sfmdh
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Progress Report, Future Plans for this Patreon, 21/05 - 21
🕑 Added 2021-05-21 11:19:03 +0000 UTCHello everyone and welcome to another progress report, with some crucial information pertaining to what we're doing here, and will be doing here, in the near future.
Several things have happened at once in my life, and I'll try to summarize them as briefly as I can here. Firstly, I have recently been contacted by the government regarding my company form and the manner in which I file taxation, and so forth. The general gist here is that the reason my commission earnings been cut so heavily into (something that has confused me) is because whenever I send someone an invoice, even outside the country, they are supposedly subject to VAT - which I haven't added previously. Swedish VAT is 25%, so sadly, also owing to the tax bracket I am in, I will need to raise overall prices of commissions (once this round is over) to reflect that, and add VAT on top in order to give myself, at least, minimum wage standards with the hours that I pour into commissions. This might explain why some creators are almost prohibitively expensive, and why I've been able to keep my prices low before. This means I have been paying VAT for my commissioners before, meaning a 25% cut to my earnings, and then taxes and fees on top of that. Again, this is a change that will come into effect for future commission openings, so not for those already promised slots in the present.
Second, my daytime job is becoming increasingly unmanageable. For those who don't know, I work in government security, and the mental and physical toll is slowly making me deteriorate as a person - looking forward towards your pension in your mid-30's with a brain swimming in stress and an aching body isn't a good spot to be in. To be honest the main reason I have maintained this job in the past is that it's steady income and I am somewhat struggling with debt, which has somewhat bound me to it - but it has over the years become increasingly unbearable, and I have realized I rather lower my living standards significantly over working myself into an early grave.
Thus, I have come to a fork in the road. I am awaiting information from the government what new tax bracket etc my patreon work makes me end up in (with an additional rule change happening on July 1st), and then I will seriously have to evaluate my two primary options: quitting my current job and taking a different job (and if I'm lucky on taxation, perhaps a half-time one) on the side of this patreon, or making the jump and try to truly make something out of this patreon of mine by doing it full-time. The first does not mean much change for you people here as updates would happen just as usual, but the second option would of course translate into, hopefully, higher quality work and significant strides being made weekly towards project works and the likes - as well as probably requiring me to do consistent, monthly commissions to pad out my strained economy. It would also bring other considerations - more on that below.
My future approach with Commissions, regardless, will also change, where "first come, first serve" will no longer be the case, and I will instead try to consider what is manageable within my schedule before blindly accepting slots. In other words, ideas will be pitched up-front, and I'll have to make a judgement (instead of giving people a blank slate from the get-go) regarding how feasible their idea(s) are, before they get a slot.
In the event I go full-time with Patreon, I need to figure out how to retain a bigger following as well as, somehow, as cynical as it might sound, simply make more money. I've considered matters such as opening up a $10 tier with special perks (though I am yet to figure what those are), and even switching from the weak and unstable Dollar into the Euro (translating into $0.22 extra cost per month for $1 dollar patrons here as the new minimum tier would be €1) but I imagine that wouldn't be too popular a move. Regardless, I will be warning everyone, well ahead of time, in the event where I do anything drastic, but the more I think about it the more unlikely it is that I rock the boat too much - I honestly rather keep the amazing support I have now, as things are now, and just try to grow even bigger instead.
This was "brief" for me, I hope, considering how much I can rant. But I digress: Government handling time for this stuff is 3-6 weeks, and I was contacted just a few days ago, so I currently do not know what will happen, and I cannot make a decision here regarding this until I know how things will look. July 1:st might also bring some small surprises owing to the law changes then, but we shall see. Exciting but also nerve-wrecking times.
Phew, alright, that's enough of that. I'll keep everyone posted on these matters, and will let you know as soon as I decide on, well, literally anything regarding this.
In terms of actual progress on stuff here, I've done a deep-dive into the more technical side of Blender and model rips, particularly dealing with OBJ and FBX files to make them work in-engine, along with rigging and even some texture painting. In the thumbnail is a ripped Draenei with what is, possibly, the best sculpted ass I have ever seen on them (owing to WoW modders like Allynsia), which I hope to utilize in my work. I've managed to figure out the actual technical manner in which I will create my Warcraft comic in Blender, making the jump from SFM, and really all I'm waiting for right now before I begin work in earnest is the orc model by Bangfri.
