I'll try to keep this part concise, because I have a habit of overexplaining/rambling.
To satisfy my own curiosity, and to help me decide what kinds of choices I'm able to make with my Patreon work, I want to know -- what is it that made y'all decide my Patreon was worth supporting?
is it having early access to certain pieces? (i.e. the timed exclusivity for the NSFW stuff)
is it the presence of NSFW art in general? (i.e., if I wasn't drawing naked women or explicit stuff, you wouldn't be interested anymore)
is it simply my promised output that matters? (i.e., sharing a certain number of new works each month)
are you only temporarily pledged to see a specific piece that I made, or art of a certain character or series? (i.e., "I'm here for Smash fanart and nothing else," etc.)
or are you just here to support my artwork in general and you're not super concerned about what I make, as long as i make something?
You can pick multiple options in the poll if multiple reasons apply, and please do leave a comment explaining more if you feel like it. I appreciate your time and the information you're willing to share.
Feel free to skip the next section and go straight to the poll, the rest is just context/personal thoughts. 🙏
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Alright, that's the main part -- here's where I will allow myself to ramble a bit, lol. The reason I'm asking about this is because I want to strike a balance between producing art that will keep me financially stable (I gotta pay the bills) and producing art that I feel truly and properly represents my self, my interests, my feelings, etc. The truth is, I'm not always super excited to produce explicit art these days. Sometimes I am! Sometimes I really really am, lol. But there are weeks, even months, when what I really want to make is just...art. Not have to shoehorn in some nudity or sex.
There are so many ideas I want to explore but I have to shut them down because they aren't NSFW. And back when my body could handle drawing way way more, that wasn't a big deal -- I'd get the necessary NSFW stuff drawn, then draw whatever else I wanted. Unfortunately, that's not the case for me anymore...it might not ever be the case again. As much as yoga and lots of different drugs have helped with my nerve pain, more time spent drawing still equals more physical problems. I'm able to draw, and comfortably! But not for long enough to draw everything. And I'm not getting any younger. I think about that sometimes...that life is finite, that I only have so much art left in me. I'm so incredibly thankful that I can make any kind of art for a living, that's beyond what I thought would ever be possible for me. But if I could reach a point where everything I put out is 1000% honest, 1000% me, I feel like I could look back at my life and say, "yup, that's what I was meant to be doing." Life is short, and we never know how short until it's too late. All I really want to do is make things and share them with the world and enjoy the stuff that other people made. I don't want the paywall, I don't want timed exclusivity. But I also need to have money to live.
Just like I explained in my post about reducing my output to two pieces a month, if changing up what and how I post would result in my finances taking a huge hit, I won't/can't do it. It all depends how y'all feel, and what you think is worth your own precious time and money. I only exist as an artist because there are people kind enough to support me, and I hope you never think I take that support for granted. And no matter happens, I appreciate y'all very very much. Thanks again, much love!!