Special Patron Commission (Reminder)
Added 2021-11-17 14:26:33 +0000 UTCHello everyone!
Just a quick reminder that there are only 3 days left to make requests or change your mind for the Special Patron Commission that will happen in December. A whole month picking up Patron requests.
Best regards,
Ivo
--- Off-Topic---
I was in doubt whether or not to speak something off-topic, this came out after a conversation I had, below I will speak a bit about myself. I am an honest guy that tries to keep his words for good or for worse, I am sincere and will always speak freely. If my words offend you in some way please forgive me, it's was never my intention.
Last week I had a conversation with a Patron and some Familiars about my pricing, they argued that my store prices are too low and my subscription is cheap. To be honest, I think they are right but, I had to weigh my dream in math.
What I mean is that I want to make affordable good miniatures for tabletop and RPG games. I want people to print my miniature all around the world and have fun with them, but I also want them to have another sculptor's miniature so they can have more. For that to happen my pricing cannot be in the way.
Before the Pandemics, I lost my job and since I could not find any I decided to work with something I liked, Miniatures. I love miniatures, and working with them was the best decision I made. The feeling I have with each successful print it's awesome but, not everything is like that I have my moments of frustration once in a while. Once I figured out what I wanted to do I had to figure out a way of making the living out of it (I still have to pay the bills).
I know that the Journey is not a fast one, but I still had to put a deadline. I am a Father and the well-being of my kid is my top priority, so I can't wait for ages until everything works out (they might never do).
My time limit as a Sculptor is 2 years, every new patron that is supporting me helps me to slow down this timer until I can consider myself successful. That's the time when my savings will end (considering my current income), at this point, I will be looking for a Job.
My way of thinking is that if I get a lot of supporters I can live and keep producing miniatures. If 1000 people contribute with 1 dollar it's 1000 dollars, for each person it might not be much but for me, it means a lot.
After I reach my living expenses what are my plans? I want to grow as a company, I will probably hire more people to work with me. Someone to take care of Social media and promote material or another sculptor all this to increase production. But I want to keep the price as low as I can get.
About Patreon Benefits:
Miniature Vault: Instead of a fixed welcome pack I thought that having a 3-month backlog of miniatures is a cool way to get people back.
Patron Commission: My way of giving people what they are looking for. Exclusive only for the month is my way of getting people to stay subscribed.
Loyalty Reward: Also a way to get people subscribed for more than one month.
I decided to make a Special Patron Commission in December because I think it's fun to sculpt what others like and try to achieve their expectations, and also because I think it's a cool Christmas gift.
The poll will be open for any person to vote, why? In short, Because I need visibility and support. If you can find people to support your request and vote for you it helps me a lot, every time someone gets inside to vote there is a chance for me to get a new supporter, and this way who gets more people to vote might be rewarded. If you don't advertise the voting you might also be voted because people can vote for more than one miniature.
Sorry for the long post but, I thought that I needed to evaluate my own thoughts, and writing was the best way to reassert myself. I am very glad to have you all here supporting me.
Best regards,
Ivo
Comments
Oh wow! That is awesome to hear!
Dustin Henderson
2021-11-29 02:06:13 +0000 UTCHi Dusting, thank you for your kind words! Fraser has been one amazing support to me and this Patreon, I believe most of the people that are supporting me now came after seeing his amazing printing skills. Regarding the exclusive past patron commissions, sorry to let you down but you will be receiving those models. All patrons will receive 2021 Patron Commission models as Christmas gifts only on December 25th (You just have to wait a bit, Christmas is coming).
2021-11-29 01:15:54 +0000 UTCI will say, I didn't know you existed as a patron if it weren't for Fraser on Instagram. I follow him due to being in multiple patreons that he is also in, and have been watching his IG for really cool models, saw your minis and had to subscribe right then and there. Normally it starts with a conversation with the wife, and then showing her the models, and as a merchant, explaining the market or audience for them. I knew I was going to sub regardless of her input, I will still get it, but following you is not optional at this point! Love the sculpts, and cannot wait to see more, and to get the current ones (bought all the ones I don't have access to on MH already) on the printer!! Only wish I could go back in time to get the previous exclusives, Vanessa VanCleef was one of my favorite additions to Cataclysm, lol. But you have me, for what it matters, from now on!!!
Dustin Henderson
2021-11-29 01:02:07 +0000 UTCI get that, its tough too when you're small to balance how much is worth it to advertise. I think its a matter of getting exposure to the people who appreciate it, but thats the tricky part. I joined as soon as I saw Ragnaros :D
BigKittyPaints
2021-11-19 09:24:24 +0000 UTCThanks Kitty. Since the beginning I know that it's a matter of time. To speed things up I need to advertise. I opened the Patreon and spend 3 or 4 months without Patron. Then got one, after I got my first I decided to put more hours so I begun to produce more then I got a few more. Once I changed to Fantasy Fraser got in and printed my miniatures (he got more visibility than i had on Instagram) so that's when people started to join. Later today I will make a post about a decision that I made that will probably help me.
2021-11-19 09:16:34 +0000 UTCI wish I knew the answer to get you the Patrons you deserve! You are a great sculptor and I am happy to have been part of your journey thus far. I think Fraser is right that you are appearing on more and more tables and its only a matter of time. I am excited to see more outside of the Azeroth inspired world as well.
BigKittyPaints
2021-11-19 02:23:01 +0000 UTCYeah so for my tier it is £6.50, but I put it to £8. It's not a huge amount extra, but I suppose a few small increases add up :)
Fraser
2021-11-18 22:23:10 +0000 UTCThanks Vanderblast! I am really looking forward to produce even better miniatures.
2021-11-18 21:54:00 +0000 UTCI didn't know that. Awesome feature
2021-11-18 21:52:17 +0000 UTCI just wanted to drop this comment here too as I've seen a few people say the same thing, about paying a higher tier if it was available. Just in case people didn't realise, you can over pay on the Tier that you're currently on - the value that you see is the lowest that you can pay, so if you wanted to add on an extra £ then you can just type it in as a custom value on your membership :)
Fraser
2021-11-18 21:45:02 +0000 UTCYour Patreon is easily the one I look forward to the most. The clear amount of passion and love that goes into your designs is also inspiring and produces really good minis. I also think your current price point is amazing for what you get and that said I would not have any problem with higher tiers for people who may just want to support more like myself.
vanderblast
2021-11-18 21:17:47 +0000 UTCYour Patreon is one of the only ones I support every month no matter what! I'm so happy to be on this journey with you and can't wait til you are able to live your dream! Keep up the great work and the supporters will come = )
Ryan Scherer
2021-11-18 06:00:59 +0000 UTCThanks for the support you have given me during these months I could grow as an Artist and as Patreon.
2021-11-17 15:35:31 +0000 UTCI'm super happy to be on this journey with you, Ivo, and I feel that you and Imagine Minis embodies what Patreon is really about; supporting artists and creators to continue doing what they do - rather than just a subscription-based platform for already established companies to use. I feel like a lot of people are here to support you, and your art, and I hope that you continue to grow to a level that is sustainable for you and your family. It takes time for sure, but i'll certainly be here regardless if it succeeds or if it is all archived in a couple of years. Your creations are slowly appearing on more and more tables and I feel like the quality improves with each sculpt. You've created so many amazing models that are bringing my stories and plans to life, so I can't thank you enough for that. Keep being awesome :)
Fraser
2021-11-17 15:07:34 +0000 UTC
