Doodles Update: No poll this week! Also, request for feedback? (Patreon)
Content
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey all~
I've decided to skip the second chance poll this month; I decided this month I wanna be really self indulgent with the prompts I pick, and I have 14 on my list already, so I'm gonna stick to that rather than add another wild card one. The final prompt list might be a little weirder than usual in terms of what I pick versus what got votes; I'm sorry about that and hope you'll still enjoy them!
I've been thinking a lot about ways I could possibly update the prompts process. Every month there are sooooo many good ones that I'm probably never going to draw, due to them being fandoms I haven't participated in or don't have passion for, and so many that I really really want to do but can't fit into my schedule, and I feel bad passing on these ideas month after month, which leads me to sometimes take on more work than I ought to. Originally I only planned to do 8 of these every month, but wanting to make sure I cover as many different fandoms and ideas as I'd like to, I've been ending up with 13 or 14 easily every month, which means they're also being completed later in the week every month, since I do all of the pieces in steps together (sketches, inks, color, etc).
I've been thinking about limiting it to predetermined fandoms and/or topics, and asking folks to label their prompts with those when they submit. And then, possibly, having votes within each topic. I think this could be healthy for me in giving me more control over what I'll be making, plus maybe wasting less folks' time and hopefully disappointing folks less. An added benefit would hopefully be reducing the number of artworks I feel compelled to complete, and possibly leaving me with some energy to do random artworks throughout the month that I just kinda feel like doing.
However, a negative effect might be that it will limit creativity, or have no effect on the number of prompts I actually pick, as I'll still have trouble saying no to niche things that I'd really like to do. I also worry that the experience will end up disappointing even more people, since you wouldn't even be able to submit ideas that don't fit into one of my predetermined slots. I also know that the voting/competitive nature of the prompts post doesn't feel great for everyone.
On a personal note, I've honestly been struggling with motivation and anxiety while I've been making art lately. I still love the things I'm making and my feelings about that haven't changed, but since I've been stuck at home, I haven't been able to recharge in the ways I normally have, by going out and seeing and doing new things, and spending time in the world and outside of my own head. I considered taking a longer break from work here, but since I wouldn't actually be able to DO anything on that break, I think it would be more hurtful than helpful. I hope this doesn't bring anyone down by reading it. I just wanna be truthful about where I am right now, why things have been a little wonky lately, and why I need to change some things up.
What do you folks think? Too complicated? Are you happy with the current prompts process and fine with the way I select prompts already? Would you be disappointed if I were to limit the topics to particular fandoms/ships? Have you been frustrated with the way I currently select prompts and would prefer I make a change?
Any feedback you feel like providing would be super helpful! Thanks so much!