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Experiencing Burnout + Commission Changes
5 years ago
I get a lot of messages asking when I'm gonna be reopening commissions again, so I just wanna give an update of where I'm at.
Over the past few months, I've noticed my art output getting slower and slower. Last commission round I took about 15 commissions, about 5 over what I originally was going to accept, because the demand was higher than I expected and I felt like I needed to compensate (I usually only take 5-10 at a time since its the most manageable for me). But because of that, I ended up with a longer than usual queue and now I'm experiencing a burnout that's making me finish these commissions way longer than it should.
I don't just do art commissions, I also do freelance art for companies, which I obviously cant post online. So sometimes it leaves me with a gap where it looks like I'm not putting anything out, but in reality I'm as busy as ever. I've also put a lot of my original ideas/projects on the backburner and it's been increasingly difficult for me to find time to draw for myself, which I usually do as a stress reliever. I really want to go back to drawing for myself more often than not, because I want the bulk of my gallery to reflect what I enjoy the most. Sometimes what I do for commissions doesn't always align with that.
Because of all this, sometimes I've found myself just.. not wanting to draw anything for whole days. I've always been sort of a workaholic so this is actually kind of bizarre for me. :'D I think I've just overworked myself, and I just... cannot anymore (current events aren't helping either |D).
From now on, I think I'll be taking less commissions and raising up prices to decrease demand. I realized that I actually haven't raised my prices in 1-2 years and that what I'm charging is still too low for the amount of time I spend on them. As well as maybe taking more special/niche themed commissions that are more affordable and don't take a long time to finish. I know this might sound disappointing to some of you, but I feel like this will better my mental health and alleviate my stress a bit.
At the moment, there's only about 4 more commissions on queue, but I always save the largest commissions on queue for last (they usually tend to be animations and such) so they'll take a bit to finish. But I think I'm gonna take it easy and just work on them at a slower pace, making more time for myself. Right now I dont want to "force" myself to finish them quickly when I'm currently at a low point. I still want to give you the best product I can!
I'm hoping when my mental health improves, so will my art output and I'll regain my inspiration again. But right now I just feel stagnated and lost.
Over the past few months, I've noticed my art output getting slower and slower. Last commission round I took about 15 commissions, about 5 over what I originally was going to accept, because the demand was higher than I expected and I felt like I needed to compensate (I usually only take 5-10 at a time since its the most manageable for me). But because of that, I ended up with a longer than usual queue and now I'm experiencing a burnout that's making me finish these commissions way longer than it should.
I don't just do art commissions, I also do freelance art for companies, which I obviously cant post online. So sometimes it leaves me with a gap where it looks like I'm not putting anything out, but in reality I'm as busy as ever. I've also put a lot of my original ideas/projects on the backburner and it's been increasingly difficult for me to find time to draw for myself, which I usually do as a stress reliever. I really want to go back to drawing for myself more often than not, because I want the bulk of my gallery to reflect what I enjoy the most. Sometimes what I do for commissions doesn't always align with that.
Because of all this, sometimes I've found myself just.. not wanting to draw anything for whole days. I've always been sort of a workaholic so this is actually kind of bizarre for me. :'D I think I've just overworked myself, and I just... cannot anymore (current events aren't helping either |D).
From now on, I think I'll be taking less commissions and raising up prices to decrease demand. I realized that I actually haven't raised my prices in 1-2 years and that what I'm charging is still too low for the amount of time I spend on them. As well as maybe taking more special/niche themed commissions that are more affordable and don't take a long time to finish. I know this might sound disappointing to some of you, but I feel like this will better my mental health and alleviate my stress a bit.
At the moment, there's only about 4 more commissions on queue, but I always save the largest commissions on queue for last (they usually tend to be animations and such) so they'll take a bit to finish. But I think I'm gonna take it easy and just work on them at a slower pace, making more time for myself. Right now I dont want to "force" myself to finish them quickly when I'm currently at a low point. I still want to give you the best product I can!
I'm hoping when my mental health improves, so will my art output and I'll regain my inspiration again. But right now I just feel stagnated and lost.
I thank you for giving everyone an opportunity to rent your skills for all those years, and for making so so many commissioners dreams a reality. And I hope that you will regain your passion for drawing. In the meantime if I might suggest, try to take some vacation from drawing if you can. Clear your head after you finish those last commissions in your queue. Maybe you get an nice idea that could reignite your fire. ^w^
In the meantime please take care and stay kawaii. ^v^ <3
Thank you though ^^
Really can't wait to see some of that drawing-for-yourself stuff.
I bet it'll be amazing!
Yeah I figured it wouldnt hurt to raise my prices since I keep getting asked about it. :'D For some reason, I keep doubting that people want to buy my stuff everytime I reopen, so I never bother raising the prices on them. And then I get surprised when they get taken in like 10 seconds. xD
Thank you so much! <33
Stay strong and hang in there! We'll always be here to support you as best as we can ^^
But it sounds like you have a good, healthy plan on how to approach this in future, so I'm cheering you on with that! <3
Do whats best for you, your health is the most important. Physically and mentally.