Announcements: Shoutouts to Patreon Patrons, Creatives Rebuild New York and Asian Arts Initiative

I’ll be honest — and perhaps more vulnerable than usual: The past 18 months or so have been extremely difficult for me. I’ve been desperately trying to keep this thing going on limited funds. My life has been a vicious and sickening cycle of money: I’m able to keep the lights and heat on for a few weeks and then I’m broke for a few weeks — or in some cases, a few months. Last year, I announced that JOVM had to go on a forced, indefinite hiatus.

The adage is true: It takes money to make money. But what do you do when you don’t have any money? I don’t think anyone has a good answer for that, because I know that I don’t.

Luckily through a mix of luck and the kind and generous support of a friend, who will continue to remain anonymous upon request, JOVM was able to return after a 20-day or so hiatus.

Along with my anonymous friend, who i’ll thank here; there are a list of folks that I must thank for their support:

The Patreon Patrons, who have supported me through over the course of the past few years:

• Sash
• Alice Northover
• Bella Fox
• Jenny MacRostie
• Janene Otten 

Also I have to thank the following for their donations: 

• Melanie Rodriguez 
• Kitty
• Megan Marshall
• Velatine
• Modern Ideas

I must thank my pal and colleague Adam Bernard for chatting with me about JOVM and the site’s hiatus. You can check out the interview, in which I talk about how important it is to support independent journalists here: https://adambernard.blogspot.com/2025/09/saving-one-mans-movement-convo-with.html

I have to thank the helpful, hardworking and dedicated folks at Creatives Rebuild New York. I’m proud, gratified and humbled to have been included in their 18-month Guaranteed Income for Artists program. Understandably, being included was also deeply vindicating. Someone out there thought my work — this very work! — was worth supporting financially. Obviously, the funds from it have managed to keep this labor of love going during one of the most uncertain periods in recent human history, while lessening some of the normal financial pressures of being an American artist, creator and journalist. 

I also found out about Asian Arts Initiative’s Sound Type Workshop through Creatives Rebuild New York. So, I just can’t thank those folks enough. And I’ll forever be in their debt. 

I must thank the folks at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia for selecting me for the Sound Type Music Writer Workshop. Being a part of the inaugural cohort was an honor. 

I also have to thank my man John Morrison, Philly’s preeminent music journalist for the support and encouragement. 

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 16+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation form below. 

If you’re willing and able to support more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. 

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. $20 could mean a carfare to a couple of protests or the ability to pay a much-needed subscription fee.

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. Believe me, I get it y’all. And to that end, there are other non-financial and low cost ways to support JOVM and my work.

If you’re not following me, you can follow me on here:

 X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

Please share posts you dig through RTs and shares on these various platforms. And share them with your friends and family, too. Every pair of eyeballs — both new and longtime readers — adds up in terms of ad revenue, of more people knowing about this site and my work, and of course potential for collaborations and work.

Lastly, I have an important ask of you dear friends, readers and colleagues. I’ve been actively looking for work for a while. If you’ve been out there looking for a job, you know that the job search has somehow gotten even more dehumanizing, dispiriting and depressing than ever.

So just to refresh your memories:

I’ve spent just under 15 years in book publishing in the editorial departments of three different New York publishing houses — across both trade and academic publishing — as an Editorial Assistant and Acquisitions Editor.

Over the course of the past two-plus decades, my writing and photography has been published in a lengthy list of publications including Downbeat, Sound Collector Audio Review, Playbill(photography), The Advocate (photography), Out Magazine(photography), Premier Guitar (photography), Consequence, Earmilk (photography), The Inventory, Glide Magazine.com (writing and photography), Publisher’s Weekly, Sheckys.com, Shecky’s Bar and Nightlife Guide, New York Press, Ins&Outs Magazine (photography and writing), Dish Du Jour Magazine, Queens Ledger (writing and photography) Aussie music publication Musicology.xyz (photography) and countless others.

So if anyone has any leads on editorial, communications, writing and or photography jobs — including freelance, contract, project, part-time and full-time, please feel free to contact me.

Music industry folks, if you need someone to write bios for your artists and/or bands — or to take press photos, BTS photos, live concert photos or you’d like to have a tour photographer, please feel free to contact me.

As always, thank you all for your support. Long live JOVM!