So there you have it. The Consortium, in all its glory. It took me a month of posts to make the case for it (and right at my 800-word limit just to share the executive summary of my business plan yesterday), but I hope among them all you’ve got a pretty good idea what my vision is at this point.

If not, check out our About page at the Consortium website. It’s got a plain-language description of what drives us, what we’re doing, and who we are.

Patrons, Hopefuls, and Fans

That last is the longest section, and by far the most interesting. The Consortium is all about the artists.

I’ve got access to some incredibly creative people — and if you’re one of them, chances are good I’ve already got plans for you. I haven’t necessarily brought it up with you, but you’d be pretty safe assuming I want to put you to work, whether you’re listed on the About page yet or not.

Honestly, I’m having some trouble finding the time to organize the resources I’ve got. But that doesn’t mean I’m turning anyone away. If you are anxious to get started now — if you’re willing and able to do a lot of hard work for an insanely driven boss who has no real hope of paying you any time in the near future…well, let me know. But consider yourself warned.

Obviously I need more than artists, too. I’m kinda overflowing with unbelievably talented people, but at the same time I’ve got a big deficit of something incredibly boring:

Money.

If you want to contribute financially, I guarantee I can find the time to organize that particular resource. We’ve got webhosts and accountants to pay (and some of those are considerably more expensive than others). There’s a remarkable amount of expensive red tape to get through to start a non-profit. You’d be amazed.

Even if you can’t contribute, though, you can help. We need fans to believe in us, to cheer us on, and to get the message out.

So go check out the site (if you haven’t already). Subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for our newsletter, so we can keep you posted on exciting developments. Leave comments on our blog posts so we’ll know we’ve got a real audience out there.

And, if we ever meet face-to-face, have a little patience if the Consortium comes up in conversation. We do tend to get a little carried away….

When it comes right down to it, that’s what we need most from you, too. Talk about us. Talk about our mission and message if you want, or just talk about our artists and our projects. Whatever you do, though, talk about us.

If you want to see the Consortium become a reality, spread the word. We’ll love you for it.

Your Apprenticeship Papers (Creative Writing Exercise)

If you want to participate as an artist, though, I’m happy to have you. Send me an email (or say so in the comments). Tell me who you are as an artist, and what you’ve got to bring to the Consortium.

Does that sound a little demanding? I guess it could. The Consortium is going to be demanding, though. It’s all about driving artists to become better artists.
And one of the things you actually must learn, somewhere along your path, is to give yourself credit for the mastery you have achieved. Until you do, it’s really difficult to find the time you need to spend to keep getting better. As soon as you accept that you’re on a mastery path, though — patron or no — you’ll make the time to keep moving forward.

So start practicing now. Whether or not you want to volunteer for some unpaid work, you’ll benefit from having your apprenticeship papers in order. And share them in the comments! We’ve probably got no idea just how talented you are, and that’s something we need to know.

Photo credit Julie V. Photography.