(semi-monthly) Update - September 2019 (Patreon)

Oof, I'm bad at keeping these up sometimes.

TL;DR for what I'm going to write: I'm doing a bit of work on organizing and cleaning and getting my headspace right, so expect inconsistencies for a little bit longer! I'm (optimistically) planning to finish at least two previously started pictures this month as well, ideally sooner rather than later.

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Right, so! Can't have a TL;DR without also writing some truly Too Long stuff for people to Didn't Read.

First off, my headspace is actually doing pretty well right now, don't worry too much about that. What's been dragging me down most of all is physical stress; the realization that my desk setup is less ergonomic than I'd like, that my fancy gaming chair is nice but not good, and I'm simply spending far too long in front of computers for my own health. And that is what's messing with my head in turn, hah. Hard to be particularly motivated and energized for work when you've got back pain and all that.

Which leads into some of my plans + some philosophical ramblings. Plans-wise, I'd like to clean and organize and probably re-structure my workspace. I've wanted a new desk for a little while, and the biggest issue is "what to even get"; my space is a bit limited, I hate how the options in stores are either expensive or made of crappy materials, and honestly I'd like to build my own but I don't really know how to do that just yet. The suggestion was raised, though, to just... stop being so picky and make something crappy. A solid board propped up on boxes, figure out where it's comfortable, then put legs on it and call it a day. Or embellish, I don't know what I can manage, but that can come later.
As for chair? I have one of those fancy gaming chairs you see all the streamers using, and that was my first foray into "spend extra money on personal comfort because it'll be worth it in the long run". Which is still the right attitude, but this chair... it's comfortable, but not really designed for me, I think. And I kinda regret it. So, new (cheaper, more ergonomic) chair is probably the upgrade.

That's all long-term planning, but I'd like to start sooner than later. My back pain isn't going anywhere if I keep at it like this, I need exercise and a better setup and to be smarter about how I work. And that takes some time and effort.

It's funny, thinking back. The stages you go through, moving into adulthood and taking work more seriously. Starting off with art as merely a fun hobby to indulge in, then wanting to make more and more, realizing you can make a living out of this if you love it enough... (which I absolutely do.) But then also the change in priorities as you realize how important it is to spend that extra dosh on "boring" things, lifestyle things, to suddenly care about ergonomics and keeping a schedule and all that. Things I previously would (proudly) spend immense efforts in saving the maximum amount of money on, using a chair someone was throwing out, using the cheapest, nicest-looking desk, throwing extra money into the computer and making due with the inexpensive tablet. And now it's flipping around, I don't want to compromise on the stuff I'm using daily just to save a few bucks. I'd rather still have my health in 10, 20 years than have some extra cash in my pocket because I cheaped out on my chair or spent more money on stuff that looks nice.

Adulting is difficult.

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And, ah, art stuff.

I'm maybe being optimistic to a degree that Future Me will resent, but my tentative plan for this month (besides all the above stuff) is to finish at least a couple of projects. The "Vore Day" piece is not even in the same month anymore, but it's still a good concept I think so I'm going to finish it up! Bit off more than I could chew with the amount of characters involved, but it's nearly there, I just need to buckle down and finish the last few bits up.
There's also another Sanae piece I was working on, and that I'm extra-excited to work on, simply because my Sanae mood has been very good lately and it was an indulgent piece from the start. It could end up being something else I finish instead, but that one's convenient and close, so it's probably the one I'll do.

And... I did say "at least". I'd like to do something else on top, something... probably new. Something more spontaneous! And sure, planning to do something "spontaneous" is probably counter-productive but like. I feel like maybe I've hurt myself a bit by trying so hard to set projects for each month, or feeling like I need to follow patterns or spread things out in a particular way. So I'd like to just have a brief return to the old method of just, get an idea > make the idea.
I was doing a lot better with making pictures monthly, even weekly, back before I was actually trying to do just that. And it's hard to tell how much of the slowdown is due to physical constraints or time constraints or just the fact that I'm trying too hard.

I probably need some better scheduling, sure. Setting aside specific times for "work" and "play". But I could also do to be a little looser on what I let myself make when it's "work" time, and let myself slip back into that older mindset, when I'd skip on the video game because I honestly was enjoying following a character design or scenario idea too much to put it down.

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Well there you go, Too Long to Didn't Read. Though I like it when folks do anyway, I appreciate you all! ^^ A friendly reminder on that note that there's a Discord server reserved especially for patrons and invitees, where I often chat about future ideas, people share inspirations and things they like, and we sling puns around. If you're interested in that and you haven't already linked your Patreon and Discord to get the automatic invite, please do check it out!