2023 wrap-up! (Patreon)
Content
Hi everyone!
The year is coming to an end and I wanted to take a moment to look back on the past months, reflect on what has happened and also look ahead to give you a glimpse of what I have planned for the next year.
But first things first: Holy shit! What a year it has been! 2023 was absolutely crazy. I don't know if I've ever had a year with so many impactful and life-changing events.
My marriage ended, I moved to a new apartment, quit the shitty job I'd been stuck in for 10 years and instead of searching for a new job, I actually took the leap I'd been dreaming of for a decade and became self-employed with my artistic endeavors. And all of this has actually made me feel so much better than I did 12 months ago. At the beginning of 2023, I was still sitting with a therapist, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Today, I know it was just the crappy circumstances weighing me down. And now that everything has changed, the gray cloud has lifted.
Just the fact that I finally dared to go 100% self-employed is such a great feeling. And the reason this dream could become a reality is because of you. Your support and trust make it possible for me to live my dream and make a living from my art. In the past, I've taken so many long breaks, sometimes due to lack of time, sometimes due to a lack of motivation. Over the years, I've been declared "dead" by people more than once. While I always found that a bit wild, it was somewhat understandable when I was absent for months or even years. It's hard to come up with sexy imagery and bring it to life when you're constantly skirting along the edges of depression. But I hope I've been able to give back to you in the last 6 months. Looking at the output, I've produced more images and comics in the past half-year than in the past three years combined. And I definitely want to keep this momentum going because having the type of art I've been quietly creating in the shadows for over 20 years now financing my life is such a fantastic and liberating feeling that I definitely want to continue pushing.
So once again, a huge thank you to all of you! You make all of this possible, and with your help, I can continue creating even more content for you in the future.
What are the plans for 2024?
First and foremost, of course, the elephant in the room: Maggie! "Maggie's fattening story," my baby that I've been working on for over 20 years (with some big breaks, admittedly) is actually nearing completion. I can reveal that we are indeed close to the end. I finally have the finale clear in my mind and know exactly how it will end. I need a few more pages for that, but I doubt we'll reach 90. But I promise you, it will be a beautiful and somehow wholesome ending. I will stick to the rhythm and present you with a new page every month until the grand finale.
Then, of course, there will be more episodes of "Bulging Bonds." Danny and I have "big plans" for our sorority girls. So be excited to see what happens with the four cuties and how they embark on their individual weight gain journeys and how they will develop. Here, too, there will be one episode per month.
Many people have asked about "Jenny's Achievements" and whether the series will continue. And I can say: Yes, it will definitely continue. However, I thought that maybe I'll finish Maggie first, so I don't have three comic projects running simultaneously. Jenny has already been on hiatus for so long, so a few more months won't make much of a difference, right? Maybe the desire will strike me in between, and I'll release an episode here and there. We'll see. In any case, Jenny is not forgotten and will definitely make a comeback.
Furthermore, I've been literally working on a WeightGain story for years about two sisters who eventually discover that they are feedees and, against their mother's wishes, start gaining weight together. It has become quite a substantial project, but it's still missing one final chapter. So, for 2024, it's definitely on the agenda to finish writing this story and present it to you. I'm still unsure about the approach I'll take. Simply posting the story seems a bit dull to me. I'm actually thinking of illustrating this story and possibly releasing two versions: one with images and one without. I still need to figure it out, but this project will also kick off in 2024.
And, of course, there will continue to be individual images. I will once again rely on surveys and ask you what you would like to see because the images that resulted from the surveys were enjoyable for me and hopefully brought you joy as well. Additionally, I will launch another WeightGain-Drive in January or, at the latest, February. You can also vote on who gets to gain weight this time with your help. The first WeightGain-Drive was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoyed it too.
I have some other ideas, but they are still too undeveloped for me to present them to you yet. But the beautiful thing is: I have ideas again!
So, once again, thank you all for making this possible. Feel free to give me feedback on my work and let me know what content you would like to see. I read all comments and am always open to suggestions and feedback. Not uncommonly, entirely new ideas for future projects emerge from them.
And, of course, commissions are still open. So, if you ever have a specific request for me, don't hesitate to reach out.
Okay, all that's left for me is to wish you a fantastic start to 2024! The last six months were great, and I hope it can continue the same way—or even better!
Happy New Year!
Yours,
Koudelka