I am probably a lot further along on the answer to this question than anyone else, because it is a question that is quite unique to me. I long ago gave up trying to think that in my business there are very many models for how to make my life work. I just have to figure it out for myself. 

What I have figured out so far is that, yes, there are a few “revenue streams” that I might be able to develop and I am after it on a daily basis. Today I am at the end of a long stretch of composing as well as having posted another video to my social media feeds. I notice I am closing in on the end of this particular composition I have been working on. So far I have 14 hours into it, and I expect there will be at least another three before I’m done. 

I have been tracking my hours to see how realistic it would be to create two every month. Right now, I think that is a pretty promising target. But we will see. On the social media front, I continue to gain followers and the biggest story is Tik Tok, where I’ve gained about fifty followers in less than two weeks. I probably need something like 10,000 for that to turn into an actual revenue stream, but I know two things will happen: 

One is I will get better at making the content I put up and that means my follower count will go up at a higher trend line. 

The second is that as I gain followers, the trend line will go up just because of greater exposure. 

What appeals to me about this is that I am simply putting up content about my being a composer: little videos of melodic ideas I am trying out, short poems that have a soundtrack that I composed especially for that poem, some performances, some footage of my recording process as I put a piece together. These are very easy to do. If I can make this kind of progress in such a simple way, I can envision this growing exponentially as I improve everything I’m doing. 

You may be starting to realize that I am making a case for myself as an artist and developing a reason why you might want to become my patron even in a small way. I mentioned the membership program I created here. At that time in our story, I was planting a seed. Now I am watering it a little bit.

So now I want to tell you a little bit about the history of seeds and the things that grow from these seeds. 

The best way to do this, I think, is to tell you a little story about an experience I had one time in Las Vegas. A strange place, of course, to be starting a story about artists, but allow me to set this up for you. 

I was in Las Vegas as a Marketing Director for a high end audio manufacturing company attending the annual Consumer Electronics convention. This would have been in the early 2000’s in January. One of the most beautiful hotels there is called The Bellagio. It was built by an entrepreneur named Steve Winn. At that particular time, Mr. Winn had allowed his own personal art collection to be put on exhibit inside the hotel. 

This was an amazing discovery for me, because although I had been able to go into some beautiful art museums in my life, I had never seen so many of the greatest works of the greatest artists in history on display at one time in two large rooms. 

There was work by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Joan Miro, Gaugin, Chagall - the list was long. As people walked through, we were given headsets so we could hear something about the biography of each painter. There were of course written descriptions as well, but the audio recordings were especially interesting. 

The magnitude of this experience, as you can imagine, was breathtaking. You know how in some museums you may go through and see some things and you sort of go, “ All right, I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to think about that!”. But this was quite different. This was the Superbowl of famous painters, the best of the best. There was pretty much nothing in there that wouldn’t have blown you completely away. 

However, by far the most stunning discovery of that day was of a completely distinct kind, one that I had never expected, but one that changed my life forever, because of the understanding it gave me. 

Story after story of these brilliant people spoke of families or royalty or benefactors or friends, who were absolutely instrumental to the success of each of these people. This was clearly not the point of these stories. The museum curators were obviously just trying to provide some background into how each of these artists rose to prominence. The theme was inadvertent, but unmistakable. The myth of the starving artist is pretty much just that. None of these people spent a great deal of time starving. 

Were they absolutely, ferociously dedicated to their work? Yes, absolutely. It is highly unlikely that any of these people would have gained the patronage of the people who supported them if their gifts and their dedication weren’t vivid. And it is also very unlikely that any of them would have been able to produce what they produced without that patronage, 

I use a wonderful AI app called Perplexity. I just asked it “who were the composers of the 18th and 19th century who had benefactors and who were their benefactors?” It gave me the list below, too many to name all right here, but I will add that answer to this post. 

The brief truth about making truly beautiful art is that it hardly ever happens without the kind of support that makes it possible for the artist to engage in an intensive learning process, to create voluminously without thinking too much about where their next meal will come from, or how they might accomplish their bigger visions. 

I understand the lay of the land these days. We have a capitalistic system that supports artists who can gain celebrity and appeal to the masses. This may not be the best way to foster great art, but it is the way that is available to us. 

But I want to suggest that you who are reading this are the kings and queens of the present day. Because royalty has been democratized, each of us has resources in abundance that in many ways far exceed that of the kings and queens of even two centuries past. And you very likely can afford to be my patron. And being my patron, I will tell you, can make a very, very big difference in how the next twenty years of my artistic life unfolds. 

There are two ways you can contribute. Either on an ongoing basis or as a one time contribution. To contribute continuously, go here. To make a one time contribution, check this out. 

Will there be special benefits to being a patron? Yes. I have plans for that and it will be more visible very soon. In the meantime, I hope you know that you can make a difference in the life of this artist by considering that age-old tradition of support for the making of beautiful things, to elevate us all, as we make our way through this sea of humanity. 

From Perplexity AI

“During the 18th and 19th centuries, many renowned composers relied on the support of wealthy patrons to sustain their careers and create their masterpieces. Here are some notable composers and their benefactors:

Joseph Haydn

- Prince Nikolaus Esterházy: Haydn's primary patron for most of his career[1]

- Baron Gottfried van Swieten: Provided financial support for Haydn's oratorios "The Creation" and "The Seasons"[2]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

- Baron Gottfried van Swieten: Introduced Mozart to the works of Bach and Handel, influencing his compositional style

- Prince Lichnowsky: Supported Mozart financially, though he later sued him over an unpaid loan

Ludwig van Beethoven (early career)

- Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein: Supported Beethoven in Bonn and encouraged his move to Vienna

- Baron Gottfried van Swieten: Introduced Beethoven to the music of Handel and Bach

- Prince Karl Lichnowsky: Provided Beethoven with lodging and an annual stipend of 600 florins

19th Century Composers and Patrons

Ludwig van Beethoven (later career)

- Archduke Rudolph of Austria: A student and patron of Beethoven

Richard Wagner

- King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Supported Wagner's later works, including the construction of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

- Nadezhda von Meck: A wealthy widow who provided financial support to Tchaikovsky, though they never met in person

Notable Patrons

Baron Gottfried van Swieten

Van Swieten was one of the most influential patrons of his time, supporting multiple composers:

- Promoted the works of Bach and Handel in Vienna

- Supported Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven

- Hosted weekly gatherings focusing on the music of Bach, C.P.E Bach, and Handel

Prince Karl Lichnowsky

- Provided significant support to Beethoven, including lodging and financial assistance

- Also supported Mozart earlier in his career

These patrons played a crucial role in the development of classical music during the 18th and 19th centuries, providing composers with the financial stability and resources needed to create their enduring masterpieces.