Time For Some Tough Talk...
Added 2020-12-29 21:20:40 +0000 UTCI've not been wanting to do this for awhile now. But... it's happening now. I realize this comic series may be the biggest moments of my dream job, which is to share a comic and have people who love it and read it. It has taken me to such highs and I truly love the people who I have met along the way.
But 2020, I came to some startling realizations that I knew were building since late 2019. Viewership dropped. Interaction has dropped. In the past, it was easy to reach pretty big numbers in a day. Now we don't reach those numbers at all. It is pretty noticeable when the "top ranked" episodes of the year don't even reach numbers they did in our first year of production.
So is all I care about statistics? No. Not at all. But I also realize there is a point when growth is going to stop and instead of pushing something (like the Simpsons) to a point where it is no longer good, I should end before that. Is AT&F ending now? Heck no! No! I don't want to. But I do want to explore other things and create something that is truly my own.
Honestly, if I could keep making these ponies and growing them and the fanbase, I would... but that fanbase and interaction isn't there anymore. I can pull up the data. You wouldn't believe the amount of time that goes into making 3 episode a week, and it's very stressful when you balance a full time job, plus all the other projects I am trying to work on at once, not to mention family life.
I didn't organize this post well, lol. What I am saying is I am so thankful for you support. AT&F is going into it's sixth year! I don't want to stop. I have so many stories to tell... but I just feel that people don't want to see the stories as much anymore, and it saddens me to see the chunk of viewers get smaller and smaller each month.
So... would you all be upset if the series moved to two episodes a week instead of three? I am not going to outright change without talking to you first. Because I want to let you know, your monetary support is still going to get you AT&F, BUT also my Youtube Channel which has suddenly exploded, as well as possibly a new original comic series. I also want to start giving away all the games I have in my back stock... so expect me to start throwing stuff at you.
I love drawing, I love telling stories, and I love sharing it with people. But at the moment, AT&F isn't drawing in the support for the amount of work that goes into it. That sounds crazy to me, I mean we get 2,000 views a day, now have 4,000 subscribers on Tumblr, but interaction keeps declining. On a positive, we are growing on Twitter and I want to keep growing the brand there. Possibly pushing Tumblr to a side-asset.
As you can see, I have tons of stuff on my mind and i don't know how to nicely word it all. So I would like to share with you what is on my mind and get a gauge as to what seems fair and is good with you. I don't want to end AT&F. I am so connected to the series, and I just can't end it. It would crush me. I don't want to lower it's output, but I feel I have too. I can't grow with it. But I can grow on other things (and I would love to jump on this recent growth with my Youtube Channel). It's just hard to capitalize when I am stuck with my hands in so many projects at once. Something needs to give.
Please, let's discuss! I trust you, my loyal Patron's. You've given me my dream come true... but I don't want to break it. I want to make it better for you and us!
I will come back in a few hours to see what possible explosions happen. Until then, have a nice day.
Comments
Thank you, Dan! :D I really appreciate it.
2020-12-31 22:37:45 +0000 UTCThank you Gray. As a side note, we're naming a character Gray in the series official. Stay tuned. :D
2020-12-31 22:37:29 +0000 UTCThank you and I love your enthusiasm! You are spreading the good word of the series to a whole new audience and I thank you for that! As for the Youtube Channel, I have some interesting news to share on that soon.
2020-12-31 22:37:02 +0000 UTCThank you, Xargos. Quite honestly, I don't know how I've kept the pace either. As the great Mr. Bean says.... "Magic."
2020-12-31 22:36:17 +0000 UTCIt means so much to me your support, but more importantly your friendship. You've been giving me solid advice that I truly think about and care about. Thank you. I have so many storylines and ideas, the issue is just having the time to do them all. The reason there are so many "one off" comics is because I don't have time to complete story arcs in my "3-episode" a week schedule.
