kihu
patreon
Priority Commission Program Cancelled!
🕑 Added 2020-11-28 23:26:53 +0000 UTCHi folks,
To cut to the chase here, I am cancelling my Priority Commissions program, at the very least for December of this year, but most likely for good. The format is not conducive to my workflow and has, over the course of the year, left me with some of the longest wait times in my commission queue in the last 5+ years, and has left me feeling completely drained and unenthusiastic about work.
I work best when the work is fun, spontaneous, and fresh. Loading myself up on entirely complex, long-format commissions has just really squashed my creativity and made me dread sitting down at the computer day-to-day to pick up my tablet pen and start work.
This is absolutely not the fault of any commissioner. It is my fault entirely. I know myself well enough to know that when an idea sits on my desk, after being accepted, for more than a few days, the amount that I like the idea no longer matters: It has become a source of guilt and anxiety. Nevertheless, I allowed myself to work in a format that relies on a queue that lasts a lot longer than a few days. Getting rid of that and moving back to mostly-streaming format should help. I need to kickstart my interest in work again, and I have a long list of owed commissions to get through. Taking on more in December that I likely wouldn’t finish til January just… that’s awful for my stress, bad for business, bad for my customers who are forced to wait longer than promised, bad for the artwork itself, and overall just… not the way I want to run my business.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY PLEDGE?
Pledges will not automatically change. The rewards for the $15+ tiers are now exactly the same as the rewards for the $6+ tiers, just with an added level of support. You may absolutely change your tier since you are no longer receiving anything extra for spending more here. It’s ok! I totally understand. If you do choose to stay on, thank you. I really appreciate the extra support. PLEASE make sure you change your pledge before Dec 1 so that you're not charged again for a tier you may no longer want to be a part of!
REFUND OPTIONS:
If you cancel your pledge before Dec. 1, we’re square! If you cancel your pledge AFTER you have already been charged for Dec 1, and you just missed this message and didn’t get a chance to realize the tier was cancelled, please message me and I’ll happily provide a refund. Either for the full $15 or $30 (depending on if you are Alpha or Grandmaster) and wish to leave my patreon permanently, or a refund in the difference between your previous tier and the one you wish to change your pledge to. I will honor these refunds during a one week grace period, ending at 00:00:00 on December 7th, exactly one week from the time you would normally be charged. I'm offering this refund grace period because two days... that's not enough time for everyone on here to see this post and take care of things. You probably need more time, I get that, I'm here to help.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Thank you all for your support, and I look forward to catching you in my streams, once I’m caught up on this backlog. Thank you for your support and I look forward to recharging my love for this job with you with some fun & interesting new commission formats.
I am hoping to, at some point during 2020, revamp the $15 tier to some kind of once-weekly patron-only stream, but I haven't worked out all the kinks on that plan yet. I need to cancel before December becomes an issue for me and my workload - and especially for my clients who are patiently waiting for their work to be completed.
Until then, with all of my gratitude,
Kihu
Comments
RedactedOtter
Please feel free to contact me about my current one if it's causing you stress. I'm not opposed to a change that would make your life easier. I can think of multiple options that might work, based on your post, and I'd be open to any you come up with, too. I'd rather do something that might help you recharge a bit. That includes scrapping Phase 2 and changing to "draw something you think is fun, but normally can't justify spending the time on". I am disappointed that I won't be able to continue my character design with you (I'd already started organizing Phase 3). I still have not found anyone who can draw otters the way you do, but I do understand the need to change your workflow. I've only been able to watch two of your streams this year, and was only able to join one early enough to have a shot at getting picked. So, I likely wouldn't be able to catch any stream slots. I really appreciate the time you have been able to give me, though. One way someone like me could still participate in a stream-only format would be if the $15 tier offered monthly "character slots" where a patron could pre-pay the cost of a single character (either theirs, or one of yours), flat color, and a standard background (unless they wanted to spring for a painted background, which would be an added bonus for the in-stream commissioner that picks them). Then the in-stream commissioner(s) have the option to pick from the list of pre-paid characters to spice up their illustration. The added bonus for the in-stream is they get to hash out the details of the work on the fly with you, while potentially getting to use a character they might not normally. That would still leave you with a bit of a queue, but there wouldn't be a chance for the idea to get stale as it isn't decided until the stream. Obviously, that approach has some flaws (e.g., pre-paid might need to specify a max of three "never" items so the in-stream can't pick something the pre-paid isn't comfortable with, how to handle pre-paid characters still in slots at the end of the month, is a cooldown period necessary to prevent the pre-paid slots from being filled by the same characters each month, etc.)
AugustCat
I think going forward you could do a patron only commission stream like you said, but I understand if that’s a hassle. Do whatever makes you happy! We all love your art and want you to love making it! Will the commission streams start up in January? No rush, just askin!
Jarrod
Makes sense to me. Hope you're able to find a workflow that works for you and inspires you and your creativity. Your works are always so well done, I'm just happy as long as you're creating anything. =)
