WHAT IS THIS HANDXMADEFAM?
Hey there! I assume you landed on this page from my Instagram or YouTube channel, where I craft miniatures with polymer clay (for the most part).
Behind Handxmade is a 25 year old Singaporean who simply wants to make miniatures of anything and everything every day, and share the process with the world.
Similar to Patreon, HANDXMADEFAM is a membership platform that I created that allows me to earn a monthly income by providing exclusive rewards and perks to you, my patrons 💕
I was on Patreon myself but shifted to Podia so I could build a better platform for us. You can read all about why I migrated away from Patreon here!
THE SITUATION
Growing up in a conservative Asian family, crafting was never viewed as a “real job” - after all, what’s a job if you enjoy it, right? 😶
I guess I wanted to prove them wrong.
Long story short, I moved out in 2015, started Handxmade and crafted custom orders for the past few years.
Throughout the journey, I eventually realised that I didn't want to make custom orders my main source of income, which it had become because I had to survive and pay the bills (#adultlife #responsibilities 😅)
I wanted to craft anything and everything, but custom orders were taking too much of my time (thanks to my perfectionist side). By the time I completed one month’s worth of orders, I would have burned through the income I earned from those orders and would have to reopen more custom orders for the next month. There was just no room for creativity nor was I really earning enough to barely stay afloat. 😞
Hence, I decided to take a leap of faith and look towards producing video content where I could push the creative boundaries of my crafting while sharing the process with those who are interested around the world. I discovered Patreon through some great artists and creators I follow, and decided that this was the best way to get involved with my supporters while doing what I love 🥰
One day my dad asked me if I earn at least 2k per month (in SGD so that's about USD 1515), and I had to say no. I don't want his words to discourage me, so I'm still here trying to make it work. But when I reach that goal...that's the day I can finally face my family and tell them that I made it while I'm doing what I love.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT YOU?
Well you don't have to!! No obligations whatsoever! Who in their right mind would force anyone to support them omg 😵 The good thing about being in HANDXMADEFAM is that you can pledge any amount you want to and trust me, ANY amount is appreciated, and by that I really mean ANY.
If I am able to gather enough support to survive from you lovely people, that would allow me to focus on making as many craft and videos as I possibly can!
Also, HANDXMADEFAM gets me paid without making you viewers put up with ads AND WHO WOULDN'T WANT THAT AYE. (You'll get access to the latest video at least a few days before I release it to the public, and I will set the video to be ads-free for patrons only for that few days.)
There are also (hopefully attractive) exclusive perks available for my patrons, and with your support, I will be able to make them more diverse and attractive as I go along! My patrons are my FIRST priority and I'm glad I'm able to give back to everyone who's here!
With a few years of trying out Handxmade full-time, building a small tight-knit community and the foundation of what I want for Handxmade, I have decided to find a full-time job related to the arts so I won’t have to worry about money while creating my own craft and video at the side! With that said, that means that my content schedules are pretty haphazard and inconsistent 😔However, having all my patron’s support shows that there ARE people who want to see my work and it will definitely spur me to create as much as I can!
Hopefully down the road, I will actually have enough support to go back to Handxmade full time! But for now, it’s time to learn how to manage my time even better 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
WHAT ARE YOU GONNA USE THE MONEY FOR?
• ALL THEM BILLZ
I don't live with my parents, and I share my living space with my partner (who also happens to be my investor 🙃) and even though I'm doing my part paying some of the bills, I do want to make sure I contribute at least as much as him for rent and all other living expenses. There seem to be endless things to have to pay for…
• PAYING OFF MY DEBT TO MY INVESTOR AND NOT BE DEPENDENT ON HIM ANYMORE
He’s been there since 2015 so you can imagine how much I owe him (and I’m stressing about it every single day 😬) Right now it's at 18k OMG (yep, I'm very open about it because without my bf I wouldn't be here at all)
• CRAFT SUPPLIES AND INVESTMENTS…
…are not cheap, unfortunately. For example, I pay USD $96++ per year to keep my website running, and USD $790 per year for my HANDXMADEFAM platform.
• BIRD FOOD AND TOYS
I HAVE TWO LOVEBIRDS and ONE COCKATIEL that I need to feed and they are adorable hehehe.
Ok to be fair bird food isn’t that expensive (although they can add up), but I love them so I wanna take this chance to talk about them heheehehe 😶
THOUGHTS
After a few years of hustling with Handxmade full-time, I figured that I’ve given myself enough time to work it out, and decided to get a full-time job to sustain myself for now while continue to work on Handxmade part-time.
I’ve learnt a lot about myself with these past few years and I realised that I have NO REGRETS starting Handxmade, and will continue it at the side (no matter how slow my content are being pushed out).
The most important thing that I took away was that this decision was my call and I only stopped Handxmade full-time because I was ready and wanted to, not because I was forced by society or my family :’)
Whether Handxmade becomes successful or not remains to be seen, but I hope to go through this journey together with you, one art creation at a time, and see what becomes of it at the end of the road. ☺️
Every dollar means a lot to me - it shows that I'm on the right track and there are amazing people who genuinely want to see more of what I’m doing!
I'm also really open to ideas and suggestions from everyone in making Handxmade better in all ways possible 😀
Thank you for any support you can offer, and thank you for being interested in my craft and watching my videos!
A BIG THANK YOU wanting to make a HUGE difference in my journey to make miniatures of everything! 💖
If you dislike the idea of monthly payment (which I totally get) and would still like to offer monetary support, you can go to ko-fi.com/handxmade and buy me a coffee instead! ☕️✨
Select a membership level here ↓↓↓
Click on the “JOIN” button to sign up! For more information about each benefit, click here.
✏️ Access to patron-only content (+ Discord server)
👁️ Life and WIP Sneak peeks
📝 Patron-only polls
🌟 Early access to content
📮 Local Meet Up (Singapore) for webstore purchases
💯 Milestone Points Reward System for Reward Vault (every $20 pledge = 1 point)
All previous rewards:✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯
AND
⬇️ Unlimited access to digital downloads library (personal use only)
💸 5% Discount (WEBSTORE/AUCTIONS)
All previous rewards:
✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯⬇️
AND
🤫 Access to "The Secrets" series
💸 10% Discount (WEBSTORE/AUCTIONS)
All previous rewards:✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯⬇️ 🤫
AND
💌 A one time thank you mail + handwritten letter watercolour print
💸 20% Discount (WEBSTORE/AUCTIONS)
All previous rewards:✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯⬇️ 🤫💌
AND
💖 Credits at the end of my videos
💸 35% Discount (WEBSTORE/AUCTIONS)
All previous rewards:✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯⬇️ 🤫💌
AND
💖 Credits at the end of my videos
💸 40% Discount (WEBSTORE+AUCTIONS)
All previous rewards:
✏️👁️📝🌟📮💯⬇️ 🤫💌
AND
💖 Credits at the end of my videos
💸 50% Discount (WEBSTORE/AUCTIONS)