Hi everyone, it's Jme Brock.

I'm inviting you to be one of the friends and clients who help me take the next step as I "grow up" as an artist and storyteller: launching a full artist website and business.

Growing up I wanted to be a rock star drummer thanks to Peter Criss of the band KISS. Then as I grew older, I wanted to be the catcher for the Chicago Cubs like my hero Jody Davis, and then later in my teenage years I was turned on to the band the Ramones. That's when I found a phase I knew I’d never outgrow: Punk Rock.

Sure I went on to be a delivery driver, a cook, a body piercer, a coffee shop owner, a strip club manager, an award-winning financial product salesperson, an after-school program coordinator, and last but not least, I managed a charitable organization thrift store.

Punk rock was the one thing I stayed constantly involved in and never wavered from. Whether I was putting in my hours in a steady job or barely scraping by, touring with a band or being a stay-at-home dad, I always had a hand in the punk rock scene. I booked and promoted tons of bands, getting them shows and food and a place to crash and gas money and making sure they had a gig lined up in another town. I made sure everyone was taken care of, putting in the work and never taking a dime. Through music, through writing, through video and through my art work, punk rock has been the most consistent thing in my life. But after my kids were grown, when it came to making a living for myself, I had to ask: What’s more punk rock than living your life and creating? The answer for me is "NOTHING"!

I quit working for the next guy's dollar and I've been able to prove that I can get by through my art. But now it’s time for me to take the next steps to make sure I can keep supporting myself while still staying true to myself, and so I can keep supporting and staying true to the people I serve and inspire through art.

The goal of this fundraiser is to start a path into more opportunities for my work and projects while reaching a broader client base. I plan to use these funds to fully launch my business as an independent contemporary artist.

This plan begins with the launch of a professional website to showcase my current works, sell originals, prints, and merchandise, and offer special promotions, while still accepting a limited number of commissions to produce one-of-a-kind works of my collectors' loved ones and pets. This will be a fully functioning gallery-style website for online sales and ordering. While that's the key part of this plan, the funds raised here will also help cover the upfront costs of business consulting, insurance, accounting, legal and branding, will provide for initial supplies and materials, and will help me cover a number of set-up costs that are required to support a well-promoted, sustainable business.

But this move toward building a more serious presence for my work will take an investment beyond what I'm able to put forward on my own.

I've been working hard to invest in myself and now I’m asking you to help invest in me as well. I'm offering some special rewards to those friends and clients who believe in my work and want to help me see this business get off the ground. Please take a look at the levels of rewards I'm offering to those who show up for me in this early stage of this venture.

And for every single person who has ever purchased a piece from me (or if I gifted a piece to you in the past), I'm hoping that any success that I'm able to create for myself is for your good, too. I'm hoping that as more people value my work, the work I've already put out there into the world will increase in value as well. Maybe one day, you can say you own a rare and valuable Jme Brock piece that you got way back when.

Read below for the levels of suggested donations and the rewards I'm offering for donors.

All donors receive advance access to the new website and a collectors-only preview of my new series (here's a sneak peek)!

DONATION LEVELS AND REWARDS:

Any Donation Up to $49 - I'll put you on my insider collectors list so you'll always get advance viewings of my newest pieces and merchandise before they're available to the public.

$50 Donation (Up to 15 spots available) - You'll get on my insider collectors list and I'll send you a framable thank-you post card

$100 Donation (Up to 12 spots available) - You'll get all of the above, plus I'll send you a sticker & button package

$250 Donation (Up to 7 spots available) - You'll get all of the above, plus I'll send you your choice of a Dirt City or Waylon Jennings design T-shirt

$500 (Up to 5 spots available) - You get all of the above, plus I'll send you a 16x20 artist's-choice print of one of my pieces

$1000 (Up to 5 spots available) - You get all of the above, plus I'll create an original 16x20 artist's-choice painting for you

If you'd like to donate at any level and claim one of these spots, just send your donation through Venmo to @jmebrockart here or through these QR codes to either Venmo or Cashapp:

Whether you're able to donate at any level or you support my work in other ways (like sharing this page on social media), THANK YOU for helping me make this move. I love making art and seeing my art make people happy. And I couldn't do what I do without you.

Jme