I'd say priorities first, unless you're OK with being a starving artist... which I do not wish you.

Unfortunately, I have no good advice to give you, as I am not a professional artist, for me that's a hobby I do after work. I wish I could be of more help...

Variety is the spice of life. Unfortunately I find quite a lot of your gallery blends together (particularly the Terra Cruxis works) and there's not much flavour between them and its difficult to be excited to see new artwork. The commissions I find to be the most interesting new works you share. Why not try making a Terra Cruxis comic? I love following comics as they're posted in my furaffinity feed and certainly look forward to new pages. I will support a good comic if I enjoy it, a furry webcomic was my gateway into this fandom and I've supported several different comics since then and intend to continue doing so. Could also consider doing a more young adult/teen geared comic that's mostly SFW with some sexual content thrown in where it fits, I find those to be the most interesting and engaging over erotic comics.

Terra Cruxis has many different stories I want to tell, and while it's a dark fantasy, most of it isn't porn focused. Comics is something I'd love to do if I had the support! Or at least more image series type things, or even posting story chapters with an image? These are all things I'd super love to do.

I'd say..both. Do your commisions but take regular breaks to work on your own personal stuff. Working SOLEY on commissions will simply burn you out further and risk making it even harder. Make some set days off to work on personal stuff or just relax!

Burnout is burnout; take a break and get some of that thing called life. I watch artists because I like what they create, regardless if it's a commission or personal art. If you can focus on personal art, all the better.

I have little money to support artists with until I claw my benefits from the hands of the federal regime or enter white-collar work. The artists I would support can be counted on one hand because there are simply too many artists and not enough money to go around. I prefer physical products like books, comics, plushies, small lot mintage coins (preferably precious metals or copper), etc, I would pay a premium for a signed, first edition, first print.

I prefer to make one time donations over subscriptions.

Unless an artist becomes popular, starts their own brand, sells influence or positions in another industry, etc, there isn't much money to be made for the majority of artists. Of all the artists in the fandom, only a handful "make it" financially. IMHO, it's better to find high paying work that allows artists to create without worrying about commissions than to burn themselves out painting for everyone except themselves.

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I see your other comment. A comic/story can be furry without porn being the center of focus and it's my opinion that a comic that isn't centered on porn probably has greater depth and drive to it. The comics I'm currently hooked on ( Ray Fox and Oren's Forge ) have no porn in them, yet I bought copies of both.

Thanks for this feedback!

I currently feel I lack the skill to pull off a super long, in depth comic, but I could definitely start with smaller ones.

I am contemplating taking a month or more to work on myself, my own things and if I really have to make some money, then do YCHs. I hope it will give me time to get my head sorted out and to start finding a way to balance what I want to make and commissions. If I can get some support via donations during this time it'd be great.

I hope one day my stuff is good enough to be printed, that's the dream aaaaa

I guess a more focused a solid narrative like some of your old Terra Cruxis stuff. Maybe that would give you more a focus.

the thing is: sometimes you need to just get a normal work as artist and then get on with free art you draw on your own.

Depending on commissions is in a world where not just inflation is hitting everyone, but where there is an inflation of artists in the market (every 2nd person wants to become artist, influencer and all that crap) not anymore a way to live, sadly.

But when it gets to your art - I told you often enough what I think and you really gotta question yourself if you want to do art for people who "want to see this stuff" and potentially support people who actually do that stuff in reality.... or if you go a different way.

Most people are capable of separating fantasy from reality. Me drawing dark themes does not in any way mean I endorse those things in real life.

I want to tell my stories, which happen to be Dark Fantasy. If you do not like dark themes, simply don't watch me, don't look at my work.

It is not MY responsibility to police and stop unhinged people who happen to look at my work.

One of the things I always enjoyed about your older posts was the little stories that went with them, I love to see something where the art is an illustration for the story.