As you've probably noticed by this point, I've paused the Patreon for the month of January. This is both so that I can catch up on unfinished things from last year (Octransfur, commissions, and the comic), and to make room for some changes to the reward tiers (again).
Side note: For several reasons, I had trouble getting the ideas in my head into a readable form in this post (and took too many days to think about it). Please excuse the rambling nature of this post.
Changing the Tiers (again)
As anyone who's been around here for long enough knows, I've almost always had problems keeping up with everything going on at once, especially juggling commissions, Patreon sketches, personal art, etc. So I'm finally biting the bullet and just eliminating Patreon sketches, sketch credits, or any other of those convoluted things that were supposed to make things simpler but just end up making them more complex.
(For those of you in the top tiers to whom I still owe something from 2023 or earlier, we'll work something out within the new framework on a case by case basis. Message me in February once the Patreon is unpaused.)
I've had a lot of trouble thinking about how to explain how the new framework will work, so bear with me.
Instead of trying to keep up with trying to make a dozen or more separate pictures each month on top of my regular commissions queue (which you would all* still have a discount for in this new system, by the way), I want to focus more on goodies that I would send out to you all. Something that's a bit more scalable, and likely something physical.
*Everyone in the tiers that currently get discounts
What I Mean by "Goodies"
I genuinely enjoyed sending out all those Christmas cards at the end of last year, and I want to do more stuff like that in the future. In essence, each time I would make one thing (or a collection of things) that I can design within a certain period of time. Something that you would all enjoy having that I could make (or order) multiple copies of and send to each of you.
At the beginning of each period, I'd put it up to all of you in the top two tiers to vote on what you'd like me to prepare for the next goodie bag shipment. Stuff like stickers, bookmarks, keychain(s), art prints, or even some bigger projects.
I'll describe how the different tiers would work within this new system after I fully explain how it works, but there's something else I'd like to point out first. You may have noticed that I used the phrase "certain period of time" earlier. That's because some of these ideas could take multiple months to assemble.
Multi-Month Projects
Some ideas which are more straightforward, like sticker sheets or greeting cards (particularly items that could be sent in flat envelopes), could be done within a month. Honestly, it feels like stuff like that would be the best thing to do for the first period or two. I'll try to discuss this with you all in the Discord after posting this.
However, I'd rather not restrict us to just doing shorter projects like this. I have so many ideas that simply couldn't be done in just a month. Stuff like making a big detailed group picture that would be printed as a poster or jigsaw puzzle. Or maybe revisiting that failed storybook idea. Or maybe even turning that idea into a game (Note: I would not even think about proposing that project until I have enough experience with making games to at least have an idea as to how long that would take).
These complicated ideas would clearly take a long time to put together, and each of them would likely take a different amount of time to make. This is a big part of why I'd have everyone vote on what project you'd like me to do next. I'd do my best to make an honest estimate of how long it'd take me to make the proposal a reality, and I'd make it clear what you'd all get in return if we went down that road.
The process of coming up with ideas will likely involve a lot of talking within the Discord, so be sure to check that out as each new period comes up.
Voting on Projects
At the voting stage, I'll lay out the proposed projects I (or we) came up with. I'd let you know how long it'd take to make each project, roughly when you could expect certain milestones to be hit for each project, and what each tier would get at the end of it. We'd hash out the finer details once we choose a path.
What each tier would get would be different for each project. Everyone would get something, but naturally the highest tier would get a bit extra. I can't say exactly what that would look like since each project will likely look different. But it could be anything from extra stickers, to more prominent roles in a group picture, to getting a free copy of a jigsaw puzzle in addition to the free poster that the Chocolate Box Tier would get.
Whichever way it goes, everyone in the top two tiers will get something at the end of each project at no extra charge on top of what you already give to me every month here (thanks a ton again for your continued support, by the way), with the possible exception of international shipping for any projects that end up being physically bulky. Again, those are details we'll figure out if and when they come up.
Oh, and if in a future project there are folks who dislike what ended up winning the vote (or who came in at the end of a multi-month project), I'd be happy to offer an alternative offering. Likely in the form of a free art print or set of stickers from a prior project (one we have a backlog of past goodies).
Building up a Backlog... and Possibly a Shop
Going too far into this topic would be putting the cart in front of the (likely recently TF'd) horse, but it bears mentioning. It's likely that some of these projects would fit very well into a store of goodies that I could put together at a later date. I'm still thinking of the various different ways I could integrate the Patreon into this (discounts, being able to buy discontinued items, other things entirely, etc.), and I'm still looking into what would be the best way to sell goodies online.
One thing I know for sure is that I won't be doing it through Patreon's built in shop. It doesn't fit the type of thing I'd want to make and I don't like to put too much faith in one company. I'll keep you posted on this, but this is something that likely won't come into play for a few months at least. Just something I felt we should talk about while we're near the subject.
Final Words
Anyhow, that's all that I can think of to say regarding all of this for now. I know, it was a lot, but I felt like I should explain any change thoroughly before implementing it. That way you all could both fully understand it and also point out anything that I missed or haven't thought of. Please, if you find anything like that or have any thoughts on the matter, hit me up in the Discord server.
With this all lined up, I'll get back to finally wrapping up Octransfur, finishing a few outstanding commissions, and finishing Chapter 1 of Coming up Short (I'll post that here before it goes anywhere else). Hopefully I'll get all that done soon enough that I won't have to extend the pause for another month, but I also know that it's better to focus on quality rather than speed.
Thank you all so much for sticking with me for another year. May 2024 have lots of great adventures (and goodies) in store.