The biggest improvement to my Patreon page, by far

Yea that really makes sense. Thank you so much for your time. :) Really appreciate it.

DORN

Thank you, I'm glad you like it! The way I've typically done it is that I post all my illustrations on social media, but the high resolution versions, time lapse videos and PSD files are exclusive to my Patreon page. I feel like that's a good balance between making my stuff freely available while also having something extra for the people who support me here. I also finish new pictures rarely enough that keeping some of them exclusive here would mean I'd post stuff on Twitter far too rarely, so it feels like a bad fit for how I do things. Posting paintings on Twitter is how I get the word out about my Patreon page, after all. If you make new stuff much more frequently than I do, and if you're comfortable with exclusivity, it's possible that keeping some of it exclusive to your Patreon page could make more sense for you. You'll have to be the judge of that. :)

Calm

How do you decide what to post here and what on other social media platforms? I struggle with that a lot. Sometimes it feels like why should people support my patreon if I post illustrations on twitter as well. Do you have some tips? I ask cause I've seen that you post your illustrations on twitter too. For me I know I'm here cause I'm an artist as well and want to learn. But should I focus on other artists only? I hope this question is okay. Greetings! Big love for you and your work. Keep it up 🙏🏼

DORN

I'm glad to hear you like it! Welcome back. :)

Calm

Thank you so much!! I was sad that I had to have to cancel my original subscription to your art because I love it, but it was getting too expensive compared to the budget i had allowed myself on Patreon, but this change allows me to subscribe to you again!! I hope it will bring more people to you ..because you freakin deserve that damn paycheck for the awesome work you do!

Ryurendan

The timelapses videos are still available on your gumroad right ? Or are you planning to make them into a gallery too ?

Thank you! And I like the 16:9 landscape format, so I'll probably do a bunch more pictures using that. But I'd like to let the ideas steer what format I use instead of the other way around, so we'll see. :)

Calm

Wow, while everything in my country is getting more expensive, this absolute legend is giving away his life's work. You are my hero. <3 Love the changes you're making and hope you keep drawing in landscape as I've been using your artworks as my wallpaper for some time now.

Alifee

I'm glad you feel it's worth more, but I think it'll be fine. :) If I keep making new stuff, I feel pretty confident that people's support will at the very least stay at a steady level I can get by on. 👍

Calm

I'm glad you like it, Henkka 😄

Calm

Thank you, Xero, that's very nice of you to say. :) And I agree, it is a shame that so many artists are forced to have to try to sell things. It means so many artists end up making what they think everyone wants to see, rather than what they themselves love most. I love getting to see people create what resonates most with themselves, so I hope a lot more people are given the freedom to focus on that.

Calm

An art book is something I would have loved to have made, but it is a substantial project (and much much more so as a physical book) so I'm just a bit too worried that it would take a lot of time and attention away from me working on the stuff I love to do most. 😅 It would also have been a new exclusive thing if it was meant to reward people who support more, which maybe goes a little bit against the idea of sharing more freely that I'm trying to move towards. So I think I would rather have just given it out to all of you here at no extra cost if I had made a digital art book. :) And thanks for being supportive about me discontinuing the polls, I appreciate that!

Calm

Thank you for sticking around for that long 😄

Calm

Thank you, Tay, I appreciate that!

Calm

I envision a future where artists thrive because of the mutual generosity between people who make art and people who love art. I think people like you - making the best damn art they can make, following their heart first, and sharing freely - are making that world possible. Keep going, man.

Molly Skyfire

Like I said on Twitter, art is meant to be experienced, not owned or gated. Turning art into capitalized "content(tm)" is really depressing and exhausting. It sucks that so many of us *have* to do that to even survive. But I'm fucking proud to be your supporter, always have been. Your work makes my world a little brighter, fills me with inspiration, and just generally makes me feel good. I'm in to support you till the grave if I can help it.

Molly Skyfire

You know, this is like a big pro-consumer move even though you didn't have to do it. Which is why I feel even more motivated to support your art! I mean, don't get me wrong, I would have supported you regardless because your art is great and needs to be seen. But this, what you did, is a real MVP move! Also, it allows me to see your earlier works that I've never seen before!

