disclaimer I am not considering taking either part of this.
Following a tweet from @jesslynnrose
"Could we bring back a patronage model?"
I'm guessing this is a model of sponsoring someone to ply their trade and improve their skills, hopefully leading to some future business or professional options which were not open to them at the start.
There has been points in the past when people (often with a surfeit Of amassed wealth) would provide this kind of patronage as an act of charity. It's not clear if that had any tangible benefits to the benefactor.
In today's climate, finding someone to follow their passion, develop their profession and persue projects with no clear goal is a hard sell to anyone. So how might it work?
There's plenty of reasons people may want to seek patronage:
- artists, building up a portfolio or saleable stock
- students (and recent graduates) to improve their skills and employment projects
- professionals, to prototype ideas for potential businesses, write a book, make something cool to develop new skills
So why's this so hard to sell?
The simple answer is money, many people struggle to cover their own expenses, and would find it hard to support another human being particularly in a way which does not, in the short term, bring in any money.
Lets pretend I've decided my goal is to support someone through a patronage to complete their new prototype/artwork/course, how could I do it?
Well, I've got a room in the attic, it's dark, and dusty, but it'd do. The boxes could be shifted to make a simple, but functional living space. There's an old addage that "two can live as cheaply as one", and there's some truth to that. Bills for power, water, gas, internet, etc. would increase minimally, and if food is being prepared, the overhead is in the effort of making food, not in it's purchase. It would involve not much extra food, if someone is making a meal for two. Which brings me to my other point...
A patronee (there's probably a better word for this) would pay their way in domestic labour. Even in the digital age, dust collects, dishes get dirty, there's always weeds to clip and clothes to wash. Most houses are equipped for this kind of work to be easily done, if someone is disciplined enough to do it (I am one of those people who sometimes lacks this discipline). If this included food preparation, the patron (or matron(?)) could be responsible for buying food, and their patronee could be responsible for preparing it.
This feels like an old-fashioned model, domestic servitude, but could work in the modern age (with modern appliances) because it would provide the patronee with time and space to work on their project, follow their passions, and temporarily relieve themselves of financial burdens, in exchange for this work.
For the patron, they would gain some company (presumably of a like-minded patronee), and some work around the house. It would be an increase in expendature, but probably cheaper than hiring cleaners, gardeners etc.
For the patronee, it's space to follow their passion, produce some work which may drive future career prospects, and take a break from their financial responsibilities. Just paying for room and board with some house-work.
Warning: There are some risks to sharing living space, and relying on someone to carry out a given set of responsibilities, all involved would have to understand the agreement, and what's expected of them. There are probably more drawbacks than I've considered here.
This probably wouldn't work as a long-term career plan. I'd see it more as an N-month 'sabbatical', and who knows, perhaps the patronee could return the favour further down the line.
Again, I'm not considering entering into this agreement on either side, this is just a musing as to how it could work in the modern age.
This is a vague discussion of whether or not it could be done. I'd be interested to hear what people think of the idea.