I want to very quickly write why I’m sharing more free resources and downloads.
“But Kelci,” I can hear some people say. “You’re a broke artist. Shouldn’t you charge for more things in your Ko-fi shop?”
I’m not putting resources behind a paywall. Trust me, I’ve been that broke art student just wanting to learn more, but was unable to because it had a price tag imposed by the provider.
When it comes to resource sharing, I would rather provide them for free. Tips are appreciated, but only by folks who have the means to do so. If you are broke, just download them for free. Pay me back later if you feel called to do so, but the resources are there for you.
I also have an aversion to charging for resources, blog posts, etc because for the last decade, we’ve been living with the Online Grifter Economy. And I don’t want to contribute to that, even accidentally.
The Online Grifter Economy has been talked about in varying degrees, from Tom Nicholas’ video about Griftonomics to Folding Ideas’ case study on the Mikkelsen Twins to even an episode of the If Books Could Kill podcast talking about The Four-Hour Workweek. So all I’ll say about it is a rough definition as I would put it – it’s a type of grift where the seller over-promises “life-changing” deliverables and sells advice at a ridiculous mark-up to take advantage of people desperate for change. Doesn’t matter whether the advice they sell is outdated, as long as the grifter makes money on it.
Often the key way to spot these people is if they call themselves “gurus,” or have an almost obsessive focus on “productivity.”
This kind of grift stems from people trying to make a quick buck off the internet, when the original intention of the internet was to have information freely available for everyone for as long as the website could be maintained.
Call it what you will, but I want to see a return of an internet that shares information freely. Not within the walls of social media platforms run by fascists that demand you login first to see the information. Not behind a paywall on Patreon or some “online learning” course.
And definitely not on a “virtual reality” website that demands you use a fake currency (looking at you with a stink-eye, Decentraland).
To that end, I want to work to make this kind of internet a reality. And so I’m keeping my Resources tab updated as much as possible, and I will provide resources on my Ko-fi shop as free downloads. So things like the Master Convention Packing List, the Tabling At Conventions for Beginners’ slideshow, the Small Validations Teachers’ Pack, and the upcoming Promoting Your Work Without Social Media are all going to be free for everyone for as long as the resources are available. If Ko-fi collapses, I’ll find a new host for the resources. (Perhaps they may even move here).
I’m also going to update this blog more often with any new resources I find that I think are worth sharing. Keep your eyes peeled for the first one, which should come out soon.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!
You. Are. Awesome.
P.S. Last week I wrote about coordinating a boycott. I’m still working out the details, because effective boycotts need a target, a ‘why’, a call to action, and a goal/deadline. I have most of these figured out except the exact ‘call to action’ details.