Henkka

Welcome! I'm glad you like my stuff. :)

Calm

I'd like to find ways to use polls, but I feel like it needs to stay a casual thing I do once in a while when I feel like it fits, instead of being a regular and committed part of my workflow, if that makes sense. Once I get into the swing of things with the new changes I can start considering that stuff. No promises just yet though. :)

Calm

Don't worry, I'll definitely try to keep sharing sketches! Hopefully more often than I used to, but we'll see. :)

Calm

Thank you for removing polls! Just recently it’s all been about dicks and jizz which I was getting quite bored of. All of the changes you are making are great 👍

Ian Graves

Zazo Here I am sitting at the cool kids table. :)

Zazo

It was either that or cereal killer ;)

Serial Chiller

It takes a lot of courage to make big changes, but it feels like all of these changes will be for the best.

Diego Anderson

I am your fan for years.

S.

Wow, big (and, for you no doubt, scary) changes! Sharing the backlog is outrageously generous. Just wanted to post and let you know that the positivity of your art is what drew me to join your Patreon, and that I'll continue to support your work regardless of how you structure your memberships. Your creative wellness is what's most important to me, and I hope that you'll continue to be flexible as you optimize it. All the best!

ArchmageTay

Perhaps instead of a mechanism to drive new works, polls or some other input mechanism might be a good way to gather feedback on past works instead. Still drive engagement and get input on whatever is useful/interesting, but without skewing the creative process or creating a lot of overhead.

JinxedJoker

Capitalism doesn't 'allow' that, it obligates it. And with the way it works it's starkly close to telling artists they're not contributing to society and leaving them to die (hence the "starving artist"). The Soviet Union is a convenient strawman, but not actually a relevant point of comparison, just a good way to lower your standards of governmental systems. Living wages are 1 among a host of relevant idea if you're interested to look into them in your own time, but this is hardly the place for a protracted discussion, so I'll leave it at that suggestion to respect Calm's post/space.

JinxedJoker

Super excited for all the new types of art you’re planning to create! Honestly I’d be happy with whatever makes you happy and creatively fulfilled as well ♥️

Kisaki Akizuki

Hey, Calm - thanks for being so transparent about the reasons behind your decisions, and for your generosity in making all your old work available! I hope people reciprocate that good will. I can say for sure that I would never consider un-subbing. My only point of feedback would be regarding the monthly polls. I think it makes sense for you to work on whatever you feel most excited about, and I don't mind not getting a vote since I definitely get disappointed when the vote doesn't go my way, but I would be sad to miss out on the sketch content. One of my favorite previous posts of yours was just a huge board of all the sketches you'd ever posted, and they were amazing. Even as sketches, they still capture the eroticism of an idea or scenario, and I've always enjoyed seeing them as much as voting on them. Even if we don't get to vote, I'd consider it a win as long as we still get to see all the concepts that you're kicking around in your head! Thanks for your work. Keep it up, and I hope this change is a real positive one for you!

Eric Lynch

I probably shouldn't have mentioned you mentioning it because dude I knooooow. But heyy you have no idea how badly I want to make audio stories for ALL OF THESE. I think it's my life goal. Calm your characters, poses, world building speaks to meeeee you are a LOVE.

Dorn

I like these changes. I'm excited to see your past and future work.

Faxmachinen

Thank you so much !

Narfai

He did it, he actually did it. Absolute madlad. I am of course happy that I and many others can now access all your highest quality work without a significant spend, but I also feel there might still be ways for those who want to support more to do so. While the pay per piece instead of monthly could have still worked, it would have put you in the spotlight to choose what counts as a major piece. Maybe with the 100th illustration approaching you could sell a digital or physical artbook with your retrospective opinion of your past ambitions, techniques and progress of your art. It might seem a little egotistical to yourself, but lets those wanting to support and know more do so without having for you to reveal personal info either. If there is no exclusive artwork within it this would also avoid upsetting anyone here for the art for which you have just promised an even playing field. I came for the cooms. I stayed for the art. I will keep supporting for the artist. PS: I like the removal of the polls. While I liked the engagement, it ran the risk of always being similar scenarios that the majority liked, and the customer is not always right in what they actually want. I'm looking forward to more varied art and scenarios I didn't even know I wanted to see. Your art will be able to carve its identity leaning more on creative scenarios that you enjoy and I think this could be the start of a new period. I am excited!

skyrat

Capitalism is what allows people to try to make a living on their art. In the Soviet Union trying that over having a normal job would risk you getting gulag'ed for parasitism and 'not contributing to society'.

