An update on how things have been

Hello patrons! I just wanted to update you all on how things have been. The current animation for October is coming along well, but not without some stress. As you may have seen in past postings, this will be the Japanese Language animation “Romantic Weekend”. It turned out to be quite ambitious. Coincidentally I was able to get time off from my other job, and thought I would be able to spend more time on completing it. 

But strangely I was having a bit of anxiety working on it, as if I didn’t know how it would turn out. I would have creative insomnia, wake up in a cold sweat several times, and even had dreams about animating it. As time went on, I was getting more confident in the project, but in the end, I had to cut out a kissing scene, which I was really looking forward to doing (I might animate it another month if it is popular). 

On top of that, I was using a new version of Flash, which was very hard to work with. It really added to the frustration, to not produce as quickly as I am used to. I will likely revert to an older version, as speed is very important when working in animation. 

Now that I have started back at my other job, I need to question just how ambitious I can really go with future projects. The last month was particularly hard on me. I know also it’s possible to make great animation without going too crazy, so I will need to be more judicious in the scope of what I create in the future. 

Some things I am considering is hiring animation help, or doing Patreon full time. But this would depend on a lot of factors, and it is hard to plan at the moment. It is something I am keeping in mind for the future.

Another thing happened recently. Two different platforms have requested that I take down content, for reasons I very much disagree with. I was not pleased about it at all. In the process, some posts have been removed in error, and I will try to repost them soon. It really took a lot out of me. 

So right now, I am taking a little break this weekend from animation (Oct 1 to 4), put my pen down, step away and make an effort to see friends, catch up with family, play video games, cook and just go out and enjoy the weather. I think letting you guys know how I am doing helps me feel better too. Your support and encouragement means a lot to me, and keeps me going when I sometimes doubt myself. I just gotta remember, as Hikari says at the end of Star Love Zero Gravity, “I must never doubt myself!”

“Romantic Weekend” is turning out great, so please look forward to its release later this month! Thanks again for your support.