Want to help?
Contributing your time may be more important than donating your money.
Here’s a list of things you can do:
- Find craft fairs, farmers markets and other such events where my stuff may be popular.
Ideally, ask the organiser if they’d consider letting me have a stall, and tell them why. - Suggest craft shops, emporiums quirky type shops who may like to sell my stuff, for a commission obviously. If you’re exploring a new town or city and find somewhere you think my stuff would be welcome or fit in, ask them, or make a note of the place and let me contact them. I called into a shop in Hebden Bridge recently (Earth Spirit, 23 Market Street if you’re ever there) and did just that. They’ve taken some of my coin rings to sell. It took 10 minutes – thanks Liz x
- Act as my Brand Ambassador. Tell people about what I make, but more importantly, why I do this.
- Help promote my Patreon account. I don’t know what special incentives I can offer yet, but a lot of Patrons giving a tiny amount each month equates to a regular amount that can be used for projects and groups. Think of it as buying me a pint once a month, except I’ll buy something more useful (I brew my own pints!).
https://patreon.com/boathouse
- Spread the word! Let people know that there are informal groups and activities available that can take the pressure off and allow a safe and supportive space to talk.
Remind people that they don’t have to be alone. They don’t have to bottle stuff up and that it’s ok to be frightened, vulnerable and uncertain about stuff at times – that’s a part of what being human is about. - Join a “doing stuff” group or activity at the Boathouse once a month. It may be varnishing wooden things, planting stuff in our planter garden, sanding things down, painting something – and generally having a laugh for a couple of hours.
- Help out at a support group. Making tea and coffee, offering a listening ear or just ‘being there’ and doing nothing. There’s value sometimes in not talking.
- Help make my weird ideas real. I have lots of ideas, tell me which are runners and which are just too wacky and should be binned.
- Share my web address (URL):
https://www.MadeByMartyn.co.uk - Share my vision, my passion, my motivation. Believe that a lot can be achieved with very little. Believe that it doesn’t take much to have a very positive impact. Believe that things such as Cancer and Depression, although devastating, can also provide opportunities and that there are support strategies that are meaningful and effective.
Believe that YOU can make a huge difference, by doing what YOU do well to help me do what I do.
I can’t do all this on my own. I need YOU, not your money (unless you’ve got loads to spare, in which case see ‘patreon” above!), I need to know that you believe in the value of what I’m trying to do enough to give me a small amount of your time, that’s all. Just a little time, pick from any of the above.
If you know me, you’ll know I don’t do “tea and sympathy”, but what I do, and do well, is give people the space to be themselves and support them in building and celebrating the strengths they have. I will never give up on a patient – I haven’t once in the last 34 years.
That’s it 🙂
Mx