Hey, Everything Costs Too Much

We all know how much the cost of basic living has increased in the past few years. Operating on SSDI I've had to budget carefully to avoid losing the roof I rent, and even so I have had to rely on the kindness and generosity of family, friends, and social services for years. There's no shame in being part of a community and accepting what others offer, but I would love to think of a way to contribute things that I can provide and that people actually want.

Strengths and Limitations

I've always had some cognitive troubles, but early in my life it seems like they took a sideline to all of the things I could do. As I aged, things like short- and long-term memory loss became more pronounced. Around 2014, I experienced some kind of mental break, where mental and emotional problems became severe enough that my physicians couldn't clear me to return to work after taking time off.

The analogy I often use is: imagine you have a set of shelves, and each shelf displays a handful of awards, all related to bicycle riding. Everything from participation certificates to ribbons and medals, and even a few trophies for races won. There is tangible proof that in the past, you had not only ability but actual skill.

Despite all of this evidence, though, every time you try to ride a bicycle it feels like the first time. Maybe you even understand it to some level, and get to a point where you're comfortable riding in a straight line on even pavement . . . but the next day when you approach the bike again it's as if none of that happened.

That's kind of how my brain approaches many things these days. Even if I stay focused on something, forcing myself to repeat activities and review relevant resources, I invariably lose knowledge and aptitude. Combined with a veriety of other symptoms, this causes problems and not many traditional employers are interested in dealing with mine.

Creation and Consumption

My primary purpose on earth is to be a good parent, and that naturally leads to all sorts of lessons being taught. We all know that teaching by example is one of the most powerful ways to impart not just bare data but the rich benefits of life experience. I can't present a complete (or even close) example of a functional human to my child, but I try to make sure that when I am capable of something I consider to be worth exemplifying, I put in the effort to do so.

The corner of the world I live in is built on a foundation of consumption: obtaining things, viewing media, taking, using. Some of this behavior is natural, but we push it to excess in too many ways.

Opposite this I place acts of creation, usually paired with a counterpart from the consumer mindset. Obtaining things might become obtaining materials to build something. Viewing media might become producing media, taking becomes providing, and so on. Things can be fixed, reused, and repurposed in many ways!

I strongly believe that every person can make the world better, even if it's through small and simple actions and expressions. We can all encourage each other, decorate things, express courtesy and compassion, and leave things just a little better than they were when we arrived.

Putting it all together

So we have a world that's expensive, a brain that keeps me from the kinds of gainful activities I used to enjoy, and a determination to add things to the world according to my capacity.

Here's where you come in—if you'd like to! One of the things my brain has no shortage of is ideas, and most of them cost money for tools, supplies, services, or in just the base cost of food and rent to sustain me while I work on things.

If you're interested and can spare the resources, you can contribute either to me as a maker in general, or you can provide resources toward a category of things you'd like to see me work on.

Money is often easiest to contribute, but if you're in the Missoula (Montana, USA) area and have physical objects you'd like to contribute, I do have a car and can pick things up.

If you want to provide something tangible but are some distance away, please contact me directly to arrange shipping. Some things might also be available locally used (FB Marketplace and Craigslist are sometimes treasure troves).

Once a new project is finished, I'll post about it here and on social media, and include credit for everyone who helped make it possible in the style of other popular patronage sites.

It's hard to list things without a specific project in mind, but here are a few more general items that would be useful:

From your Heart, or Soul, or Generous Mind

Please use the links below to send as much or as little as you like, and if you'd like to designate a project category please either include it in the notes or let me know separately.

Recurring options are available through Square (the same company many small businesses use), if you'd like to support me on a regular basis. And while the extra fees aren't ideal, I do have a basic Patreon page up if you already use that platform or you're more comfortable using their gateway.

I am also tentatively open to specific commissions, especially ones that are new and interesting and challenging enough to hold my interest, with the caveat that my brain really doesn't cooperate much and lead times will be unpredictable (but probably long).
Cash App and Venmo don't charge fees for basic transfers between people using linked banks, app balances, or debit cards, so unlike other crowdfunding options all of the donation goes straight to me. (They do charge for transfers from a credit card, but the fee is still less than a merchant purchase)
The following options are considered purchases through my payment processor, and I incur extra fees for every transaction (but they accept different payment methods if you don't have a Cash App or Venmo account).