Wild Bill

This must've taken a lot of courage to do. So thank you, I'm sure a lot of people appreciate this, not just me ♥

Caveman Dungeon

thats great! i look forward to seeing more sketches

Jake Kurzaczek

You're right. "Capitalism is depressing". The more you give the more you receive.

budgames

This sounds awesome. Wanting your artwork to be more available without trying to sell it all the time is why I'll always keep a patreon sub to you. Really love your work and want to see you continue to put out more amazing things.

Atarah

Thanks for all, you're so great!

budgames

All other things aside; "Capitalism is depressing", amen.

JinxedJoker

Actually... after re-reading above, has making the sketches been part of your normal process or something you'd done to facilitate the polls? Because I think it would still be equally interesting to share ideas you played with this month and still have a poll, but just use it to find out which ideas excited people (mostly in hindsight, not for planning) and/or see if we can guess which one you ran with as the next illustration. I think that would be really fun and way less stressful... but only if the sketches are something you're doing as part of your process anyway (otherwise it's extra steps getting in the way of your passion and the next piece, realistically).

JinxedJoker

Also, I know there's some folks who specialize in animating still images (typically from other artists)... have you considered partnering with someone like that to try animating some of your pieces and maybe learn some tricks from them?

JinxedJoker

I feel like your VERY detailed style must be working against you there for sure... This does make me wonder what it would look like if you ever tried some speed painting or similar techniques for some little micro-projects or ways of experimenting with animation techniques that don't require a crazy amount of investment of time/effort.

JinxedJoker

Yeah, honestly, you could do the visual art equivalent of playing Freebird for 6-12 months and I'd just be like 'yeah, alright, I'll see where this is going or wait out whatever experiment is going on.' You've got enough trust/cred banked that I know you're worth sticking with for the long haul even if things somehow actually went sideways for a bit.

JinxedJoker

To be fair... it's really hard to gate content on the internet... charging for historic access is such an uphill battle because of EXACTLY this problem. I think it's much better to focus on selling continued new work than the historic access (though that's still a nice QoL perk for fans, for sure!). I've actually seen quite a few successful Patreons that just put all their content out publicly for free, and just ask anyone who can and wants to to help them keep producing content they all love, and SURPRISE in a lot of those cases where people have enough exposure at least enough people care that it works. That and continuing to put out content publicly tends to attract more traffic, more payers, and more who may pay when they can or sign up over time. It's a really interesting model that's pretty dependent on services like Patreon to even be possible.

JinxedJoker

Hey Calm, this post just made me become a patron! Love your work!! <3 I look forward to supporting you for as long as I can~

Annikath

Ahh, this makes a lot of sense. I always assumed you were only putting up ideas you were still interested in at the time, but reading between the lines it sounds like you were putting up old ones you'd lost interest in but felt obligated to re-run based on people's interest? That's definitely not a great place to be in. :-/ It would be great to find a way to capture input and interest without the obligation though. Have you considered things like character/setting polls? Not committing to a specific work, but gathering input on general interest to help guide the ideation process? Or just to see things like what characters or past works people have liked most?

JinxedJoker

Actually, as a follow-up to this, I've definitely seen folks with monthly plans cycle back and forth between smaller projects and longer multi-month projects, which is another nice perk of monthly; you're not pressured into producing X a month to support yourself, only working consistently on projects you feel are worth your time and odds are if you think it's worth your time then fans will too.

JinxedJoker

Yeah, my thinking about Patreoning people isn't 'I want this person's art for $X per piece, or even their output for $X a month. It's 'I want this person to continue to be able to produce their art for I and others to enjoy (at least as long as they want to) and at least to not have to stop because of how gross capitalism is to artists. From there it's just 'how much can I afford to provide to those I want to support. I Patreoned a dude through months of a back injury, because I'm just happy if he'll eventually get back to being able to do what he loves (because I love it too!) and nobody deserves to be that uncertain about their future when something like that happens! D-:

JinxedJoker

Ooph, didn't realize it was that much of a pain. Darn.

JinxedJoker

Just to be totally clear though, that wouldn't make me un-subscribe or anything; like everyone else I'm here for your expressive, colorful, and fantastic art. <3 Just wanted to speak in favor of saving (or otherwise reincarnating) the polls.