I am however, looking into how to make my own, effectively from scratch.
Additionally on the engine front, I finally have functional procedural (jiggly) bones in Blender, which will alleviate a lot of pain in terms of animating larger projects. Behold, a very simplistic example:
https://www.redgifs.com/watch/trivialrunnyhomalocephale
I am currently in the talks with commissioners about their current commission slots, so things are underway there. Once I am finished with their work, or they opt out of their slots, I will move on down the list - so if you've been promised a slot, expect me to, hopefully, get to you in the near future. It is, as always, heavily dependent on correspondence times, which can be brutal.
TL:DR:
Government wants my money and I am quitting my job. Looking into doing this full-time or part-time. Commissions will increase in price and include VAT in the future. Within 3-6 weeks, plus a law change in July, we'll know how I proceed. Technical work with model rips have been main focus this week, but I also now have boob jiggle mechanics in Blender.
And that, finally, as they say, is that. Thank you, everyone, so incredibly much for your continued support and for all of your kind words. I cannot stress enough how crucial your support here is for what I do, and how much it means to me in turn. Though summer's just around the corner, there's a chill in the air that makes you want to stay indoors, all while the sun, scorching the outside of your apartment as it is, calls out to you. All in due time, and come what may.
Take care of yourselves, and never to forget, each other!
/DH
Comments
DH
Thank you Ascetic for your feedback, kind words and advice - indeed, once I've got the actual numbers in hand, I'll know how to proceed. Chances are I'll have to take up another day job and not terribly much will change on here except for the, as you mentioned, review of some patreon changes pertaining to income so as to make a reliance on it actually feasible, even as a half-way measure. I'm in this for the long haul, which is why I want to make this change sooner rather than later, opting to avoid burnouts and other potential threats on the horizon. Cheers again, and always happy to hear when people enjoy my writing too :)
The Ageless Ascetic
Sorry dude, a little late to the party... But thanks for opening up a bit about why things suck at work and what you actually do. It seriously sounds like something that's wearing you down, the fact you're not even 40 and feeling that way towards your day job doesn't bode well for staying there the long term. Can you perhaps find a job where you can transfer your current skillset and maybe settle for less pay in exchange for more of your "sanity?" Then maybe up the Patreon thing a bit to keep things the same overall financially? You sure as hell have the support here as seen just by the love shown here! And it's well-deserved; your stuff's been improving over the years, I've only subscribed a few months now but your m/w/f updates have been on time without fail, you put INCREDIBLE amount of effort in the writeups which i personally enjoy, and you show you're investing in better tools & VA. It's everything a sub can ask from a creator. I can't say what's the right move, but me being a more conservative kind of guy, better crunch your numbers first and really see if full time Patreon is feasible versus a less demanding day job + heavier Patreon presence? In the end, I hope you can steer towards a better work/life/patreon balance!
DH
Thank you so much Simon - and I can only imagine the pain of managing a bar in corona times, so you have my sympathies! I am definitely considering doing the switch as well as opening up an extra 10-level bracket, perhaps offer the likes of higher resolution wallpapers or something too along with some extra tidbits like short-term polls or perhaps even an extra wallpaper a week. I'll be looking closer at what my options are once I finally know where I land in this crazy world :)
DH
Thank you Ner'rull! Patreon is still very much a weird grey-area when it comes to tax law, as it seems that governments are very slow at updating the rules regarding online-based incomes. I spent an hour or two on the phone trying to figure out with someone at the tax agency whether what I do counts as a "donation", a "service" or a "product", whether commissions are VAT applicable (and whether there's a difference between commissions sent to EU citizens and outside EU) and a whole bunch of confusing rules where Swedish and EU laws intersect and the likes. Taxes I'll definitely pay on what I earn, but the question will be how much, what tax bracket I end up in depending on what my "SNI Code" says and a whole lot of other issues. I'm waiting for them to get back to me, and then we'll know how to proceed :) Thank you again, and you too!
