A Public Apology

As you can see, there's now a donate button but I feel like I need to apologise. I don't want you to feel like I'm suddenly shuffling up to you, tin cup in hand, and making a nuisance of myself. The most important thing to me is ensuring that anybody who reads this blog regularly will keep reading this blog regularly. If you've read me long enough, you'll know that I'm not the super slick corporate type who only wants you for your money. I've blogged for nearly ten years without a button. I've added it simply to make that option available to anybody who feels a sudden upsurge of generosity. Perhaps they've suddenly come into millions and want to spread the love. Perhaps they genuinely like something I've done. I don't know... I just figure that without that button, I'd never know.

The horrible part of this is knowing that you'll be thinking 'Damn, I suppose he's now waiting for me to donate'. I'm not. I'd feel really ashamed if the appearance of the button made anybody feel like that. I'd feel double ashamed if it suddenly received donations from regular readers. The button is simply there for the future instances when something I've written has particularly touched a somebody or made them laugh. It's for the times when my Rotring advice has saved a person the cost of buying new pens. It's just a punt which might earn me enough one month to save me from the breadline. They say that artists are always poor. I'm poor but I don't consider myself much of an artist. I simply do what I do because I love doing it. Without writing and cartooning, I'd be nothing. The donate button is an attempt to stop myself becoming nothing.

So, that's all I'll say on it. I'll try not to mention it again. I hope it doesn't offend anybody. I hope you just understand that I'd be stupid not to try every avenue that might raise a little income.