State of the Industries: Into the Autumn

Hey y'all! Wanted to put my thoughts into writing for things going forward with everything I do here in the lab, especially in light of the commission work I've taken on recently.

Recently after our move, I opened up commission for the first time in three years. For those of you who don't know, freelance illustration and graphic design are what I used to do exclusively for the past 20 years. While I certainly don't mind doing them (this latest set help us replace bad furniture and give us breathing room for an upcoming doctor's appointment) it's not something I want to do full time again.

It's also why, currently, Twitch isn't my main focus—which is to say, no longer my "day job" as it was for the past couple of years. It puts too many projects on the back burner, and makes me downsize the builds and maker content I like to provide. It also has a nasty habit of cutting into the free time I have to make more stuff for supporters here.

That's why I'll be pivoting once this slate of commissions are complete, rather than jumping to open more slots. It's a gamble, but not a completely reckless one. Here's what I'm hoping for:

STREAMS

Mon-Fri streams. Mini painting, terrain builds, fun extras. Occasional gaming.

NON-STREAM WORK

I'm cleaning up my Threadless shop, and retiring the majority of my TTRPG specific designs. The main reason for this is I want to create more designs that speak to geeks of all stripes, not just the ones rolling dice. Beyond that, I want to create more wall art, and expressive designs like the last one I added:

Speaking of which, expect this wallpaper later today.

Beyond that, I will be making the occasional Stream Overlay Package that I'll sell through a brand new Etsy (or equivalent) shop, and I will be selling many of the minis and creations I create on stream through my Ko-fi shop! Essentially, my main job will be creating that additional content, which will also in turn be used for bonuses for supporters here. Best of both worlds.

This is also keeping in mind that things have been hard for content creators across the board recently, so consider these plans a way for me to branch out into multiple avenues while still pursuing the things I love, and (hopefully) entertaining you all in the process.

I'll keep folks posted on when this shakeup will go into effect, but it looks like it'll be November when the stream schedule portion of it kicks off. As always, if there's something you'd like to see out of my Lab, or something you'd like to see offered for supporters here, just let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, Horns UP!
X.R.
~The Artificer