DH
<3
I honestly feel you, the stresses of the Western way of life are intense, I only manage a bar in a golf club, but the entitlement and expectation of a world which expects so much and offers little in return is real! It's all about finding a balance and if your job is too much and you're not getting the downtime and enjoyment outside of that, then it will wear you down! But you should honestly look to do this full time, I support you because you produce some of best animations out there, even if they are a bit Mass Effect heavy! 😂 I see loads of guys, who's work isn't a tenth as good as you, who take silly amounts. I think an extra €10 bracket would work, give them more say in weekly loops and characters used, offer them more votes in polls etc... but as far as extra rewards go why not look at other providers and see what they offer in their top tiers. Change to the Euro anyway, no one notice the extra 20%. Have you thought about collabing with a game developer or something like that, some of those guys make a fortune and don't even produce any work for months. I think there are opportunities out there for you if you want them. Anyways good luck with it all and always do what's best for you.
boronium
Well if you are going full patreon I see no problem to "invest" more !
Ner'rull
Well I wish you the best of luck and with everything you do, you know a lot of success, stay healthy and cheerful. Is maybe a gossamer suggestion but Pateron is a donation institution basically donation, (give you voluntarily money without a real counter-performance basically we give you a credit), maybe you can do something there by way of the taxes. I am not sure, however, that you should let someone advise you. on the other hand, work orders are also accepted here. i don't know mihc there but i it is a gray area you shouldn’t just act like some kind of office it tells you to act like that. and get you from a 3-fold human consultation. the authorities are only affected by people who are not all knowledgeable. hey but on the other hand if you pay taxes for it I would mcih also find out how you settle the annual tax return. Is that possible? Well how do I wish you good luck and success. Stay healthy and cheerful
DH
<3
Shleprock08
I hope you can go full time but wish you the best of luck in whatever you do, just resubscribed after having to make a new account. Looking forward to your future works!
Jemo
Damn those titties look amazing
DH
Haha, quite the mental image that :) I can't say where, but I mainly work in prison environments, from low to max security, labelled "Security Class" 1 to 3 here. Hopefully not for much longer though!
hans erhard
Well now i image you as a buff soldier / mechanic part time NSFW artist. I can imagine why security force is hard in sweden. Are you working in Malmo ?
DH
<3
Jotaro73
Whatever you have to do I'm in. You are by far one of the best creators 👌
DH
All of the above. I am expected to be in good physical shape as I am part of a security force, but I am also technically part of the rehabilitation group and thus have to keep the memory of my academia days sharp - meaning my days are spent running to make the machinery go around, occasionally ending up in physical altercations when a crisis occurs, juxtaposed to a lot of time in front of work computers spent writing reports whenever I have the time in between, coupled with long-term personal talks about people's issues, fears, future endeavors etc, and discussions+peacemaking between various parties so they don't try to kill each other. Being part of a "resource pool" of employees means I also work every kind of shift imaginable, early mornings, late evenings, "2-shift", night shifts, and owing to being a government employee and technically under manner of military hierarchy, I can be ordered to come into work at literally any juncture in case things are going sideways, so even time I have technically free is spent glancing at my phone in case it starts buzzing.
FalteringRelic
Without breaking clearance, what part of your job stresses you out. Are always on your feet, or just a lot of paperwork, or is it just dealing with people all day?
DH
<3
DH
<3
Crawdaddy
Damn man. You do what you gotta do, we're still here, even if I'm not a big-spending commissioner. :P Prioritize your health before everything else!
RegularJard
Man I don't blame you for wanting to leave your current job. If it's starting to stress you out too much it might start leaking into your personal life, or affect your drive to do animations as well. Hopefully a less aggravating job comes your way, either way I'm sure the quality of your work would bode well for a full time Patreon too ❤️ Best of luck DH
DH
<3
dingo1489
I naturally speak only for myself, but if full-time patreon is something you choose to do with a set goal in mind, I'll be sure to up my own patronage so that you can reach that goal.
DH
<3
FourNation
You know you have our support man one of the most humble guy on the platform
DH
<3
TAGSTER
We got your back !
