March (2024) Update
Hello world, we're starting this early because OH BOY. Yesterday I was away from the internet for the majority of the day and I'll explain later. February ended up being an emotionally draining month and because of that March is going to be changed a little bit.
The Catalsyt
February was a month that started promising but soon felt like a lethal gut punch to the brain. In the beginning, it was trying to look at the numbers (Mason!) and trying to understand the best way to grow. It's stressful yes but it's also needed. The other was Djinnuary not doing as well as last year. For context, last February was the realization that I could do this as a Part-Time thing if I work hard enough. However these two things are bumps in the road compared to what happened.
I normally keep IRL matters away from posts but this feels necessary to talk about. At the beginning this month, one of my uncles on my mother's side passed away, and then a week ago another uncle passed away.
It's been hard realizing these two people's voices will no longer be around.
The Fallout
I've needed time for myself. I was pushing through art but I've had to cancel multiple (non-commission related) things in order to keep up with my mental health. My family has also needed time to grieve as it's been very hard. There was also a realization during this, right now I am still job hunting but started going for other PTs (Part Times) while still looking for an FT (Full Time), it's not ideal but it's something that NEEDS to be done as I am paying paycheck to paycheck. I know my second uncle was worried about me and my job hunting, really hoping that I would get something by now (aka, the last time I saw him) and with nothing popping up, it's best to try to look for other PT work
The Changes
With everything going off, I've made a decision. I will not be making video content, nor Weekly Art Pieces for March, outside of 1 art piece that I did to help get the art mojo back I will be using March to make art for April to give myself as much of a headstart as possible. Any commissions I have not posted yet will be uploaded during those weekly spots but only commissions/YCHs (unless commissioner toggled them as private). I think a good month of prep will help clear the mind a bit since Weekly Art Pieces are often used for myself more than anything. Commissions will continue, I have no intentions on stopping those for a while. There was going to be a reveal for this year's Month of OCs but I've decided to push that to April.
The Additions
I've also been making some alterations. Because of the rise of AI, you might notice the artwork looking a little weird in certain instances. This is because I've been using software to try to protect my art if it would ever enter an algorithm. It sucks and there might be a chance some people won't care to enter it into an AI Algorithm, but I no longer feel comfortable making that chance. So starting soon, all Monthly Supporters and even any Ko-Fi Donation Supporters will get access to the Hi-Res and Unwatermarked files. For monthly supporters, it will only be in the Tavern's VIP section to help consolidate for the time being.
I'll start giving [tiers] Ultra-Taurs and above 1 Free Chibi every season/3 months. Similar to the One Free Comm a year, it does not stack but I wanted to give something for that higher tier.
(The reason for not having these rewards stack is just mainly due to time on my end, if I ever get swamped with anything (Be IRL, Work, Art-related), it feels best to work on them as they appear rather than getting swarmed with a lot of late entries at once)
The Community
The Tavern has become more of a friends-getting-together server over the months but I'm also happy with how it is now. The community nights have been a lot of fun and I was sad to have to cancel the one in February. There's another one coming up in March, March 30, 2024 9:00 PM. I'm still deciding on that one but I'll try my best to stick with that date. Hope to see you there.
Conclusion
Like mentioned earlier, February has been a big struggle month. As I'm typing this, I do feel burnt out so might take it easy today. But this month has also made me thankful for the people that I've meet, for the things I've done, and for the bonds that have stayed together for a long time. Thank you as always to the people that have stuck around and stayed with me and what I've created. Already this year has hit me with the hardest downs I've think I've felt in a long while, but I'm planning to recharge and come back better. 👍
Hope everyone has a great day and a great month(s).