So, I promised I'd come and make a post with some potentially big news, and I think I'm going to put this out and test the waters: I might open for commissions.

No, not for art.
Not for stories, either.

I want to make physical merch. It's a bit of a crazy leap without context, and I'm honestly a little anxious to even be bringing it up, but I guess I'll start from the top.


So, uh, this is coming out of nowhere. What's up?
For almost a year now, I've been working in a textiles shop thanks to the help of a close friend who helped me after I graduated and couldn't find absolutely any jobs that were willing to take me. At first, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd end up actually interested in making anything since I always believed myself to have no knack for it, but the more I've trained and practiced, the more I've actually found myself... liking it. Enough that I've been researching the possibility of starting some sort of side gig for physical furry merch. I feel like being able to provide custom goodies for people that's not just art would be a fantastic outlet for expression. So far, I've made a quilt and a Koraidon mat that I embroidered myself using a commission I got from  Heart-of-a-dragoness, and one day, I'd love to embroider other's OCs and designs onto clothing and stuff... but I feel like I should start a little smaller.

So...

I made some stickers! Physical ones that I've been putting on my phone case and water bottle and car. And the more I play with the idea, the more I think that I could actually make it into a thing.

But you didn't draw those.
...I know. And that's where I've been struggling a bit with the ethicality of selling designs that are inherently not mine. I don't believe there should be any issue and I wouldn't be stepping on any artist's toes if I were to sell stickers under these limitations:

1. The commissioner must either: (a) own the art they are commissioning if it is their own character, or (b) it must be a character that already exists within some sort of other fiction (ie video games, movies, anime, etc)
2. If an artist owns a physical merch store of their own or provides a similar product, I will NOT take a commission for one of their designs and cannibalize their sales
3. I will not accept any AI generated art to be made into stickers - it has to be legitimate art made by real people (also the nature of AI art makes turning them into stickers much more difficult but I won't get into the logistics here)

Given most artists state in their ToS that art sold to a commissioner is theirs to keep and they can do as they please with it, I feel like that SHOULDN'T rub up against any problems... key word: shouldn't. If not, I can always adjust and learn as I grow, right?

But, ultimately, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on all of this.

tl;dr: I got "tricked" into learning how to make stuff and it's fun actually - would you guys wanna buy physical stickers of your OCs to put on stuff? haha jk unless...

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With that being said, please please let me know what you think about all of this. Any considerations I'm not currently wary of, if there's even interest at all. Would YOU buy stickers? Do you think OTHERS would buy stickers? Hell, it doesn't have to stop at just stickers - maybe I can eventually build a full printing service for con badges or keychains... maybe one day, I'll even begin selling embroidered merchandise if that's where my path takes me. All I can say is that I've never felt so inspired to create something outside of writing like this before, and I want to share it with as many people as I can.


And I've got one more journal coming soon. Mostly me being a big sap, as a heads up. But thank you for reading it all - it means a lot to me and I appreciate you all so much. Seriously. <3