the value of experimentation
The Just Because Club: For the price of a cup of coffee, or something like that
I don’t want you to feel like you’re being sold to, so I’m going to come right out and tell you that this is an introduction to my new paid Substack subscription. The subscription, which I’m currently calling the Just Because Club, is a $5/month or $55/year multimedia extension of this newsletter, craft + reverie. I’ll get into what all of that means below.
I want to acknowledge that I know how absolutely ubiquitous the subscription model is in our world today. I have long resisted starting one of my own because I honestly have not wanted to add to the noise. However, as I’ve been pondering whether or not it feels right to me to offer my own work in paid subscription format, I keep coming back to the question of value: what has value to me? What has value to the people who appreciate and support my work?
As I’ve taken some intentional time off these last couple of months for maternity leave, I’ve found myself inundated with so. many. ideas.
There are tons of new and exciting things that I want to do and share with you. The trouble is that it’s all so overwhelming. I don’t know which offerings I should try to introduce on a recurring basis or which ones would be better to share every now and then (or which would be a once and never again kind of thing).
My rational mind tells me that I should focus, simplify, and streamline my offerings. Maybe it would be best to stick to just a few things done really well over and over again. But my creative mind incessantly asks, have you thought about this?
Y’all, I have no delusions about being an incredibly astute businesswoman. But what I lack in entrepreneurial acumen, I make up for in creative scrappiness. And part of what has actually been a successful strategy for me—surely much to the dismay of biz purists everywhere—is just throwing a bunch of shit at the wall and seeing what sticks.
No plan. Just vibes.
Like I said, incredibly, it has actually kinda worked. What that tells me is that you, like me, find value in the vibes.
A more accurate descriptor than “vibes” is perhaps experimentation. Here in this internet circle of buds (thanks for being here), we seem to really value experimentation. But of course! Experimentation is a cornerstone of creativity. Experimentation is also—ooh, is this controversial?—a cornerstone of spirituality, as well. We find the deepest meaning and value in things as we live into them, as we are surprised and delighted by what resonates deeply within us, not as we play a role that has already been laid out for us. Even in acts of spiritual and creative repetition, like standard liturgical prayers or daily writing practices, the familiar and repetitive actions of our physical reality create a container for new and surprising experiences in our mental, emotional, and spiritual reality. We don’t necessarily find value in the repetitive actions themselves but rather in the ways we live into them and experience them anew over time.
As wonderful and magical as experimentation is, there are indeed some barriers to it. There is a certain level of financial uncertainty that comes with operating a small business, and to compensate for this, there is a strong urge to only create offers and sell things that have a high likelihood of a desirable return on investment and/or are already reliably popular. Focus. Simplify. Streamline.
This kind of business model is great until it isn’t. Focus/Simplify/Streamline isn’t always the most compatible with creative businesses. A key component of creativity is trying new things, but trying new things is scary—emotionally, sure, but also financially. In my business, I often find myself putting off creative ideas in favor of working on things that have previously brought me more financial stability. The more this happens, the more my business offerings move toward replicability and away from experimentation. As I’m sacrificing creative expression and enjoyment, at least I’m gaining financial stability, right?
Except…no. The reality is that even strategies that have worked before have no guarantee of working a second or third or hundredth time. I, and countless other small business folks, have experienced this time and time again. I find myself putting my faith in a model that should work, but then sometimes it doesn’t and I get disappointed, and instead of questioning the model, I blame myself. I didn’t execute it right. I didn’t properly plan for that launch. I didn’t market that well enough. I didn’t … etc., etc., etc.
So now, I present to you an exercise in cutting myself some slack and questioning the model. How thrilling!
Like I said before, I think it’s fair to say that because you as a reader have some interest in creativity and spirituality, you probably also find value in experimentation. I know I certainly do. The question now is how do I create a system in which I can create experimentally without so much fear about my return on investment?
Enter: the Just Because Club.
The Just Because Club is the most recent iteration of a long-evolving idea. For over a year now, I’ve been pondering ways to offer art and creative spirituality to folks who want to engage with my work on a lower cost but more consistent basis. I’ve considered monthly mini prints; I’ve considered podcasting; I’ve considered recurring virtual gatherings. While these ideas certainly aren’t bad, they just haven’t felt right to me. Part of that, I’ve come to realize, is for the same reasons as I discussed above: they don’t make much room for experimentation.
Unlike some of the other models I’ve considered then ultimately decided against, the Just Because Club doesn’t operate on a set schedule. The frequency of delivery lies in the name; as I have and explore new ideas of art and content creation, I will share them—just because. While there is no guaranteed time frame, I do commit to consistency. This model allows me a bit of financial freedom to regularly each week practice experimentation and explore new and exciting ideas that I’m actually thrilled to share with you.
The Just Because Club is a two-sided commitment to experimentation. I commit to you the subscriber a promise of creative experimentation—I will continue to practice creative spirituality through experimentation in a way that produces valuable offerings to share with you. You the subscriber in turn commits a relatively small monthly fee (the marketing phrase “for the price of a cup of coffee” has been very popular over the past few years, but I haven’t actually seen many coffee shops lately selling their concoctions for a price as low as $5) to afford me a bit of financial flexibility around experimenting with the offerings I create for you.
Here are some things I have on my Big List of Ideas that I’d love to share with the Just Because Club:
Exclusive prints/zines/postcards sent to you via snail mail with accompanying prompts for creative spiritual practices
Mini workshops for a variety of creative practices/techniques (collage, printmaking, stitching, who knows!)
Recorded conversations with friends and colleagues about stuff that I find super interesting and inspiring and I bet you will, too
Something made out of handmade paper for which I’ve been saving all of my studio paper scraps forever and ever (I have so many scraps, I’m dying to make paper and turn it into something cool)
Ideas for hands-on creativity with and for little ones
Ideas for hands-on creativity with and for people of lots of other ages
Community “challenges” (in search of another name for this—commitments? Journeys? Collabs?) in which we all do something together for a month, like mending our clothes or gathering things outside and making stuff with them, and then talk about what it was like for us
Insights into my new projects and works in progress, from brainstorming to introducing to the world, including triumphs and mistakes along the way
And who knows what else! That’s the beauty of experimentation—lots of surprises!
There are many ways to support me as an artist, writer, and creator. Many of those cost absolutely no money, like sharing my work with friends, letting me know if things have resonated with you or not, and subscribing to this free newsletter. And have no fear—I will absolutely continue putting out free content through this newsletter. The Just Because Club will not be for everyone, and that is perfectly okay. I do believe that it will be perfect for some people though, and for those people, I will continue to experiment and share, just because…
Just because we should have art in our lives.
Just because I had an idea that feels worth sharing.
Just because subscribers have expressed wonderings about a certain topic.
Just because I saw a YouTube video about a technique that I want to try.
Just because I have really brilliant and wonderful friends whose ideas and words I want to share with you.
Just because I feel drawn to sharing a reflection on a particular topic of life, art, or spirituality.
Just because there is great value in experimentation.
If you’re interested in joining the Just Because Club, you can subscribe via Substack here. If you decide this offering isn’t for you, you can unsubscribe and end your payments at any time.
You can also check out my referral benefits to see how you can get free months of the Just Because Club by sharing my work with your friends.
I can’t wait to meet you inside this clubhouse of creativity and experimentation. I don’t know exactly what’s in store, but I know it will be fun.
Lots of love,
