Happy New Year!
Some Invitations for you
Happy New Year Y’all!
I’m literally and figuratively cleaning house over here and today’s installment is part of that. If you’re receiving this via one of my sundry email lists that is NOT substack, please know this is the last note I am sending out through those other lists. From here on out if you would like to keep up with my musings, you can do that via spikegillespie.substack.com. It’s free to sign up and/but, if you are in a position to do so, I encourage you to subscribe at the modest suggested fee of $7 monthly.
Speaking of money—I really get squeamish about fundraising efforts but I’m pushing through that. Why? Because it’s time for my annual $5 donation month plea for my nonprofit, Persephone Project. In late 2021 I started the Persephone Project to support women in the arts. There is not a paid staff, unless you count the livestock, who serve as both groundskeepers and live entertainment. Actually, Persephone Project does not really spend much money at all. Last year the entire annual budget was around $10,000 and with that I was able to offer classes, presentations, residencies, concerts, and classroom space for artists to use so they could earn some money.
This year Persephone Project will do more of the same plus now you can come visit the Tiny Chapel of Kindness— TinyChapelOfKindness.org— to read stories about kindness and, if you like, leave a story of your own.
Also, the Persephone Project Art Gallery will open in the Molly Ivins Pavilion here at the ranch. It’s a place for women artists to show and, if they wish, sell their art, without being hit with a sales commission. (All due respect to art galleries that do take a cut so they can stay in business, I’m just in a position to offer free gallery space thanks to the nonprofit.)
And yes, I mean it, your $5 donation helps with that a lot. So if you dig my content across various platforms and if you love art in general and if you want to help women artists in particular, you can Venmo @TinyTRanch or Paypal me at spikegillespie@gmail.com. Venmo and Paypal have some pretty intense rules around nonprofits and fees, etc. So even though I’m only looking for a bunch of tiny donations, if you decide you want to give more, please email me so we can set it up so that you will get the right paperwork for your tax deduction.
In other news, my favorite day of the year, my birthday, is a week from today. To celebrate, I’m hosting a big show at the Hyde Park Theatre featuring several members of the Dick Monologues, which I truly cannot believe began SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO. There are only a few tickets left. You can score yours at sconecrone.com/scones. Show is Tuesday, Jan 10, 2023 at HPT from 7 pm until we’re done—around 9 pm.
And in still other news—getting to the part about literal house cleaning, I’d like to report something amazing that happened. After spending nine months healing and incubating in my tiny house in the cow pasture, I recently moved back into the main house here at the ranch. Without going too far into it, only now can I start to clearly see just how incredibly psychologically damaging my experience in Shitville was. Those “good christians” literally hunted me, threatened to kill me, and even after I left, continued to stalk me on Facebook where the threats continued. I did not like leaving FB on what felt like other people’s terms, but, points for me, I made the choice that was best for my mental health.
Anyway, being back in the main house is a major step for me. I’m in close proximity to a gaggle of amazing roommates and I truly feel HOME. It feels GREAT.
In cleaning out the cabin I realized I have way, way more stuff than I need, in large part a byproduct of getting lockdown dopamine hits through online shopping. I have now, with relative ease (which surprised me) broken my shopping habit. And I discovered I have just as much fun selling stuff as buying it. SO, toward that end, on Saturday January 14th at the ranch I am having a massive living estate sale. Everything from stages leftover from the wedding business to a piano, ranch equipment, clothes, cameras, jewelry, furniture, boots, bags. I mean a BIG SALE. That will start at 9 am (ABSOLUTELY NO EARLY BIRDS). If you want more details follow me on IG @spike.gillespie or just email me.
Thanks so much for all the participation over the years. It feels so good to be able to bring my projects to life and I really couldn’t do it without your support.
Happy My Birthday Month to You!
Love,
The Queen