Dancer Elayne
Added 2024-07-25 07:11:19 +0000 UTCThis piece was inspired by this month's voting poll:
Subject: Elayne Beaumont + ??? Costume
I initially planned to do more with this artwork, but I got tired and saw no reason to stress about it. It's not like a painted version of this would've made me more successful. Besides, I can always come back to it later - there's no reason to force myself to meet a monthly deadline.
What do you think? Do you think I should push this illustration further or just move on?
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I haven't done a voting poll in a while, though they were once monthly occurrences on my Patreon. I'd like to maintain a relaxed environment free of systemic monthly pressures, but I do think it may be fun if every month could feature a unique gimmick like that. A bit like how gacha games will do limited-time events every patch. It was a poll this time, but it could be something else next time.
My career is nearly a decade old. I've grown tired and daily sustainability has become harder. As a result, I think the "Patreon experience" has become less interesting. I think it's very clear that "the grind" associated with hustle culture has been slowly killing me - so perhaps the grind is simply not worth doing anymore... But what is one supposed to do? I can't exactly retire, after all...
Perhaps the answer is to simply have fun - though I am very bad at doing that. Instead of chasing numbers, maybe I should just try to make my community a more enjoyable space to be in? Just... Make cool art without stressing about deadlines, and making fun experiences to share with you.
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Don't forget to eat & sleep.
Comments
Hold me closer, tiny dancer :3
Kyle S.
2024-07-29 01:20:27 +0000 UTC"it's too much to expect people to wait patiently as I try to rediscover what that might be" As a customer, I respectfully disagree. As I see it, the value proposition tilts in my favor. In my field there's a saying: "stress doesn't make people think better." There's also a bunch of research to show that stress can make people log more hours, but the quality of the work tends to be lower. A happy and relaxed person will typically deliver more good quality work in less time than someone burning themselves out. So reframe the idea as "exploring new ways to generate content" as a side experiment where the only metrics are A) quantity, and B) whether you enjoyed generating that work. Set a short time limit (maybe 10 minutes) and if you don't honestly want to keep going, stop. Write a quick "here's why I started, not working, moving on" description and try something else. See how many you can generate and post in a week, or in a day. I consider those offcasts worth seeing. They show your process and how you think. And from a business sense it's not like you're asking me to pay more for them, you're delivering more output for the same price. Also set a time limit for how long you work on something you do enjoy before posting a progress shot. Again, that shows your process, which has its own kind of interest. Given the nature of creative work, I'll bet you can't go two months cranking out slush and trying different things without finding something that pleases you.
mike stone
2024-07-25 19:14:32 +0000 UTCDon't feel bad that you're having fun with it! We're all here to see you draw some amazing illustrations anyway! If you're having fun with your drawings, then we're going to have fun seeing you share those same drawings too! ✌️😆💖
Ethan Moreno
2024-07-25 15:38:41 +0000 UTCElayne looks so cute here! Whatever direction you decide regarding your Patreon and your art, I'll always be here to support you and your projects.
MementoFunesMori
2024-07-25 13:40:12 +0000 UTCI really like how it turned out! It's all good if you don't want to paint it.
Shawn Heatherly
2024-07-25 13:25:04 +0000 UTCwe're here to support you - seeing you rediscover it, is under that umbrella.
Anthony Docimo
2024-07-25 12:09:17 +0000 UTCi think if you'd have fun it would bleed through to your art too. i would,personally, like itif you were enjoying yourself while doing your lovely arts
Blanko2
2024-07-25 08:41:30 +0000 UTCIt's really difficult to justify having fun - particularly when I've forgotten HOW to, and it's too much to expect people to wait patiently as I try to rediscover what that might be... Especially as the career has become harder and more competitive. But it's becoming clear that I'm not exactly thriving under the current system anyway, so... Yeah.
brellom
2024-07-25 07:26:46 +0000 UTCfun tends to be quite enjoyable to watch, i agree.
Anthony Docimo
2024-07-25 07:17:45 +0000 UTC
