I’ve been an independent musician for most of my life. For the past 20 years, this music has been my main source of income, all my work is self-funded and crowd-sourced- my past 3 albums have been supported by those who have been there since the start, and I am proud to say so.

This music is how I’ve supported myself and my family. And while I wouldn’t trade it for anything, I won’t lie: it’s a constant hustle.

Being an artist today means wearing a hundred hats: creating music, booking shows, managing socials, running ads, designing merch, doing admin, chasing invoices, and still making space for the magic—the actual songwriting and performing. Luckily, I have a very clever wife and life partner, Antanika, who wears most of these hats.

It’s not just the music anymore. It’s the cost of advertising, the time and money it takes to put on a gig, paying other artists well, which we love being able to do-, and the ongoing time spent and costs it takes to make a show worth leaving the house for. And in a market that’s saturated, cutting through the noise is harder than ever.

But here’s what I believe: supporting local artists matters. When you support me, you’re not just helping me keep the lights on. You’re allowing me to keep creating. To bring shows to life. To pay collaborators. To get to gigs. To feed my kids. And to keep the local scene alive, because every dollar that goes into music ripples out to venues, small businesses, techs, and fellow musicians.

This Patreon is one of the most direct and meaningful ways you can support what I do. Any amount helps. And myself and my fambare always beyond grateful.

If you’ve ever found yourself moved by something I’ve created—or just want to see artists keep making things in a world that often makes it really hard to—this is how we keep it going.

Thanks for being here.

And thank you for being part of this with me.

✌️Shaun
patreon.com/shaunholton