Update on adult content

Hey all - I wanted to give a quick update on the status of adult content and the channel as a whole.

As you may remember if you were around then, I decided to try my hand at adult content back in mid-2021. I thought it would help me grow the channel, expand my own artistic range, and challenge me in new ways. I've done a total of 5 so far, and this is what I've learned:

1. It didn't help grow the channel, at all. In fact, for the past few months, my YouTube growth is the slowest it's ever been in the nearly 2.5 years of the channel. I don't think that the slowdown has anything to do with the adult content, but that content definitely didn't help. It also didn't significantly grow my Patreon numbers or income, which was the other thing I had kinda hoped would happen.

2. It brought a new type of patron to the community. I started seeing a rise in patrons who would sign up at the $10 level, get all the adult content, and immediately cancel their patronage. At one point, I noticed about half my recent new patrons were doing that. Obviously that's common with this sort of content, and it's not against any rules, but it's not really what Patreon was created for, and it's a bit of a bummer for me. I like when people become patrons and stick around as part of the community. I like what we've built here together. Those patrons didn't care about that, which is okay, but still kinda sad. Plus it made it hard to track how well the channel was doing income-wise throughout the month.

3. I hate making this content. Full on loathe it. I thought it would get easier, I thought I'd get better at it, but I hate it so much. I respect the fuck out of people who can do this, and I am honestly a little jealous of those who can, but for me, it just doesn't work. I'm not that person. It literally ruins my day to work on adult audios. I wish that weren't the case, but here we are.

All this to say, I think this experiment is over. I'm sorry I couldn't make it work. If you're just here for that content, please go ahead and cancel your patronage because I don't think I'll be changing my mind. I can be creative in lots of other ways that don't make me feel like I'm pulling my skin off. Thank you for your support during this time, and thank you to those of you who enjoy the content no matter what it is. You're the best community I could ever hope for.

Editing to add: The adult content that is currently on Patreon will stay there for now. Still accessible at the $10 level. I just don't plan to add any more of it. Thanks everyone.