Hey y'all. So this is a journal I'd hoped to avoid writing, but sadly with the state of the world we live in it needs to be done. Last year we added a third roomie, Dandy, and he's been settling in with us in the same 2-bedroom place we've had since 2020. We're cozy, but we definitely need to upgrade, but that means something needs to be addressed before a big move; Income. For awhile now I've been spreading myself and trying to keep stuff together with how much I bring in currently, but I don't need to tell y'all that with rent hikes, grocery inflation, gas prices and any other expenses on top of that, what I bring in has slowly been less and less sure to cover what I need every month.

The holidays were rough, January equally so as the post-Christmas bills came, and overall 2024 has been a struggle financially that made me take a serious look at my budget and realize how untenable it's been. For all of 2023 I put off things like minor car repairs, new glasses, and a new PC because I knew they would mean struggling for months afterward to recoup the loss. I really haven't even been putting anything to saving either. And that's not anyone here's fault, I'm extremely grateful for the furs who trust me enough to bring their characters to life and appreciate the work I put in enough to support me. And it's because I didn't want to be unfair or greedy that I made do without. Instead of charging more outright I thought it would be fair to put more into each ych and commission to justify it, so I didn't seem greedy. I added complicated set pieces and Art Nouveau styles to justify the extra price I needed, but really it just added more time to finish them that's just put me back in my queue by months. And when the money from YCH's couldn't cover everything, I took extra sketches to make up the difference, pushing the queue even further back. It's basically been trying to use a bucket to throw water out of a sinking ship.

I'm from the country backwoods and grew up on a sense of community, 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours', if you do right by others they'll do right by you. But it's not a community we're dealing with, it's big insurance companies, inflation, and the government. That's why I hope people believe me when I say raising my prices is the last resort I wanted to take, but here we are.

So here's what I'm gonna do:
1: Base YCH prices will go from $100 to $150
2: The colored sketches I do over on Twitter will go from from $50 to $75, and will be less frequent.
3: Future commissions will be $200 to start once I finish my current queue, and any additional charges I'll figure out later on.
4: Past YCH's, if I reopen for them, will keep their prices since I have the bases done already and work on them is minimal.

Looking back I realized I haven't raised my prices since November 2020, and I don't think I'm wrong in saying A LOT has happened since then. Not only has inflation and the economy gotten worse, but I'm pretty confident in saying I've gotten better as an artist too, and I'm not being too narcissistic by saying I've improved enough to justify a higher price. I know times are hard and some people won't be able to afford my stuff anymore, and I hope someday things get better so I can still work with you all in the future. But right here, right now I need to be responsible and pragmatic about this, because it's not just me, but my roommates and Toby that I need to be secure for.

Thank you all for your support and understanding, and I hope I can get back to a place where I'm on schedule, comfortable with my work, and putting out great art for you once again.