Structure for a Decentralized Collective

You decide your own level of involvement in The Creekmasons.

Still, informed consent is literally righteous. So unlike Project Mayhem, let’s shoot for “upfront” when it comes to what roles are available to you upon getting involved and avoid troubling stipulations like “carry personal burial money in your shoe.”

At the moment there are essentially six roles available to Creekmasons: Initiate, Neophyte, Patron Practicus, Adeptus Lunatic, Adeptus Maker, and Node. “This Golden Dawn spoof feels like hierarchy,” I feel you lamenting, but none of these roles is managerial or executive. Achieving one doesn’t make you worth anything more than anyone else. The Creekmasons are governed primarily through a simple form of anarchic direct democracy, with ranked choice voting available equally to anyone who wishes to participate.

Democratic decision-making is gated behind Patron Practicus Membership Dues because people instinctively care a little bit more about keeping a space nice when they are paying something to gain access to it. That said, like all Creekmason offerings, Membership Dues are based on a “pay what you feel comfortable with” Gift Economy model.

Where does the money go? Eventually, subscriptions will supplement publication sales to fund the activities of “Adeptus Makers,” Creekmasons who have been published in some form by the collective and who subsequently receive regular, egalitarian paychecks and potentially even peer-distributed bonuses for acknowledgement of above-and-beyond contribution. More on that below.

Initiate

So you wandered into the creek and liked what you saw? Why not become an initiate? All you have to do is sign up for the Substack notifications.

Social media likes to use the word “followers” to describe this kind of involvement in a community, but that sounds a little too much like “disciples.” A Creekmason is more likely to think that everyone is Jesus, rather than that they, themselves, are the second coming exclusively.

Neophyte

Loiter at a liminal hang out spot long enough and you’ll run into the dope strangers who use it as well. By digging a little deeper into the community and joining discussions on Discord (and agreeing to play by the rules there), you become a Neophyte.

Joining the Discord is likely to remain free, or at least very inexpensive. It’s our Digital Sangha!

Neophytes are expected to have “moved one rock with the intention to improve their surroundings,” as is described in the Who We Are essay. “Moving a rock” can be any act of service, from cleaning up pseudo-nature of the detritus leftover by revelers to something as simple as taking a walk and smiling warmly at every person you pass.

Patron Practicus

Now we’re rolling boulders! A Patron Practicus is, you guessed it, someone who has made the beautiful choice to support Liminal Trickster Mystic artwork and become a paid subscriber to the Creekmasons.

Only Patrons will be able to participate in decisions about the collective’s governance and identity and about admission to the Adeptus Maker role.

Adeptus Lunatic

Hungry for a low-stakes, high-frequency creative community? The Creekmasons have you covered. You can participate in Discord by contributing prompts or by writing, illustrating, composing or otherwise riffing on them.

In the blue sky world of my dreams, becoming an Adeptus Lunatic and participating enthusiastically in our little creative coven—along with participating in the governance discussions available to Patrons—might help one break into the role of Adeptus Maker.

Adeptus Maker

If you’re looking to get your work published by the Creekmasons, you’re looking to become an Adeptus Maker (AM).

Getting published—and earning a stable salary thereafter—is dependent on first getting sponsored by a current Adeptus Maker, then by a vote accessible to anyone in the collective who wishes to participate. The artist’s work should be submitted via Discord for consideration and a vote will take place after a thirty day period of review.

Because becoming an AM comes with a salary split equally between all those who share that role, AM’s are expected to offer some kind of Art to the collective (something that helps lost Liminal Trickster Mystics find their way home to us), for example:

Authoring

Blogging

Podcasting

Social media management

They’ll also pledge responsibility for some kind of Service to their fellow AMs.

Editing

Proofreading

Typesetting

Illustrating

Designing

Mentorship

Even woo things like divination and the performance of rituals can be considered!

In addition, AMs are expected to participate in the allocation of the budget.

Budget

Yuck, money. Considering it a medium for the equitable exchange of energy might help you navigate the following section. Hell, if you don’t have any ambition to become an Adeptus Maker, you can avoid it entirely.

First off, borrowing from Yanis Varoufacis’ practical anarchist manifesto, Another Now, exact percentages of each slice of revenue will be decided yearly on a One Adeptus Maker, One Vote basis. If an Adeptus Maker has a proposal for a reallocation of budget, they should submit a plan describing where money comes from and where it goes.

As a side note for those who love procedure, Varoufacis recommends Ranked Choice voting if more than two plans are proposed, which sounds good to me.

Ok, so what slices are there?

The Creekmason publishing model demands consideration of both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs, such as web hosting, payroll, and software subscriptions, must be consistently paid to maintain the collective’s infrastructure. On the other hand, variable costs, such as shipping sold books, printing physical books, and travel for promotional events, may fluctuate depending on the needs of the organization. A major feature of traditional publishing that The Creekmasons ought to emulate is investment in advertisement, social media boosting, entry into writing contests, and booking tours and convention tents in order to increase visibility and reach.

Adeptus Maker Bonuses

Both bonuses and base pay are considered fixed costs, and their percentages of the total pie are open to Adeptus Maker vote.

Bonuses are decided through the allocation of 100 points for each AM to distribute amongst their peers for stellar work in any of the services listed above, and for finding new writers and artists, and participating in voting and discussion. These points are then used to determine the percentage of the bonus fund that each Adeptus Maker receives.

In addition to being a fun form of peer appreciation and validation, the bonuses can represent a helpful indication of whether a given Adeptus Maker is pulling their weight. If an Adeptus Maker goes four consecutive quarters without receiving any points, it may be best to off-board them from the role.

Node

Lastly, there’s Node: an honorific for those who guest on the Nodes in the Net podcast and find themselves wanting to stick around and hang out with the community.

Join us!

What are you waiting for?