JinxedJoker

Eeeeeeh, I was happy to see most of this, but I frankly loved your polls and what you've refined them to. It's singlehandedly the only thing driving engagement for me beyond just helping support your art. I loved seeing what you had for upcoming ideas even if they don't get made right now, and I liked that your supporters had (some) say in helping determine what of those upcoming ideas happened soonest. I've been a little disappointed when some lose, but mostly just happy to give input and get excited about some of the ideas regardless. I really hope you might reconsider further adjustment, rather than throwing it out entirely.

JinxedJoker

You're my hero man

SulaMoon

Wow, that's quite the change! I think so long as you're comfortable with your financial situation, then it's good of you to go with what is best for you, your creativity, and happiness. I'll be glad to continue supporting you and your work in the years to come, and I hope your decision here works out as well, if not better, than you hope! And thanks for making your past work available like this, it feels like I just got an amazing gift out of nowhere. Thank you :D

Griffin Hawk

this actually sounds way more convenient and not too mention exciting for both us as your patrons and you as the artist! cant wait to see what youll have in store for us now that you have more liberties!

Andy Eh

A big thank you Calm. I love your art and happy to donate to your hard work creating them. As a fellow artist I understand you striving for it to be more fun for you. Essentially you're trying to share your passion and earn a little bit in the process but not wanting it to be too far out of reach for everyone. I'll look forward to future pieces and happy to donate to your passion.

ManOfSteel87

Hahaha, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned animations. They're an idea I like a lot and would love to be able to make, but they are sooo much work as well. So please have tempered expectations there. :)

Calm

Thank you, that's very nice of you to say!

Calm

Yeah, I've had the people who grab stuff and run in mind. I just feel like they probably aren't my target audience in the first place. I don't want to go through the effort of convincing people to give me money they would rather keep, so it feels better to just keep things simple and not worry about it. I appreciate your concern though. You're right that it's smart to have at least considered it. :)

Calm

Yeah, I can understand that I guess. My Gumroad store is still there, so they can do that if they want to, even if it means they'll pay more than they need to, lol. I'll leave that decision up to them. :)

Calm

Thank you, Serial Chiller! I like your name, lol.

Calm

Yeah, letting you be a bit involved in the process like that is something I like in theory as well. It just ended up being a little bit too constricting to have it as a regular part of my workflow. By the time I started working on a winning sketch, my excitement for the idea could already have passed a little bit sometimes. Maybe I'll find a different way to use polls in the future that I'll feel more comfortable with. Not being fully tied to them like I was is a good start at least. 👍

Calm

I hope the master post works well for you. :) It seems like Patreon wasn't entirely built to handle it, but it... kinda worked!

Calm

Thank you for always being so supportive, Ciarán. 😄

Calm

I've enjoyed letting you guys have a say as well, but, in the end, doing it for every illustration is kind of a speed bump in my creative workflow, so I really appreciate you being supportive about me removing it. :)

Calm

oh a custom pledge I totally forgot about that 👌 I feel that you are undervaluing your art and I'm concerned the plethora of hit and runs to obtain the art may jeopardize your long-term survivability.

Pierre Johnson

Tutorials are something I would love to have made, but actually making them stresses me out a bit, so I avoid it, haha. I can't commit to it, so it has to remain a hard maybe. :)

Calm

Thank you! 😄

Calm

Hopefully it means a bit more art, but I'm still not the fastest around, so we'll see, lol. :) I'm pretty comfortable with the current subscription price though, so I've got no plans to change that!

Calm

Thank you, I really appreciate that. :)

Calm

Can I ask what makes you feel torn about it? And I don't have a tip jar exactly, but people can choose how much they pledge to me here on Patreon, so if they want to give me something other than the default amount, the option is there. :)

Calm

whatever works for you is fine with me

crufl

I guess you're not wrong about that. But I would ideally like to monetize nothing, lol. Sadly, bills still have to be paid. 😅

Calm

I hope it does too!

Calm

Thank you, Rando, I really appreciate hearing you feel that way. :)

Calm

animATION? everything's blurry... don't toy with me Calm

Dorn

You are a completely unique and beautifully talented artist, and it's wonderful to see you make changes in order to work the way that you want to work. You'll always have supporters here, and you could very easily charge more! <3

Sue

I mean, I've been a patron of yours for years and don't intend to go anywhere as long as you keep making such amazing art :) I think you'll do just fine, man! I doubt many people will snag and run

Sleepnir

This all sounds great to me! You’ve made some tricky decisions here, but from my perspective they all sound best for you and your followers. Cheers mate!

gimmickaccount

Best of wishes with the new changes! To be brutally honest, I _have_ in the past done the "subscribe and run" approach to download lots of content in a single month, but only when the creator charges an obscene amount to support them. You have a _very_ affordable Patreon, so I have no intention of canceling anytime soon, even with access to your past content. I really hope that's the case for your other supporters! If not, some creators have a "you must subscribe for X months to get the historical stuff" policy, but that might be a headache to implement. Still, something to think about. Cheers!

