TWIST ANNOUNCEMENT - Salon clip for those who couldn't make it

Hallo

I recorded this small section of this morning's salon for people who wanted the announcement [spoilers for TWIST if you haven't seen it yet], but couldn't make the salon. 

First twist is that I'm going to be taking a step back from live gigging, second twist is one of the major reasons why. 

Another thing that I think is worth mentioning, that I said after I stopped recording (and let all the nice shy people who had turned off their cameras because they didn't want to be recorded pop back into the room), is that part of why I could have Laser Fraser despite being a full time artist is this Patreon. This and the podcasts. 

The security of this community has given me the room to take the risk of remaining an artist despite having a baby. The security being twofold; both the emotional bulwark of having a community of people who are interested in what i'm doing, which gives me permission to take creative risks, and the financial stability. It's NOT that I'm being paid to be a mother, but that being a mother doesn't mean I can't keep working on what I love, because I am supported.

For so many of my colleagues in the arts, it's "if you want to have a baby, you'd better get a real job". I have the incredible joy of this getting to be my real job. 

So, I'll take about six weeks more or less off in Feb 2024 to give birth and do the baby-tunnel thing; I might record some more night-feed-thoughts during that time and I'll pre-record episodes of The Gargle and of Tea With Alice to cover that span of time, with as minimal interruption as I can manage. 

For those who are asking why I'm making this announcement now, rather than earlier or later (or at 8.5 months pregnant as I did with Laser), the answer is:

Not earlier because I wanted the twist of TWIST to be a surprise for the people watching it live. (Though of course, the MICF edition of TWIST was written without the secondary twist, and I still think it held up as a show. I didn't get preg for the purposes of comedy, though I've heard worse reasons!). 

Not later, because the reasons I had NOT to announce my first pregnancy aren't (as) present for my second. I mean, also, it's not lockdown, so I can't get away with it. Mainly it's that basically all the social and career penalties I anticipated/feared/expected that lead me to delay the announcement of Laser Fraser's impending existence have already come down the pipe. They weren't exaggerated fears: there has definitely been a hit as a result of this status/identity change, but they mostly can't come down the pipe again. Or if they can, at least I know how resilient my systems for dealing with them are now.

So all of that is that. Happy to answer questions in the comments here, or in DMs or in the salons. I will continue to maintain privacy on certain elements of my family life, and share other parts, in ways that are completely internally consistent to my own logic, but may not seem sensical from the outside.

I think of the story of the witch with her heart in a box in a tree. Knowing I keep certain things locked up and safe from the erosions and distortions that public narrative can create gives me an anchor of security that lets me go further with other things than I would otherwise feel safe doing.  (Ha! In many ways like this Patreon does, though on a different axis. Interesting that I have returned to this framing in different layers. I might have to think about that...)

Anyway. 

Thankyou all for all of your support and I'll keep seeing you here (in text updates), in the salons and writers meetings and book clubs (online and in person) and (occasionally) on stages... when the numbers add up.

xx

A 

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P.S. Before the end of the year I'll also be doing a big drive to centralise people towards Patreon and away from social media (which feels like a bit of a precarious landscape full of quicksands and volcanoes right now). So I am thinking of ways to do that: one is that if someone would like to bring a friend along to a salon, book club or writers meeting, DM me here on Patreon and we'll organise it. Not more than one or two each time. 

P.P.S.  As always, all my specials and free stuff are on the About page of this patreon, if you happen to want to lure any of your friends or frenemies into this lovely community. https://www.patreon.com/AliceFraser/about and for your own organisational purposes, the google calendar with all upcoming patreonite events is up at the linktree. https://linktr.ee/alicefraser