Let's Make Dragonfly Profile Pics! Also, I've Turned on (Voluntary) Paid Subscriptions

Do you like my new profile pic? Let's swarm Substack with Dragonfly profiles pics and make people wonder what the heck is going on. :D

This is an “in-between” week. Our series on planning will continue next week. We’ve been tackling some pretty challenging stuff with all these planning lessons. Time for a little break. Today, let’s do something totally fun and relaxing, and see if we can cause a stir on Substack.

Let’s Make Dragonfly Profile Pics!

Do you like my new profile pic? Today’s challenge: Make a Dragonfly profile pic of your own! Let’s fill Substack with a swarm of Dragonflies and make people wonder what’s going on. :D

I’ve made two previous videos about easy ways to paint dragonflies, which you can use for inspiration:

Dragonfly Brush Drawing takes just a couple minutes to paint.

If you want to get a little more elaborate and want some guidance, have a look at the Dragonfly Postcard PaintAlong

I made my new Dragonfly profile pic by cutting up a failed painting and using it for collage.

Ta-da! My new Dragonfly profile pic!

One important note: Because Substack uses round profile pics, you’ll want to paint or collage your Dragonfly on a square piece of paper that’s bigger than you really need. Then when you take your photo, leave some extra space at the top, like you see in the photo above. This will put the wings more toward the center so they don’t get cut off when Substack turns it into a circular profile pic.

I’m sure you don’t need me to show you how to cut up bits of paper, but just in case you’re feeling bored, here’s a very short clip. Don’t make the same mistake I did! I used a too-small piece of paper. Luckily, I realized that before I glued things down!

After you make your new Dragonfly profile pic, leave a comment so we can all admire it! (It will show up next to your name.)

I've turned on (voluntary) paid subscriptions

But don’t worry! You’re not losing anything if you choose to continue as a free subscriber.

Some lucky people are able to fit in-person watercolor classes into their lives and budgets. But for many, it’s self-study or nothing. Caregiving demands, distance, health issues, and jobs all get in the way. Budget constraints make it challenging for some to pay for instruction and buy painting supplies.

I’m doing my best to continue providing enough free watercolor self-study materials to help you keep learning, no matter what your situation.

I can’t do it alone, but luckily I have collaborators among you!

My students have always been my collaborators. First, through the thoughtful questions and comments that push me to keep learning how to help you learn, and also by helping to subsidize the costs of making free and low-cost watercolor learning materials and of maintaining the website and other services to make them publicly available to everyone.

Prior to the pandemic, the free content on my website was funded mostly by finding ways to piggyback on something I was doing for a paid class. I made online materials for them to use for review and catch-up, and we made those review materials freely available on my website for anyone to use. This was mostly just a few friends and family of my students, since no one else really knew my website existed.

During the pandemic, many more people began relying on my free content, so I increased the time and resources I devote to making free and low-cost watercolor learning materials. I’ve been aided by the generosity of many of you (my heroes!) who’ve helped me support this work through the Tip Jar. I’ve been able to double the amount of new content I added each year, but it tends to be in fits and starts. Sometimes the newsletter goes dormant for two or three months because I have to turn my attention to paid work.

At this point, it’s clear the increased demand for this free material is not going back to pre-pandemic levels. I’m working on finding ways to make this more of an ongoing part of my everyday work, instead of just squeezing it in around the margins. Many teaching artists do this through Patreon (as some of you have urged me to do). Like Patreaon, Substack has a option for people to provide ongoing support through a monthly or annual paid subscription. I chose Substack because it’s easier to set up and maintain on my end.

Now that I have the platform figured out a bit, I’ve turned on (voluntary) paid subscriptions for those of you who would like to support this work on an ongoing basis.

I’m afraid you don’t get any special prizes or perks, just my gratitude and the gratitude of many who are not in a position at the moment to pay for watercolor instruction. We all have rough patches in our lives, and often, we need our art-making the most exactly when we are least able to devote time and money to it. Luckily for everyone, watercolor painters seem to be uniquely generous people!

No paywall

But don’t worry, paid subscriptions are completely voluntary. Everyone will still have access to all the articles and videos, regardless of subscription type.

No pressure

I know some of you are on a tight budget and can’t afford a paid subscription. Others are just casual readers, like friends keeping tabs on what I’m up to. Some of you are new here and it’s too soon to know whether this is your thing. A paid subscription might not make sense for you. No worries! You are still welcome and valued here.

No guilt

If you’re not in a position to support this work financially, that’s likely because you are depleted from supporting others yourself in some other area of your life. Let this be your place to receive what you need to recoup your energy from that work. We don’t all have to give and receive in the same place; it all works out in the long run. (Plus, you never know—you might be the one to share a thought that winds up being worth its weight in gold to another Dragonfly.)

How will this subscription stuff work?

Free subscriptions

If you want to remain a free subscriber, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll still get the same newsletter as always.

Paid subscriptions

If you want to become a paid subscriber, all you need to do is click the button that says “Upgrade to Paid” or “Manage Subscription” and choose your subscription plan. There is a monthly plan and an annual plan. Substack also has a special “founder’s level” of membership, where you can voluntarily choose to pay a higher annual amount than the regular paid membership, if you are feeling super-generous or super-community-minded.

Important note: You can’t make changes to your subscription in the Substack Reader app. You need to use a laptop or desktop computer, or go to substack.com using in a browser (e.g. Safari or Chrome) on your tablet or phone.

Can I just make a donation now and then instead?

Absolutely, that’s always much-appreciated! If you prefer to support this work by chipping in a little now and then when you’re able, you can still do that through the Tip Jar.

Lots of other ways to support this work

If you’d like to contribute but your finances are tight, there are lots of other ways to support this work, like

• helping to spread the word (I’m going to try to be better about those “share” buttons!)

• sharing your comments, questions and other feedback

• helping and supporting each other in making your art