Why We Went Patreon
We are Wool and the Forest, and we do things differently.
Everything we make online is free, always, for everyone.
We want to take the “Exclusive” out of our Patreon experience. Our aim is to cultivate a truly inclusive offering, in the original sense of that word! An Inclusivity that operates from the fundamental understanding that every single human comes from a unique background and is operating within unique circumstances and life situations.
We want our offerings to be available to all, minus the -isms, schisms and paywalls.
We want you to feel truly welcome!
Our approach is the opposite of what Big Brands are telling us "Will Work" and "Will Earn Us Money". And that might just be a terrible business model, but we decided to do it anyway, because:
We want to reach people, NOT so those numbers can translate into material “success” and thousands in the bank. We want to reach people because that gives us the opportunity to spread our message; a way to transform our lives in a way that will address many of the social, material and ecological crises that are threatening to destroy much in the world.
Our benefit is not expressed in monetary gain, but in social growth, in ecological wellness, and in the spiritual upliftment of our fellow humans on this planet, our mother earth.
We don't want to simply collect Members on Patreon. We want to connect with true Patrons, also in the original sense of that word! Those who see the value of supporting us because they see that the impact of our work is/can be far reaching. Those who see that what we do can benefit more than just a handful of people.
That’s why everything we share on Patreon is also available through this website, our Instagram and YouTube. No walls. Just an offering.
This is our larger mission. This is the Who-We-Are behind Wool & The Forest. But how about the What-We-Do?
What we do is traditional textile artistry and fiber magic, using natural dyes and botanical pigments; evocative, high quality visuals of our small life on the Olympic Peninsula; woven through by Daki’s word witchery, in the form of beautifully crafted verse, prose and powerful writings.
But our What-We-Do is inevitably infused by Who We Are. When we create earth-loving beauty, in the form of wearable, hangable, readable art, we are guided by the principles that are fundamental to our higher goal.
Our textile arts are created in close alignment with nature, with a consciously honed sense of ecological sensitivity and communion with natural processes. All supported by and fully available to traditional, indigenous, pre-colonial knowledge systems and ways of living, making and Being.
We want the work of our hands to serve a higher purpose. Not just art for arts’ sake. Not simply aesthetics and material beauty. But the art in service to the larger purpose that motivates us; our mission to show people the beauty, fulfillment, and social and ecological benefit of choosing to live smaller lives.
And if you like what you hearing, please realize this:
We are a family of five, who want to give all of this to you, for free.
However mortgages are not free...alas.
We are growing vegetables and starting our homestead. But we still need to pay for other groceries.
We have solar power and our own well for water. But we need to pay for health insurance and other utility expenses.
For the present, we live in a system where Life costs money. We all know this.
We want to operate with a level of integrity, openness, honesty and accountability. And to reinforce these values in everything we do, including the way we earn an income to support the material aspect of our life.
That's why we stepped out of the "Exclusive, Consumer driven" model!
Feel free to go to our YouTube, watch all our video offerings for free.
Connect on Instagram, see our photography, and read Daki's life affirming words. Visit our website, subscribe to our beautifully crafted posts, enjoy watching as we carefully curate and populate our artist’s gallery.
Read and use the recipes we share.
Support us so we can craft a series of cooking, baking, soil-tending, gardening, homesteading and building tutorials we to share on our website and online spaces, for free! All of it drawing on Daki and Arik’s years of carefully honed skills in many of these knowledge schools required to craft a Small Life Lived Well.
If you see a glimmer of the true value of what we're doing, sense the possibilities for social transformation that are present in our vision and mission, if you enjoy what you are seeing, reading, watching and experiencing, we humbly ask for your support. So we can continue to grow this vision into its fullest potential!
You are a Patron, and through your contribution, however big or small, you are making sure that our message can be heard, watched, read and experienced by everyone, for free.
We are Wool and the Forest and we do things differently.
Namaskaram,
Daki
