End of 2024 Update

It's been a very long year and so much has happened. I feel like I've really grown up as both an artist and as a person compared to 2023.

When I first got a lot of attention as an animator back in 2021, I really didn't know what direction I wanted my art to head in. I started being really cynical, pandering towards viral trends, and really obsessing over attention, I didn't like that mindset, it wasn't me, however it was a misunderstanding that I had to prioritize these things in order to succeed as an independent animator. I fell into this gamified social media attention trap which I didn't think was a problem.

I burned out in later 2022 after I made "Bedrock hard Minecraft abs". That video was immensely successful with over 37 Million views. I was able to use the ad money to pay off one year of University fees. My family was very proud of me, especially my father. However something was missing in my life. I was happy with the work sure, but I wasn't proud of it. It was embarrassing to show my peers that I was the guy who made that "Minecraft abs" video. It was a gimmick to hop on the Minecraft popularity train, and I felt like as an artist I didn't respect myself. I wanted to have my own voice, do more than animate viral topics.

This was also the time where I felt the environment of Hong Kong starting to change after the 2019 protests. For better or for worse, the city I grew up in has fundamentally chose a direction I was unhappy with and it's effects on my culture/family/friends around me. If you scrolled down to the post when I reactivated this Patreon, you could see I was lost and very angry.

At the beginning of 2023 I started a new path on making independent original animation. The first choice I made was to finish off the Koishi Project to end old commitments and to prove to myself that I actually had the capability to be an independent animator. The second choice was to start IWBTWR, a comic about life choices in an intense political environment and a love letter to the city I grew up in.

Both have been immensely successful and I'm now very happy at the person and artist I've become.

There has been more than double the amount of Patrons compared to the start of 2024. With the new support I was both able to get a new chair and new drawing material. I am also now able to use excess funds to commission colorists to work on both my animation and comics.

I still work part time as an accountant, hopefully I will be in a place where I can financially support myself just through my art one day.

2023 was me finding the direction of what I wanted to do, 2024 has been establishing this path I created for myself. Hopefully in 2025, I will be able to continue building along this path until IWBTWR is over a couple of years later. With some large side projects accompanying it as well.

2024 Events

2024 was a brutal double project year when I was working on both IWBTWR and the Koishi Project. The Koishi Project took priority as it was ending soon.

• IWBTWR The Baby Formula Conspiracy Arc

  

  The baby conspiracy arc is currently still ongoing, I thought it was cute to give the spotlight to the manager who was actually supposed to be a one off character for the small newspaper styled comics.

• Koishi Project Trailer

  

  

  The launch of the Koishi Project trailer has skyrocketed the Patron count, allowing me to finish off the whole thing to the quality it is now. The support in the comments also gave me the boost to finish it off. It was received well and I was very surprised so many people years later have been waiting for the finished version.

• End of Webtoons Negotiations

  

  At first I was very excited to work with Webtoons, however after I looked at the contract terms for IWBTWR, I was very disappointed with what they offered. I decided that I would fund IWBTWR on my own without webtoons interference.

• Start of Yan Yan Production House Limited

  The one thing in Hong Kong we're good at is business. The people of Hong Kong live and breath business. With my background as a part time accountant, I was able to set up my own company. This allows me to write off this comic, as well as the art material/software as a business expense. It's also much easier to receive AdSense money through this company, as well as pay for colorists using Yan Yan PH. Yan Yan is named this way because my grandfather owned a small letter writing stall of the same name.

  Hopefully I will be able to get office space for it.

• Start of the IWBTWR Site

  

  My dependance on Webtoons as a comics hosting platform was an issue. So I decided to spend some time this year building my own website. Now Webtoons is a secondary hosting platform compared to the current site.

• IWBTWR Dyslexitard arc

  

  The dyslexitard comics have been very successful and it's my most popular original content to date. Jenny's backstory is still in progress and I'm very happy with the direction I've moved the comic into.

• Koishi Project Finished

  

  

  and finally the end of the Koishi Project. Ending this project was very cathartic. It also provided framework on how I should conduct animation projects in the future.

2025 Goals

• Streaming once every two months? Every month?

  I want to, but need the courage :(

• 2025 TouhouFest in LA

  I will be in LA June 14-15 for my first convention! I will not be boothing, but I will be there.

• Two New IWBTWR arcs

• Side Project currently in idea phase

• Two new short animated videos

• IWBTWR Animated Soft Launch

  A surprise in progress :D

  

Thank you all! See you all in 2025 and have a happy new year!