XaiJu
stickymoncomixxx
stickymoncomixxx

patreon


A Creative Block

I'm sorry to come to you with another text heavy word post but I need to inform you all of what's going on. On top of just having an increasingly busy work schedule I've been suffering more and more from massive creative blocks. That's not to say I don't know what to create, I know exactly what I want to create just more and more often I'm struggling to find the motivation or energy to create it. (I guess it's more of a motivational block I suppose)

And this goes for all of my artistic endeavors but for my erotic art especially. I don't want to stop making smut but it has gotten harder and harder to make and I believe it just comes from a culmination of too much stress from different aspects in my life. There's a lot expected of me in my job opportunities, there's a lot expected of me from people in my personal life, and there's a lot expected of me in my artistic and online circles and in trying to fulfill them all I've run myself ragged.

I've tried coming up with several options for this patreon to try and keep it interesting and operational but I've failed every time and I honestly don't know how to proceed. I've considered eliminating reward tiers and just leaving it to $1 and $3 tiers that get pretty much the same content I've been putting out but spread out over less tiers, meaning those two tiers would get more content than they do now and you wouldn't have to worry about paying $6 or $12 per update. In addition to that I thought about going back to a monthly system but I have reservations about that due to my piss poor track record of producing work on a consistent basis.

And I've even considered just shutting the whole thing down. I'm not sure what the best course of action is. I like the idea of having an exclusive place where I can share art and my process with people, and I no longer feel as comfortable posting content on open sites like tumblr or twitter. But I also realize I don't have the time or resources available to run this patreon at the professional standard plenty of other artists do. I don't know if a patreon is worth running or supporting if the artist can only manage to post some art once every month or two and yet that's as much as my body and mind has been willing to do. It's why I've also had to pretty much move away from commissions altogether.

I want to know your thoughts or suggestions on what I've put forth. I'm still determined to produce the Poll Illustrations (Aya is still being worked on), but obviously and unfortunately that won't be a short feat. And if you're ready to move on from this patreon and delete your pledge I completely understand, there's no hard feelings. And of course thank you all for sticking around as long as you have, I'm sorry I haven't been able to make more out of it. My situation has changed considerably from when I first started this thing and I'm trying to figure out what that means for the future of how I create art and what art I create.

Comments

Sorry to hear Sticky, I've been there myself a few times. No matter what you decide on you'll have a ton of fans, myself included, to support you through your endeavors

Grimlock101

Burn out happens to all artists. Don't beat yourself up about it. Don't invite negativity. You let your expectations turn into doubts, and then you let those doubts define who you are. Get out of your head and try other things. Try drawing studies and/or stuff you haven't done in a while. Try activities you don't normally do. Look for stuff to inspire you. Get your head straight. If Patreon feels like a burden, don't do it. If you want to simplify the tiers, do that. Plenty of "professional" artists just do tip jars. Do what you feel comfortable doing, not what you think you have to do. The most important thing is creating content that you feel good about and makes you feel good drawing. When you are producing satisfying content on a consistent basis (either part-time or full-time), you can build an audience. You have already demonstrated with your previous work that people like your art, and like to see more content from you, whatever that may be. You just have to get out of your own way, and find your way back to motivation.

Joshua Wolfe


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