Important: Updating my Patreon! (Patreon)

Hello, all of you lovelies!

Oh boy! It's a new year, so now is a good time to freshen things up a bit and give things a new coat of paint! It won't be a huge shift, but there will definitely be a fair bit of re-evaluation on my end and a bit of a tweak to how I do things. For the sake of transparency, I want to give you all a heads up, as well as possibly get some input from as many of you as possible. <3

My apologies if this post is a little long-winded, there's a fair bit I would like to express, but I hope you will take a moment with me. :)  *deep breath* 

Backers Tiers & Rewards: 

- Firstly, there will be some reworking of the backer tiers and rewards! This is, of course, one of the biggest areas where I would really like your feedback. I will try and trim them down to just five tiers. Sometimes simpler is better! I've spoken with some of you already, and some of you may have (or not) noticed that there are no longer $1 tier or either of the "gold" reward tiers. If you are on either of these tiers, fear not! You will still be on them and receive the promised rewards as long as you remain there. All that has currently changed is that they are no longer publicly visible, so new patrons can't choose them.

- In addition to cleaning up and simplifying the backers' tiers, I would also like to add even more rewards! Yes, even more, stuff! For a start, since I have removed the Gold Tier rewards, I will now be giving everyone at The Sprout ($5) Tier and higher, recognition ( link shout-outs ) when I post on Furaffinity, linking to your preferred account! I'm also thinking about adding physical rewards to ship out to people, things like prints, button pins, stickers or enamel pins. Are there any other rewards I haven't mentioned that you would like to see offered?

- As per the previous poll, I will definitely be starting up a discord server as a reward for -all- my patrons. I just need to have a sit with it, work everything out and plan out how I will structure the server. I would really like to have it up by the end of this month! I'm excited to interact with you all there! In the meantime, I have started a general art chat over on Telegram. I will use the Telegram chat just as a general base to share news, art and updates with the general public, whereas the discord will be specifically for patrons, any patron exclusives and announcements!

You can join the Telegram chat here: https://t.me/joinchat/DHNafQespjWeArohgxsVfA

Patreon Goals:

- I will be refining the goals section. This involves simplifying them and making them a bit more project orientated. Having single, one-off illustration projects at lower -goal amounts and bigger projects, such as comics and The Ukimori Creator a little bit higher, since they are a lot more intensive. 

- A further note on the Ukimori Creator Project; it will be placed higher in the goals as it also involves two people. I'd really like it to be at a reasonable goal level so that I can provide Arimah with decent monetary compensation for all she puts into it. It's as much as a passion project for her as it is for me and I want her rewarded for the love and care she has put into it. <3 Work will still continue on it in our spare time (albeit at a slower pace) in the meanwhile, but other projects will take precedence until that goal is met.

Other Changes

- There will be some simple adjustments to my landing page, largely changing the wording, etc. But I may also provide links with further info about my art projects, myself, how I run my Patreon, etc in a bid to simplify, while still providing information. This may also include a video slide showcasing my artwork!

- Along with the previously mentioned changes in the reward tiers, I will be making new, cleaner splash images for them. It's purely superficial, but I just hope it will make things look that much nicer. :) Something small, cute, and if I have the additional time, animated!

And finally, while I am still considering how I approach this, I may change how I deliver your rewards. I initially started uploading reward packs to my Drive account and mailing them out to you via pm to avoid bots that have been leeching content to another website. This is still a concern to me, but I really want to rethink how I do things and see if there is a better middle ground. c: I don't have anything concrete at the moment, but do expect an update with further information about this soon. And of course, I am also happy to take any suggestions you may have on the matter! :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fairly lengthy update! I am really excited to hear what you all think or what you may have to recommend for the future of my Patreon! After all, this isn't just for me, but also for all of you!

Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for all the patronage and additional support you have given me.

With sincerest love,

UV