In addition to my standard consulting, I keep 20% of my practice open for alternative economy experiments.
Traditional consulting asks: "Can you afford me?"
I'm asking: "What can you offer, and what will you contribute when you succeed?"
If you're an artist without traditional capital, you can work with me by making an offer—what you can contribute now (even if modest) plus an agreement about what you'll return to the collective when your work reaches agreed-upon success metrics.
This might look like:
A percentage of song royalties for musicians
Profit-sharing on art sales or licensing for visual artists
A portion of speaking fees or book advances for writers
Commission on brand partnerships for content creators
Percentage on bookings for healers
[Other creative arrangements based on your medium]
We'll co-create an agreement that honors both our needs and invests in your long-term success. I succeed when you do. This tilts consulting on it’s foundation, asking me to put my skin in the game with you.
This also means when I take you on in a partnership, you feel that I truly believe in you and your concept, I’m not just after a consultation fee. I am literally an investor in your work — I will produce my very best work for you because we now share a common interest in your success that goes beyond your satisfaction or a good review of my performance. It’s win-win. Symbiosis.
When you work with me, you're entering into a partnership based on mutual flourishing—not just a client-vendor transaction.
I believe deeply in the power of what we build together. Your success matters to me, not just as a metric, but as part of a larger vision for how creative work and business can support thriving rather than extraction.
Whether we're developing your brand strategy, building systems for your operations, designing your website, or managing your creative practice—this work is about more than deliverables. It's about creating the foundation for sustainable, authentic success that aligns with your values.
My interest in following examples, studying, and experimenting with alternative forms of economy is a part of my artistic practice.
In Ireland, they studied giving artists Universal Income and found that for every €1 given to an artist, that artist created €1.46.
Vallejo rapper and community leader LaRusell has created an entire alternative offer-based infrastructure underneath his artwork - selling shares in his work, inviting people to make offers for collaborations, and creative economic leverage where there appeared to be none.
Artists are generative.
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If this concept is interesting to you, please join the email list to stay connected — even if you don’t have a project right now. I write about alternative ways to generate wealth, health and connection through creative business.
Or reach out and say hello directly (kate@kateellen.me).
HOW TO MAKE AN OFFER
To help you think about what feels aligned, here's what I currently value my work at in traditional terms:
1:1 consulting: $150/hour
Operations support/coaching: $150/hour (teaching you how to run the logistics and operations of your business—systems, workflows, admin structures)
Brand reading: $300
Brand book: $4,000
Website: $4,000 for a basic site
Photography: $1,000+
Email marketing setup: $5,000 (ongoing maintenance $1,500/month)
Full artist management retainer: $4,200/month (6-month minimum)
Your offer might include:
Your project/ concept — where are you at with it?
What you can contribute now (even if it's $100/month, trade, or some other creative thing you can offer into my business or the collective)What support you actually need — please be honest and direct, and talk about your dream scenario, not the watered-down, negotiated against your own desires version you might tell someone who doesn’t believe in your thing. Tell me the thing. I wanna hear it turned up to 11.
What you might contribute back when you hit specific success milestones (I have experience thinking through this aspect, so if you’re stumped, you can say so)
The timeline you're imagining
There's no formula. Every partnership is unique. The goal is to create an agreement that feels generative for both of us—one that invests in your success while allowing me to sustain this work.