2020-12-31 22:35:44 +0000 UTCThank you so much! It is actually quite exciting seeing the growth on Twitter. I remember you telling me Tumblr was a dying platform. I put blinders on for a long time not wanting to have to deal with the inevitable, hoping that fans would stay. But in the end, people do move on. I got to move with the times too. Thanks.
2020-12-31 22:34:14 +0000 UTCThank you. :) I am glad it amuses you, because it amuses me too. :) I love looking back on stuff I did years ago and seeing if it "held up" or just "falls flat." Haha! I love a good cringe. Lol! Thanks!
2020-12-31 22:33:07 +0000 UTCGreat example! Thank you so much. You gave me something to think about for sure.
2020-12-31 22:32:18 +0000 UTCThank you. I do not want to abandon it at all. I love it. :) I just need to find something more manageable that fits in with my life. Thank you so much for your understanding and response, Harmless Kitten. By the way, I love your username. It seems so.... harmless! :D
2020-12-31 22:31:55 +0000 UTCHey Levi, I got a little treat for ya. ;-) https://twitter.com/AdorkableTwili1
2020-12-31 08:00:24 +0000 UTCBeing on Twitter would be very good as I'm much more active on it that on Tumblr sadly.
Levi
2020-12-31 07:00:57 +0000 UTCWe like your work enough to pay to support it! Do what you need to.
Dan White
2020-12-30 23:16:09 +0000 UTCTwo episodes, or even one episode a week is fine. You having fun and not getting burnt out is more important than trying to stick to a schedule
Gray
2020-12-30 22:55:48 +0000 UTC3→2 per week is absolutely OK! Don't make yourself too stressful, and maybe it's because Tumblr iself is declining. Emmmm... That Youtube channel is nice.
Estima
2020-12-30 04:49:10 +0000 UTCI honestly don't know how you've managed to keep up the pace of three per week this long! You need time for other things, too. I definitely have no issue with you switching to two per week.
Xargos
2020-12-30 00:44:18 +0000 UTCI've been supporting you because I love the concept and I don't mind less updates. But I would also encourage you pace yourself and always seek to enjoy what you do. Not to mention to see some storylines you may have with your own setting and characters if you think they will be better to tell them
Luis_El Oso_Graciano
2020-12-29 23:35:16 +0000 UTCI think changing from 3 comics per week to 2 is perfectly fine. The fact you've been able to keep making 3 per week so consistently is pretty incredible. If you have other ideas or projects you should definitely explore them! It's also good to hear that ATF is growing on Twitter. I think I've said this before, but Tumblr is a dying platform in my opinion.
ZoneSystem
2020-12-29 22:27:37 +0000 UTCI'm here because I like ATF the comic strip. It amuses me greatly. Honestly, I'm not here for the community nor do I have interest in video games or anything else like that. Dropping down to 1-2 strips a week is fine with me. As long as it's got regular updates I'm interested in sticking around.
cogwheelbrain
2020-12-29 21:39:33 +0000 UTCIf you have to do 1-2 comics a week, so be it. It's best to go where the creative flow takes you. Look at Ozzy and Millie, for example. The author moved on to to create Phoebe and Her Unicorn, which has a much larger audience.
2020-12-29 21:29:39 +0000 UTCI understand where you're coming from, and here's my take: do what makes you happiest. Fortunately, your livelihood doesn't depend on AT&F, but you obviously still love making it. (And I for one, still love reading it!) But if something else, like your YouTube channel, makes you happy(er), then spend less time on AT&F and more time on that! That's not to say that you should abandon it; just that cutting it down to two a week instead of three would be less stressful for you. And that matters! Nobody wants to see you burnt out on what you love, and if that means doing less, that's fine by me. And more importantly, healthy for you. Tl;dr - do what makes you happy. We'll be happy that you're happy.
Harmless Kitten
2020-12-29 21:28:13 +0000 UTCThat's absolutely fine! I don't want you to burn yourself out and start to not enjoy it anymore.
subaruanon
2020-12-29 21:24:15 +0000 UTC
