An update on commissions (Patreon)

Hello my lovelies! As we’re somehow a month into the new year, I’ve been doing some general organising and planning ahead to make sure that my workload doesn’t throttle me in 2021.

A big part of this involved thinking about the future of commissions and how to go forward when I next reopen slots. I know this is a hot topic for many of you, so I want to be as transparent as possible about where I’m at with things and what my thoughts are going forward.

Saying that, I really want your input throughout this, so please do drop me a comment or a DM with your thoughts once you reach the bottom.

With that, let’s break it down!

Where I’m at

At this point in time, I’m close to wrapping up work on the original batch I opened in 2020 (YEP! It’s been a minute). By my current estimates, which is 3-4 commissions a month, I will be finishing with those pieces by the end of April. You can see that list here.

Following that, I will be taking a few weeks’ break in May to reassemble myself after a year of non-stop work before I bunch up my skirts and get back to it towards the start of June.

Where I’ve been

Before I move on to the next part, I want to have a brief interlude to speak a bit about what the last year has been like for me, personally. This will be relevant to the next part, so bear with me.

When I first opened Patreon, back in 2017, I was maybe getting 1-2 commission requests a month - 3 if I was lucky. This was when I made commissions a perk of being a patron and shortly after, my patrons proved to be the MVPs by booking me in for 15 slots! Then again for another 20! The system was obviously working, so I followed the formula and opened again, except that this time I filled almost 50 slots.

At that point I was ecstatic, if a little overwhelmed, and I didn’t realise the magnitude of this decision or the impact it would have on me. All I wanted was to please and work with everyone, and I never really stopped to ask myself if I was able to cope with that demand. Now I know that I would “cope” at the cost of seriously hampering my physical and mental health.

For the last year I’ve been spreading myself thinner and thinner, blurring the line of what I have capacity for, guilting myself over taking time off or not working fast enough. In this time I created StarStickers - my rewards platform - as a way to make it up to those people with free art or discounts on their commissions. I also quit my part time job to have more time for personal art and rest days, but instead I filled these with commission work in hopes that I could speed things and shorten the time people were waiting. None of it was enough to keep up, and through it I developed severe insomnia, anxiety and a slipped rib from hunching over my tablet which cost me over £300 (aprox. 450$) to fix.

Ultimately, no matter what I did, it became clear that I am fundamentally capped at how much and how fast I can produce - especially when my most popular requests are for large, complex pieces that take weeks to complete. Despite most of my patrons encouraging me to “slow down and nap” - which I’m intensely grateful for - the truth is that I can’t: at the moment, I can just about finish 3-5 pieces like this a month, but this so long as I only take 2 days off, while also working on 4-6 rewards on StarStickers and dedicating between 15 and 30 hours a month to art sessions and feedback.

All that considered, I still got through to where I am now, yet the question that stands is: how do I go forward? With almost 200 wonderful people in this community, it’s easy to see that I need a new system if I want to avoid burning myself entirely out on another list that takes me 2 years to get through.

So that takes us to the next point.

Where do we go

After my break in May, I will be ready to start working on a new batch, which will be divided into two sections: one, those who signed up in 2020 for their second commission together with those who postponed their commission from the original batch (you can see this list here), and two, those who have joined us since then and haven’t had a commission done yet.

Because of all of what I said above, there will no longer be a “grand opening” of slots for everyone to sign up to a great big list. Instead, I will determine several “periods” of time - i.e, monthly, quarterly or seasonally (tbd) - in which I open a specific amount and type of new slots and those who are interested can sign up for a chance.

How these slots are allocated will depend on the usual factors: tier eligibility (Extreme and Advanced patrons will be prioritised) as well as pledge longevity (how long you’ve been a patron for). I’m also planning for the possibility of some slots with a “luck” element attached (e.g, random picks with equal chances for anyone who’s eligible).

I will be posting more specific details about this all - including slot numbers, availability, timeframes, pricing and available discounts - at least a month in advance of each opening, starting from May/June.

So how is this different from opening all slots at once?

Realistically, it really isn’t much different. For most of 2020, those who signed up to my gigantic opening list had to end up waiting all the same. As I never take payment until I am ready to start working, this batch was basically a glorified waiting list.

While it may have given people a sense of certainty over having a slot, it also caused a lot of confusion as to when I was likely to get to it - particularly for those in the lower half of the list. It also meant people felt like they couldn’t change their mind on the project, or spend their StarStickers points or commission anyone else while waiting for me - none of which made me comfortable, as I like to give people as much flexibility as possible without holding them to a specific idea for a year.

On my end, having an enormous list weighing on my shoulders had a huge psychological and moral impact. While the new system might be similar in execution, it will allow me to have a more manageable working list without the pressure of a large, looming number, which in time will help me work faster, better and healthier.

Overall, it will also be a lot easier to provide regular updates and keep everyone in the loop, as I appreciate that despite my efforts to provide clarity into my workflow, there’s only so much to announce when you’re working through the same 50 slots for a year.

So, rounding up (aka, the TL;DR)

If you managed to get this far, please have my earnest praise and a long distance pat on the back. Here’s a breakdown to remind you of my key points without the deluge of over explaining:

• I am almost done with last year’s batch, hurray!
• I have also struggled HARD to get here, boo…
• From June, I will be opening smaller batches in shorter periods of time (monthly or quarterly, tbd) instead of one big list for everyone
• These batches will treat those who’ve been waiting the longest fairly, while also introducing opportunities for those who are interested and haven’t been around as long.

The end goal of these changes is to:

• Create a sustainable system that won’t kill me and that I won’t have to change every year
• Make regular updates and openings something to look forward to
• Give people the freedom to change their minds until the point they pay for their commission
• Give myself the freedom and flexibility to adapt batches on the go, depending on interest and my own personal circumstances
• Expand on my free rewards programme, because the truth is I love doing free art more than I do paid work (???)

There’s so much more I want to say, but this has already been a massive one with a lot to take in and consider. Ultimately, my entire mission is to do as much as I can for all of you and I will always do my best to meet those expectations.

I hope this will all make sense and that you all understand, but I also appreciate how this might have created more questions and if so, I am more than happy to hear and answer them - whether it’s in the comments, in the discord or in DMs.

In the meantime, thank you so much for sticking with me all this time and I’m really looking forward to what’s to come this year. =]

Many hugs,

Ony (Art mom)