Spidey catches Hit Girl in his web and fills her mouth with spidey sp*nk : )

Thanks for this awesome post and all the encouragement and advice. I really hear you on this. I've been learning to not mess with what inspires me otherwise it's really easy to get burned out. That's why I stopped doing commissions even though I was getting 5+ new ones a week. You can't kill the goose to get more eggs. In this case, I was actually losing money daily the sign-ups got so low, so I didn't have much choice. I like what you said about ignoring the ups and down each week, which are significant, and instead to focus on overall growth. And always at the center respecting inspiration. Bc mess with that and it just goes away. Thanks again for taking the time to write this. It means a lot and is super helpful. Btw, I've tried reaching out to Ninjartist multiple times, but he's never gotten back to me. Not sure why? I love his stuff and he was my inspiration. Maybe someday he'll get back to me : )

*DAMN the screwy ways of doing line breaks on here, sorry about wall of text as well* Dude. Color me as disappointed as possible right now. I have been involved with this industry, art form, and these sort of fetishes for over two decades. YOU are the artist, making YOUR creations. YOU make your own decisions, and the audience is just that. Time and time again I have seen artists do what you just did... "appease the masses" Want to know how many times it worked out? N-E-V-E-R The internet is filled to the brim with people who feel that keys beneath their fingers are the ultimate weapon, a screen before their face the hardiest armor. They know no limitation, their desires will always go unquenched. They are VULTURES and if you ever give them an inch, they will strip your flesh to the bone. You can compromise with them, but never ever give them anything. Because they will always want more. Today it is stopping that series. Tomorrow it might be getting you to use a lady you don't like, and the day after that you'll find you're no longer making art for yourself, you're making art for them. You are not a civil servant, you do not serve anyone but yourself. You can do commissions, take requests, but if there isn't still that time and space to make what you want to make for yourself, you will find yourself losing interest in your art. I've seen many artists just go full steam, commission after commission, never taking a break for themselves, cause "it's all art." But then time and again I've also seen them burn out, crash, and sometimes leave the field entirely. There are few things more personal than creating art, and there are few things that'll mess you up as quick if what you're doing isn't what you want to be doing. If there were legit concerns about arachnophobia, I get that, and fully support either swapping the beast or creating an alternate set, cause that is a legit concern. But again, do not give the trolls anything. Take care of yourself first and foremost. On the sign ups front, there will be ups and there will be downs. Chasing month after month gains might be good for the wallet, but you will be quick to find out that it comes with a whole host of problems on its own. A good person to maybe message and talk to about this stuff is Ninjartist. I'm sure with the directions his content goes in, he has ups, downs, and everything in between. He's also done spiders. Chase overall growth, not monthly, cause again, soon you'll find yourself not creating art for you, but for them, and you're in the same unfulfilled boat. Saw a drop off after spiders? Maybe do a two-fer with the next post or maybe just poke an advertising head into a slightly different part of the net "hey guys, lookit what I'm making" Also, don't ever give up on the first try. You've had four non-monster posts since the spider piece. Wouldn't it be worth it, at this point, if the subs are still declining, to see if maybe going further down that thread might help reinvigorate things? You're still small change in terms of subs and artistic presence. NOW'S the time to experiment, before you're bigger and where each "on" or "off" post isn't changing your numbers by the hundreds. This is the time to be creating everything you want to be, because the audience will come, and as long as you're making the art you want to make, you'll last long enough to find it.

Joseph Czarniak