[Blog] Ready for May. Changes to Sketch Suggestions? (Patreon)

We’ve entered a new month, and I’m almost ready to resume work! That said, I’d like to share some thoughts first, following the ideas expressed in my last few posts.

I need to make some changes to promote sustainability (my ability to keep doing what I do).

What exactly do I want?

Expressive colour, more personality, dynamic compositions… I want my art to be more exciting to look at beyond the first few seconds you see it, and that requires a lot of time & energy. I want to draw the things that I’m passionate about when I feel like drawing them instead of focusing on our rewards or what other people want me to draw.

I’d like my Patreon experience to feel like an art studio, where you can look through my sketchbooks, browse works-in-progress, peek at upcoming comic scripts, and immerse yourself within my ideas.

My Patreon used to feel personal and intimate but has grown to feel impersonal and clinical…

Pressure & Constraints

I believe I need to break free from the constraints of my current system; a system I’ve built over the last 5-6 years. A zombified system, caught between life and death – going through the motions from when it was alive, while slowly decaying.

Every so often, we try to improve my Patreon by adding new, interesting rewards – or responsibilities. Then, I begin creating specifically to meet those responsibilities, instead of creating because I want to. This leaves me too tired for much else, and I fear the quality of my work is slowly worsening as even these responsibilities become a struggle to maintain.

These constraints come in the form of rules & routines. Both of which rob me of the freedom required to (comfortably) deviate from the system I’ve created. In organizing my creative career this way, I have slowly built a cage for myself.

Reconsidering “Sketch Suggestions”

Upon examining the structure of my Patreon, I’ve determined that I need to re-examine my relationship with the Sketch Suggestions perk. I need some kind of alternative.

They take time away from other opportunities and have begun to feel like obligations (rather than suggestions), and I feel guilty if I don’t draw a certain amount each month…

So, let’s try something new. Instead of treating them like a system for requests, I’d like to try something a bit more collaborative – by fusing them with the Voting Polls. This way, it feels less like I’m filling out orders, and more like we’re working together to create quality content – as well as reduce my workload. This is an idea I’ve considered before but have yet to properly experiment with.

Here’s the idea:

Every month, I’ll provide you with a prompt. This month, it will be “mermaids.” Patrons will submit characters who fit that description (like Ariel, Misty, Mipha, etc). Then, I will select a handful of your ideas and create a poll. I will produce a high-quality illustration featuring the character who wins the poll. 

I suspect a max of 1-2 per month, depending on my plans and available free time.

Closing

Okay, that’s pretty much it.

We’re nearly 6 months in (2021), and that’s typically when we adjust the Patreon. So, maybe this was all inevitable. I plan to study other creator pages, so perhaps we’ll see a few more changes in the upcoming weeks. I expect to update the presentation of my page (and maybe my work overall).

I want to have fun drawing. Perhaps reducing the amount of responsibilities will help.

Thank you for your support.

Don’t forget to eat & sleep.