aledonrex
patreon
Upcoming changes in November
🕑 Added 2023-10-19 20:54:00 +0000 UTCHello, everyone!
Something has been bothering me for a while, causing me to go back and forth on what to do. I believe it would be detrimental not to take action.
Short version:
Starting next month (November), I will be removing the sketch rewards tiers and also will not post any completed commissions here anymore. Instead, I will focus on art featuring my own characters, my headworlds, fanart of the characters I love, and much more. Of course, I will continue to offer commissions outside of Patreon, as I always have, so that won't change.
I will introduce new tiers and rewards, but they won't offer the same content that I provide with regular commissions.
For people interested in more details:
Over the last decade, most of the art I've created has been in the form of paid commissions for people. While this has generally been a positive experience and has allowed me to meet some of the nicest and sweetest people in the furry fandom, it has also had its downsides. It has left me with insufficient time to work on personal art. The skyrocketing cost of living has only made things worse, as I have to use all my free time to work rather than dedicate it to personal projects. I realize it might be difficult to understand for non-artists, but this situation has taken an enormous emotional toll on me. It puts me in a position where I constantly have to suppress myself. I already live in a real-life situation where I have to hide behind a mask and conceal my true self most of the time. Being unable to draw for myself leads to intense burnout.
Patreon was initially meant to combat this issue, giving me more opportunities to explore themes and subjects that personally interest me while still receiving monetary support. However, over time, with my health issues piling up and worsening my financial conditions, I found myself accepting suggestions and offering colored sketch rewards to scrape up more money. In the long run, this didn't help; it only made things worse. Patreon once again became a place where I drew other people's ideas in the form of rewards and suggestions, not much different from what I already do with commissions.
To prevent this situation from leading to even more intense burnout, I want to return Patreon to its original purpose: a platform where I can create and upload art that is entirely mine, exploring who I am and what I like. Additionally, I often complain about people not knowing me and my tastes, opinions, and views. How can they possibly know me without the opportunity to let people see who I truly am? And rightfully so, how can they feel motivated to support me if they don't know me?
For this reason, starting next month (November), I will be removing the sketch rewards tiers and also will not post any completed commissions here anymore. Instead, I will focus on art featuring my own characters, my headworlds, fanart of the characters I love, and much more. Of course, I will continue to offer commissions outside of Patreon, as I always have, so that won't change. Patreon is simply not the right place for them. I will introduce new tiers and rewards, but they won't offer the same content that I provide with regular commissions.
I understand that everyone's reasons for supporting artists differ, and it's impossible to please everyone. So, I expect this new beginning to be a bit rocky, but I hope to connect more with people who truly want to get to know me and my creations—people who appreciate my art because of my personality and not just because I drew a specific character in a provocative situation.
Most of you are already people like that, and I hope you will continue to stick around and enjoy what I create from now on. If this new direction isn't for you, I understand, and there will be no hard feelings at all!
As always, thank you very much for the support you have given me over the years; it means a lot to me!
