raver1357
patreon
And airing out a lot of things
🕑 Added 2018-08-18 02:29:29 +0000 UTC So there's a LOT to get through here, but please read it all. This stuff pertains to a number of things important to this page, so I hope you'll take the time to get through it.So, you've probably noticed that I'm pretty terrible at keeping up with things. Always have been, really, and I was hoping that managing this page would help with that. Unfortunately, it hasn't, and I'm still forgetful. Fortunately, however, there's a solution that I plan to implement pretty much immediately that should ease off a bit of stress. It's currently just in testing for now to see how well it works, but I'm going to be making three significant changes, as listed below:
-Changes to Patreon Streams, and general improvements-
I'm awful at keeping up with these. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Trying to cram three five-hour streams a month doesn't sound like much - and it isn't by itself - but keep in mind that's in addition to the monthly sketch, the three top tier images, general DA stuff (which I haven't even been able to do in months), pack work, side projects, and what technically passes as having a life. Again, I admit that it isn't terribly much compared to what others are able to juggle. So, I'm going to be frank and explain why this continues to be a problem. This is going to get heavy, so I apologize in advance.
Lately in particular, I've been very depressed. Every since junior high, I've had very high standards for my own work that hinder a lot more than they help. The short version is that when a certain arbitrary point has passed or if the work isn't turning out exactly as I want, my drive to continue just disappears entirely. I often just resign to failure instead of putting in the extra time to fix or improve it. Even when it comes to something as simple as posting the images the day after the stream, if I forget, then I just don't do it. That's how I ended up being like three months behind on that shit. It's stupid and irrational, and I try to avoid it, but it happens. On the off chance I do manage to push through and keep working, the gratification that would normally serve as fuel to continue onto the next project just isn't there. While I was working on both the Adventurers and Gag Sequence packs, this kicked in hardcore.
After months of effort, releasing neither of them did anything for me. Despite them being well received, and for the sequence pack in particular, getting tons of great messages in its wake, I ultimately felt nothing from it. As a result, the next pack I started, the Legendary Pokemon pack, was abandoned with five of the eight sketches done. So was the Metroid pack, with one image completely finished. I currently plan to do a pack to align with the release of Smash Ultimate once I finish the current one, which is somehow moving at a decent clip and will be done by the end of the month at this rate.
I'm saying all this to explain that I am so far beyond burnt out that I haven't even liked drawing for months. I kind of hate it. The entire process of creating an image from start to finish is feeling more and more like a regular job, instead of a passion. That wouldn't be much of a problem if it wasn't for this being something I normally do almost daily, that used to be a stress reliever and not a stress... I don't know, causer. TLDR, I'm trying to find ways to ease up so I can actually relocate my love for drawing. So, one of the changes I'm making is that monthly streams are now dropping from three to two. However, to compensate, those streams will last all day. Fortunately, that doesn't mean I'll be drawing the entire day, but rather that I can draw whenever someone happens to pop in, which will allow people in different timezones to join, will result in more images per stream, and guarantees that there will be time to take breaks to avoid cramps. Plus I would have time to change up the entertainment from just music to things more long term like show marathons or GDQ runs, that kind of thing. Basically, everything will be much more laid back, which should help combat the constant fear of disappointing people by not doing enough in such a short time. Problem solving ftw.
-Discord Changes-
I have a Discord server. Not a surprise, since it's on the front page, but it's going to become much more significant as we move forward. Since I'm pretty sure everyone here as it, I highly recommend you all join in because I'm adding a section just for patrons. There, you'll get instant access to everything made during streams, previews of the monthly sketch, early access to the Boss tier request images, and most significantly, that's where I'll be posting the dates and notices for Patreon streams from now on. I figured that if a person has access to the internet for viewing streams, they're probably also on Discord at the same time. I'm hoping to streamline the process a bit and make things more convenient. However, things will still be posted here, and pack releases in particular will still be exclusive to this page. However, and this is probably the biggest change... I won't be doing the posting.
-Employee of the Month-
In short, I have a manager now. Kinda. It's Silver, and she's going to be helping me manage this page. Basically, she'll be taking care of the monthly poll and getting stuff posted on here.
In case you were curious, all of this baggage is why I haven't set up the next goal yet. I would rather things get to a more stable and sustainable state before claiming to be ready for another big project. So we'll be trying all this stuff out and seeing what happens. I may even have another special bonus for patrons, but that still needs some figuring out. Stay tuned, though.
Comments
hiddenlotus555
Sounds like changes I can get behind. :)
