The Patreon Problem

Just a heads up, this is a bit of self exploration that I am making public here on Patreon so y'all can follow with me, and maybe learn something about my sort of people. Also, please read through the entire post, and understand that this is not some dramatic complaint; it's meant to be presented in a casually introspective fashion. I am simply sharing it with you.

I am an artist who thrives on feedback. I love the comment. The comment, good or bad, holds the power of a thousand likes or reblogs or re-tweets or whatever. The comment shows that the person didn't just absent-mindedly look at your work and think "neat", click like, and move on.

Lately I have been feeling very flat about my work. I burn out faster, deflate faster, and lose interest in finishing anything I start. I started to wonder why. Why is that?

Well, I think I figured some of it out.

Patreon. No, not drawing for money, that's fine. I NEED to do that. Patreon is functionally problematic for me.

Like I said, I thrive on feedback and interaction. I love sharing my work, and knowing it was seen, appreciated, or even despised. A like is often-times a shallow gesture. Like waving at a stranger. Friendly, but ultimately just a fleeting platitude. No substitute for even a basic comment, and certainly no substitute for a short conversation!

Patreon is a dead zone. Generally, people do not comment here. They do not tend to speak or leave feedback. Some of you have, I understand that, but you are a small percentage of my patrons and guests. Mostly, this place is as silent as the grave. My community tab has ONE post, and that was made by a personal friend about this topic. haha

I know traffic comes through. The likes go up, the bar graphs grow and shrink accordingly. But the interaction is uncommon to missing. Even on polls!

So you might think, "Skoon, why is this affecting you so much? When you post the art elsewhere does it not get comments?" It does! For sure. Consider this, however; I post everything to Patreon first. Sometimes, especially when I am unable to make more art quickly, it will languish here for days or weeks before being released to the greater masses.

Days/weeks of general silence. That immediate reaction I thrive on is not frequently a factor here, and by its very nature I must let things sit here first. I believe this is a contributor to my recent internal troubles with my work. Why I have had a hard time lighting the pilot and getting a good flame.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to note that I am NOT blaming you, the guests and patrons. By no means are any of you obligated to go out of your way so I feel better. This post is nothing more than an open investigative report on my own self esteem, and what drives me or stops me dead in my tracks.

This is what I need to figure out so I can continue to improve, and give you all a better reason to stay here with me as well. This is a problem I have to figure out how to cope with. However, I leave myself open for suggestions, because I have no idea what to do about it.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for understanding. :)

Cheers-

Skoon

P.S. I do not find likes offensive, just a little sad when that's all I see on a well-trafficked post.