Commission Update Announcement (Patreon)

Alrighty, fam.  I have an important announcement to make, regarding the commission tiers (So, if you're in the 1-10 tier, this won't affect you, but may in the future, should you ever decide to upgrade!)

We've been active on Patreon for nearly seven years now, and the Commissions Catalogue (absorbing the formerly separate Sketch Series) has been a part of the deal for almost just as long.  With the possible exception of BOUND, commissions have been one of our longest lasting projects here on the Sneak page, and while they've certainly taken different shapes over the years, one thing that's remained consistent from day 1 is the prices.  Long story short, that's gonna change come next month. Prices will be going up across all tiers from Bronze to Diamond by exactly 20%, which breaks down as follows:

Bronze: $25 < $30

Silver: $50 < $60

Gold: $75 < $90

Platinum: $100 < $120

Diamond: $200 < $240

Now, I strive to be affordable to the community we've cultivated here, and while I personally feel everything's been financially fair to a point, time moves on, and I have other factors to consider in my life these days. For one thing, I've been asked month after month if new slots will become available, and while I'm certainly keen to take on more clients, time is always a factor, and my physical well-being is a big part of why I maintain the work hours I do.  I can only sit at the desk for so long, and I need to make sure I'm happy and healthy enough to produce content for you!  Then there's the other life factors.  I'm married now, and my family is very likely to grow in the coming years. What might be stable income for me and my wife now may easily change in the future, so I need to account for that as well.

Now, I'm sure you've got thoughts/questions/concerns, so I'll try to answer them as plainly and painlessly as I can.  I'll compile the essence of a few of the more common questions I've heard over the past few months, since I first started talking about this on live stream:

How will this affect the quality of your work?

In no way whatsoever.  I will still be churning out the best work I can make with the skills I have in the time I'm given, and I can only hope the output is as adored as it has been thus far.  It's never been my aim to cheat anyone, and to always deliver my best work, and I hope I've been showing that month after month!

But what if I can't pay the new price?

I fully respect that people have lives to live and bills to pay.  I've said time and again that I don't take It personally if someone feels they need to bow out for personal reasons, and if you can't afford the new rate, you're always welcome to drop to a more affordable tier!  And if you truly feel like you can't support me in the future, I have no hard feelings.  Honestly, I'm happy to have had so many of you around for as long as I have.  Again I say, this price increase is to ensure that I can afford the life I want to provide for my family, and I can only hope you all will tag along for the ride, cause I plan to keep the Sneak train going for many years to come!

Then, why not just bump the prices? Why tell everyone ahead of time in a post?

Two reasons for that.  First and foremost, I want to make sure everyone who works with me at the commission level has ample opportunity to stick with me, if that what they want to do.  I would personally hate to find out my tier had up and vanished in the night, replaced by a more expensive tier that a bunch of rando's had yoinked out from under me and now I was suddenly out of my precious commission slot!

Which leads into the second reason: I can't just edit the prices of existing tiers.  I HAVE to delete every tier from Bronze to Diamond, and rebuild them from scratch with new prices.  This means there will be a transition period where everyone at those levels will suddenly find themselves booted from my page, which is a rude awakening I want to take every stride to avoid.

So, here's how this transition will occur:  In the coming days, I will be steadily building the new tiers, making whatever changes on the back end I have to.  Then, on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, sometime during the morning hours (so NOT directly at midnight) I will be opening the new tiers, and deleting the old tiers. I'm not making anyone stay up past their bedtime to try and grab their slots just cause the new day starts in the middle of the night.

So the obvious follow-up concern is: How do you know you're going to get to keep your place on the existing list?  Well, I've already compiled a list of every commission client I have as of February 2022.  When the new tiers open up, for that entire first week of March, I will only be accepting clients who held tiers with the old system, and at their original tiers.  This means: If I see someone on the list who is NOT a commission client as of February 2022, they will be denied the spot.  If I see someone on the list who held a spot higher or lower than their previous tier, they will be denied the spot. Since I've never done this before, I have no idea if rejecting a patron permanently bans them (I certainly hope it doesn't), so be mindful about your choices that week!

Well, what happens after that first week, you might be asking?  As I said, my previous tier holders get one week of assurance – by me, personally – that their spot is safe. After that first week? (Tuesday, March 8th) if any slots are still open, they're open to anyone, and I will be making a follow up post that day to make sure everyone knows it. If you haven't gotten your slot by then? It could be gone forever!

Anyway, I think that's the general gist of what I'm here to talk about today, just getting the idea in everyone's head.  If you have any questions related to the price change, please feel free to sound off in the comments, and I will answer as promptly and concisely as I can.  Thanks for everything, fam! Stay safe, and stay devious!

--SA