The FakeryFund Anniversary! And... (Patreon)

One whole year. Over in a flash.

When I began this page last January, it was to open up the door towards a more stable form of income. 2 jobs and a stream of commission work somehow wasn't just cutting it at the end of the day. To my surprise, this page grew very quickly, and in only 5 months, it became large enough to lean upon when I faced total unemployment... maybe even outright homelessness.

Now, as we close in on December of that very same year, I'm in an incredibly different spot in life. I'm running just one job: artwork full-time. And it's enough to keep my head above water, even during the trying economic times my country faces. When I was staring down the danger of failure, I never could have imagined this working out for me the way it did.

And really, it's thanks to you all. Thank you. Thank you so VERY much. I mean it.

Because of you, I have the luxury as an artist to shape my own future, despite the day-to-day bills and debts I pay. I have entered into a rare position where I can still creatively blossom into new things.

So what's next?

The Future...

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1) I'll be prioritizing more work on the Sampson & Jewel story.

In this upcoming year, I'll be aiming to challenge my various skills as an artist... AND a storyteller. I see a great opportunity in doing so with my original comic, and I've decided to stop dragging my feet on it. For those of you who have been keeping pace with the series, things are ramping up in the story. But the reality is that it's taken me 2 years to get only this far in my story (about 6-10% done?), due to my financial priorities (pro-tip: student loans are a scam). I want to start dedicating more of my active work time towards its production, instead of just my spare time between monthly art and comms.

The Sampson & Jewel story means a lot to me, especially since it's my own original work. But also as a way of expressing my creative edge in ways beyond that which I've already demonstrated. It's been a near-bottomless well of rapid-fire inspiration, and no matter how many months go by with me tending to other duties, I can't help but feel excited to one day tap into that tale resting in my notes.

I'm hoping that in this upcoming year, "one day" becomes "now".

What this means in terms of things to expect is that I may start placing whole monthly cycles aside to work on the comic, and then go straight into patron commission work. I understand this may be a put-off to those who are just here for fanarts, so I want to keep myself open to any suggestions of compromise before I make the final call on the new schedule ahead.

2) I've Added 2 New Tiers, However...

...these are only for additional, voluntary support. I've received multiple messages from some of my highest-tier supporters that they would throw more money at me if they could (a phrase I never thought I'd ever have the pleasure to say), some even going as far as making multiple accounts to pledge with (HUHHHH??!!!). In acknowledgement of those sentiments, I've made these new tiers: The Financier and The Financier+.

While it doesn't exactly sit right with me to present pricier tiers like this, until I can find ideas of further rewards to offer beyond what's already available to my highest tier of patrons (as well as the TIME to consistently fulfill those rewards), there will be no additional benefits to joining these tiers. Please express financial discretion before choosing.

But for the time being: these are just tiers for people who choose to go the extra mile in making my dream of self-sufficiency come true. You don't have to pledge to it, at all. But as with all of my patrons, you will have my utmost gratitude.

3) I would like to formally announce the launch of my SubscribeStar page.

Before you have any concerns, I would like to say that I have ZERO PLANS for any platform-exclusive content (as long as there aren't any TOS violations to consider). I'm not interested in fleecing my supporters for extra cash when they're already paying for the Patreon. Earlier this year, I put up a poll on Twitter asking if there was any interest in an alternative means to support me. While the winning vote chose to keep it just Patreon, the polling majority (of the remaining 71ish%) expressed interest in a SubcribeStar page, a Gumroad store, or both.

Gumroad garnered the most support, but I haven't been able to think of what to offer on there just yet. Until then, I'll just keep it with the SubStar (I'll be plugging in legacy content to catch it up to the Patreon). I'm hoping to maximize my efficiency as a self-employed entity, and that would include keeping myself open to as many opportunities I can feasibly handle.

https://subscribestar.adult/thefakeryfund 

I want to make it clear: you are under NO OBLIGATION to support me on both platforms (or any others that may follow). This is entirely up to your choice of convenience and goodwill.

4) I will be making more efforts to improve my craft

Honestly, I just want to get better.

I want to improve my understanding of anatomy. I want to strengthen my handling of lighting and rendering. I want to upgrade to higher resolution canvases. I want to learn how to make panel-style comics. I want to improve my character and scenario writing. I want to establish a streaming schedule. I want to provide more benefits to my diehard fans. I want to reach a point where I can make things beyond the usual kind of art. I want to integrate all of these into a stronger way to express my style.

I want to make sure that if I'm going to keep asking for your financial support, that I can continue to deliver quality products.

You guys are worth it.

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And that's everything. You've all been so wonderful to support me for a whole year, and you have absolutely carried me through my new life going full-time as a freelance artist. I never would have thought that I would make it this far, let alone enough to have such plans for a continued future ahead. I will do my best to not let you down.

Here's to another year!

FakeryWay 💖