Umbra Solaris

I think the Gumroad is still very relevant though as I'm sure you have people purchasing there that aren't Patrons here. Or at least I'd assume so. Some folks just like a onetime cost over a monthly one. They feel like they have more control. Regardless, I'm always excited to see what you do next!

Daniel Landerman

congrats on the new restructuring! This sounds like it gives you more space to work creatively as it moves you and I am HERE FOR IT!! I can't wait to see what you make. Thank you for all your amazing content and sharing all the extras you already do.

Serial Chiller

I am very glad for you, Calm! And I think that's very good about doing away with the polls and chasing your own desires; that's what makes an Artist really shine ✨

Griffin Barrows

Brilliant! 😄

Brimicoo

I love the new path you've chosen.

Will Arnesen

I kind of like the polls, they make it feel like we're involved in the process somewhat, and while it's disappointing when the one we like most doesn't make it, it gives anticipation for when it finally does. Really, I just wish the votes were cumulative so that pictures couldn't keep losing over and over again.

Wild Bill

I'm down with this new format and I'm excited to see all of your past work and the evolution of your style (also plz make a master file for the previous art. I've been on other accounts that make you go through years of posts to see everything)

Andy G

This is so exciting! I’m happy to see you grow and excited to see what comes next on your adventures :))

Bow

To be honest, I actually already thought we were on a monthly subscription 😹 So of this change makes you feel better then go for it! 😸 The prospect of seeing more of your work from before I started following is definitely awesome and it'll be interesting to see what you choose to paint going forward without the polls. All in all, I hope you'll be happy with this change and I look forward to continuing to follow your amazing artwork!

Ciarán M

I think these are great ideas for improvement. We truly enjoyed voting on stuff, but to be honest, I always liked all of them and would spend more time than you'd likely think reasonable trying to decide! I say, let 'er rip! We're behind you (pumping with enthusiasm) all the way 😁

Dirk In The Dark

Wishing you the best 🙏🏻 While you are still thinking about the new content, may I suggest doing some tutorials? 👀

BiloArt

Your art has been an inspiration and I trust the decisions you make. Whatever you feel is necessary to keep doing what you do, while also still having fun while doing it is what matters most. Keep up the great work!

why tho

If this means more art I don't think anyone would be upset with you upping your subscription price.

JimmyJayJohn

This makes me want to continue supporting here even more. I feel the same way about monetizing content, and think in the long run you will keep that passion alive through doing away with the polls. I'm glad you're taking the steps you need to for your own passion and mental health. <3

Autumn Rain Turkel

Epic

I love you and your art, so I’ll be happy to see anything you draw. Also I’m happy to get all your previous artworks, they are AMAZING

Polina

Great deals create goodwill and usually greater profits. Sounds like a good change.

jonny

I'm a little torn on this but if you feel good about 👍 So do you have a tipjar that someone could throw funds into when you make something that moves their heart?

Pierre Johnson

I support you either way and will continue to do so as long as I am able

Tooshin

I enjoy ur work regardless if I had to pay for the past stuff or not. It has been an honor to see ur progression first hand and all out inspiring. Look forward to what you create for the rest of 2022. 🔥😤🤩

MarGoran_OW

Don't worry, capitalism doesn't mean you need to monetize everything, loss leaders are perfectly find to attract new fans!

French Honey Badger

I'm happy you are making this change to help yourself out creatively and (probably) much less stress! I am overjoyed to stick around for the long haul!

I just hope this helps you feel more creative. Anything you need to do we're here for you!

Epimetheus

I don’t see how this is a disincentive for us to subscribe long term. We are subscribed because we like you, we love your art, we want to see the new stuff you are making and support your journey. Access to your old works is super cool but it has nothing to do with why we are throwing you cash today. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

Rando Calrissian

Honestly your artwork makes people stick around and support you. It’s extremely high quality. We thank you for what you do.

Sol_NB

Fantastic news across the board. I've always appreciated your approach to Patreon. You rock. <3

Drovolost

Awwsome man! You rock! 😍

2P_Rick