IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: Employment and the Future of the Patreon (Patreon)

Hey there. If you are on the Discord you may be aware that I am currently attempting to get a job to financially support myself. Though I have now been financially supporting myself through commissions and Patreon these past two years, I've deemed the experience to be too unstable for me to realistically be able to make it worth my time. I simply dont make enough money and the revenue stream holds as much water as a bucket with holes in it. While I have genuinely enjoyed my time, I think it would be better for my overall well-being to take my efforts and reallocate them into a different workforce.

Simply put, I no longer want what I do as an artist to be an occupation anymore but rather remain as a hobby.

What will happen to the Patreon?

While it took me a while to mull over, I don't want to shut down the Patreon or anything. However I think I should make it clear that I will be taking a much more casual approach to the whole ordeal. I will no longer be self-imposing standards for how often I should post or try to meet imaginary quotas. I want to return to doing all of this for the fun of it. Creativity is spontaneous, and trying to fruitlessly monetize it with unsavory returns is a rat race that I no longer want to take part in.

What about the discord?

The discord will remain, however, I will be opening the channels to everyone who was a previous patron in the past -- basically: if you dont have a role, you can still use the server indefinitely.

Will you still post project files and sketches?

Yes, I will continue to post those at my leisure. However, if you are an ex-patron or Nurse Shark, you will have access to the #art channel in the discord and will be able to see my WIPs and Sketches. I wont be policing that stuff. Patreon posts will remain restricted to patrons so project files will remain restricted to $5+ Patrons.

Should I stay pledged?

If you want to continue supporting me you have my gratitude, however, it's perfectly acceptable if you choose to cancel your pledge. you will remain as a member of the Patreon Discord so you don't need to worry.

What about Sketch Requests and Commissions?

I am still on the fence about how I want to handle the sketch-request/commission situation. I know the people who paid me would much rather have their commission done than have their money back, however as money becomes more available to me and time becomes much less available I may have to make the difficult decision to refund certain people. I don't feel great about it which is why I'm not entirely set on refunding people yet. Y'all deserve to receive the product you paid for and I'm sorry for being difficult to work with.

Conclusion

I am incredibly grateful that I've been afforded the ability to work on my own and run my own business from the comfort of my own home. You guys have had a large part in keeping my head above water and letting me do what I love. This project has run its course, it wasn't sustainable forever, and I've made my fair share of mistakes. This isn't a farewell, but rather a stepping down from my duties. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being with me and choosing to support some random dude on the internet with a pen and a drawing tablet. 

TL;DR - Taking this Patreon less seriously, I'm getting a job, discord is less restrictive now.