Making Some Tough Decisions

First I must apologize for not writing this sooner, I’ve been bedridden with the Flu for the past two days and while I am still sick, I have gotten a bit better .Well at least well enough that I can stand putting this journal together

This is not something I do lightly, but I’m cancelling ALL of my commissions. Every commission on my schedule is cancelled for the foreseeable future.

First; I really don’t need the money. I was taking commissions with the intent on supplementing my goal to get my student loans paid off by a certain date. Just recently however a put 15k into my loans and it turns out I don’t have to make another payment on it for another 6 to 8 years which is something I hadn’t calculated. Now, of course I plan to have it all paid off well before that, but what this means is that I have plenty of time to save up between now and then to pay it off completely without having to pay the monthly fees in the meantime.

I enjoy doing commissions for you guys, but these projects just don’t allow me room to experiment and grow my skills in the way I want to right now. I’m being compensated more than I ever have been in my entire life with my current job, but beyond that, it has helped expose me to how much further along I should be as an artist. I’ve wanted to learn new tools and techniques and begin pushing my skills to the next level. And let’s face it I can’t do that if all my off time is filled with commission work. If I were to continue taking commissions, It would fill all of my free art time for most of next year. I already work a full time job doing art all day. It may sound selfish, but I want all the art I do in my off time to be for my own fulfillment. I feel like if I don’t do this, then I could quickly learn to actually hate doing art. I think that's the main reason I have a tendency to disappear from time to time.

Most Importantly, there have been several personal projects I’ve put on the back burner for a while now mostly because, well, I was doing commissions. Some of these projects I’ve been working on for years, and if I’m going to bring them into fruition it has to be now, or it’s just not going to happen. As much as I like to protest I’m not getting any younger. I think to a certain degree I was using commissions as a crutch. They’re easy. I don’t have to think outside my usual box and I don’t have to learn anything new really. I have been mulling over this decision for the past three months to be honest. That’s why it’s taken me so long to make this announcement. That’s why I specifically asked commissioners not to pay me anything unless it was time.

That being said, I know many of you may be disappointed in this decision and I can understand why. Some have been waiting for months to get a commission from me. But I really think this is the best option for all involved. It will definitely stave off my periodic “Burn out” sessions with my FA art page, and at the end of it, I’ll come out a better artist with even greater – more frequent-art. I don’t know when I’ll ever take commissions again - considering how well I’m doing at my new Job it’s likely not anytime soon- but when/ if I do, I’ll make sure to ask everyone on my previous list first before filling in any slots.

Lastly, to those who donated 30$ or more to my “GO FUND ME” to restore my art gear, I’ll still be doing the “Thank you” art over this holiday break. So no, I haven’t forgotten about you

I know many of you may have questions regarding this new development. Feel free to ask them in the comment section or note me and I’ll answer them as soon as I can… which is probably right away since I’m on a major stay-cation and stuck at home being sick .