The Future of My Patreon and Goatbux (Patreon)

Hey everyone! 

I know this is a bit of a long post, but it's important, and I would ask you to read the whole thing when you are able.

For a long time now, I've been wanting to move away from my existing commission model.  Working for my clients has been a lot of fun, but has been incredibly time-consuming, and has left me with little chance to create personal projects, and develop as an artist.

Thanks to your generosity and interest, I've been doing more work than any time previous in my career, and that's wonderful! But it has come at the cost of my artistic growth. To put it bluntly, I've been stuck in a rut, as far as technique is concerned. I have not had the time I've needed to study, and learn the things I would need to learn in order to improve as an artist. Things such as anatomy, color theory, and scene making.

The best part about Patreon as a service is that it gives artists and their audience a platform to support the creation of the work they love. If you love what an artist is creating, you can help them continue to create it! In the pursuit of gaining your financial support, I've aimed to give back as much as you've been giving me! Between the monthly polls, illustration packs, and the Goatbux commission system, I hope I've been successful thus far.

Unfortunately, all these extra rewards have served more as a second job - adding a burdensome load of extra work, and stress, rather than being the support structure I've needed to pursue my other artistic endeavors. To promote my growth, improvement as an artist, reduce my stress, and improve my quality of life, I am proposing the following changes to my Patreon.

The Goatbux program will be discontinued at the end of this month. Those who are pledging to me at higher tiers will no longer accrue Goatbux. Lessening my commission load will free up a considerable amount of time each month for me to pursue the art I want to create. Existing Goatbux are still tracked and will be honored. I will be opening my commission form today (linked at the bottom of this post) to allow anyone who's been saving up to spend what they've earned. I encourage you all to get in touch with me via Discord or Patreon DM as soon as possible to discuss ideas for how you wish to redeem your Goatbux!

I have also considered doing away with the Patreon Pack illustrations. What I've learned is that while polls are a great way to find out what you all would like to see each month- they inevitably leave some folks disappointed that their choices are never picked. While it is something I'll need to consider a bit more, if I do stop the Patreon Packs, I will find a suitable replacement for them that will hopefully leave everyone satisfied.

I am anticipating your feedback about this change of structure, and I welcome your input! While I know some may be disappointed by these changes, I strongly believe they will help promote my growth and improvement- and I know how much you all love seeing me grow~

I fully understand if you wish to downgrade, or remove your pledge. I support anyone who might make that decision if they feel they aren't getting the same value from my Patreon that they were. Similarly, I hope you all will support me in making these changes. For those of you who are pledging out of a desire to support me in my journey as an artist- thank you! I hope you'll continue to stick around to watch me grow.

I intend to find alternative things to offer my patrons that won't become a second source of work for me. Things such as WIPs for the larger projects I'll be undertaking. I am open to your feedback, and suggestions on what would give my Patreon value to you as my patron.

To give a bit of a roadmap of what to expect from me in the near future, my first priority is the work I've already taken.  I have a few outstanding orders to finish before anything else happens.  Then I will be working on the orders you all send in to spend your Goatbux!  After that, I plan to do studies for anatomy to bolster my understanding of the subject, and I want to begin work on a comic for sale.  Either a plot-centric one (maybe telling Lady's story in a visual format?) or a size-change-y one.  I haven't quite decided yet!

I will continue to work hard in providing the content you love most, and while this will be a bit of an adjustment for all of us, hopefully we'll all soon see that it is a positive change! 

Thank you all so much for supporting me on Patreon whether it's been a month, or years. Every tier- every dollar helps support my future as an artist.

- Goat Train

PS:  the Goatbux commission form is here:  https://forms.gle/teCYGC8FJPKDWDTS8

My doors are open to discuss ideas, questions, or more regarding these commissions, either via Discord DMs or Patreon DMs!