Update
Added 2025-04-29 12:34:52 +0000 UTCHey everyone,
I just wanted to say thank you to those of you checking in on me, and apologies for dropping off the map. I'll be transparent, it's been a struggle recently - I know my work is usually super cheerful, so I hope you'll forgive this update being a different tone.
For the past two years, I've been more and more stressed about how to adapt, now that AI has changed the rules. At the moment, things still seem okay, but what changes do I need to make now to still have a job in 5, or 10 years? As usual, my reaction to stress has been to overwork myself.
All that has recently come tumbling down on me and about a month ago just kind of knocked me over. It took some time to figure out my thoughts, and sort myself out.
Here's some of those untangled thoughts:
I love Magic. I don't think it's going anywhere.
Currently, it doesn't look like Wizards is going to change their human-only art policy. But can I stake my entire livelihood on that? One decision from the top of the chain can change this quickly (see US trade policy).
I'm lucky enough to be an established Magic artist, but there's a large amount of highly talented illustrators that will be looking for the shrinking remaining opportunities - downward pressure on commission rates and availability will be immense. Commercial illustration as a career is going to get a lot worse.
I'm SUPER lucky to have an amazing community of supporters that love my art in you guys. Honestly, looking towards the future, I feel like this Patreon and the Kickstarters are the one thing that's not going to get screwed up by AI.
I do need a creative outlet, and I love doing creative work. I also love the logistical aspects of running projects. In a really weird way, I feel like this is what playing Magic and my projects have in common - both are about building systems while also expressing yourself.
I'll certainly keep doing art. But - I'm not sure how that is going to look for me in the future. For one, I'm worried about being the last horse carriage on the road. And also - in a weird way, I feel like I could probably do better art if it was something I did just for the sake of it.
On top of that, I've been grieving painting. I've spent my entire life - I was 21 when I started working on Scars of Mirrodin - tens of thousands of hours, learning to paint, only for a machine to do the same thing in seconds. Sure, art is about meaning, but the technical skill, expressing light and form with brushstrokes, has gone from satisfying to hollow. I still enjoy it, but it's not the same. For commercial work, it's frustrating - if your job is to do the dishes, doing them by hand feels so tedious, now that dishwashers exist.
But I love being creative, and maybe that means that for personal work (like my tokens) I should just lean into that. Experimenting with styles, telling little stories, inventing characters, doing something that's funny or relatable - all these things are what makes us human. I think that's where I'm going to go with this token project. I also have a feeling that this is part of the reason you guys have been enjoying the art I make - I've always tried to do my own thing, and I'll keep doing that. Who knows, maybe it ends up as a blessing in disguise.
So in practical terms, what does this longwinded blog post mean?
I wasn't able to do a token for March, and I'm skipping April as well. Of course you guys won't be charged. I'm hoping to pick it back up for May.
I'll get to work on the messages and comments I missed - again, I apologize for just going silent like that, it doesn't at all mean I don't value your support.
The cardboard collection Kickstarter is still on, but I will probably shift it to autumn, until I can be sure there's not going to be a massive tariff hike between project and fulfillment. I might do a regular art print Kickstarter in the meantime.
For the future, I might have to slow down a little - I'll figure out what this means as I go.
As always, thank you guys so much for your support. I'm grateful to have all of you supporting my work and I hope I'll be able to do work that makes you happy for a long time to come :)
Best,
Johannes
Comments
Thanks for sharing how you feel. I do not think you're overreacting, nor that how you feel is invalid or exaggerated: I don't want to take much of your time, but I feel ya, given the socio-economic we have, and where we're most likely headed if things don't change. Regardless, we will continue supporting you. You're a great person and artist, Johannes!
J R
2025-05-05 05:11:39 +0000 UTCSelf care first. We will be here whenever you are ready. You are my favorite mtg artist and always will have my support ❤️
Bahar
2025-04-30 04:08:26 +0000 UTCTake the time you need you deserve it there is always other avenues to explore and you have a support group behind you
Kevin Warne
2025-04-30 02:08:24 +0000 UTCI wouldn't worry too much about AI. AI is literally just a glorified 'google search', it can't duplicate work an artist can do, and you can't modify it to do commissions effectively. Those who want cheap useless things will always find ways to get them; but there will always be the quality craftsmen who run a trade. Even in my art school they have stressed that AI is literally just people cheating themselves, and as it gets more proliferate there will be leas REAL artisians to pull for the craft. This will be security for all the people who still put a tool to a blank canvas. The fear about AI is greatly exaggerated, given those who 100% support it to replace artists to save money and time learning are actually a joke. They don't understand what art is, and just want immediate gratification. Any mainstream company thinking about using AI to replace artists or writers should probably be boycotted, so they can watch their markets crash. That said, artists have had this struggle for decades, believing they would be replaced by printing presses or photography, but you can never replace the person behind the process. Have faith in your art, and your craft, know THAT is what you have that others cannot replace. Aspiring artist, to real artist.
Jacob A Seavello
2025-04-30 02:02:28 +0000 UTCI feel your pain(t) as someone who works in analytics and software development. The field is changing, life is changing... But I am old enough to know it rarely gets better. These are the times when you have to 'man up', so I'm not gonna wish you well or good luck. Stay strong, stray focused and always take a break when you really need it.
Sif Sehwan
2025-04-29 20:10:37 +0000 UTCTake what ever time you need. We love our art, but we like our artists healthy
Sean
2025-04-29 18:20:26 +0000 UTCYou do you, sir. I'm glad you're listening to yourself and taking care of your needs :)
Anne Farmer
2025-04-29 17:09:36 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing all of this and thank you for not overworking yourself instead of slowing down to listen! One thing I would share is that while you're trying to figure out what to do next, the work you've already done is out there in the world bringing joy to people. Your dog-on-the-grass plains illustration playmat is a semi-permanent part of my game table setup, it fits perfectly on a stand that holds different tokens and components for a variety of games, and I get to look at it every day, and so does my family, and guests comment on it--I know appreciation is not the same as the act of creating; this is something you painted years ago! At any given moment, however, there are *many* people out there in the world enjoying your art (right now, invisible to you), and I hope that can be a kind of background hum of appreciation and support.
Daniel
2025-04-29 16:39:53 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing. I’m glad you’re taking time for yourself to sort out your own feelings around this because this is so huge. You are definitely not alone in your concerns. For my part, I continue to support you for two main reasons. First, your tokens are amazing. The art is gorgeous and funny and cute and every time I use them at the table everyone else loves them too. One person at my table loved them so much she bought everything from your kickstarter subscribed to your Patreon. The other increasing reason is that while I have always loved supporting artists, I feel the importance of doing so is increased now with the advent of generative AI. The ubiquity of this soulless, immoral “art” reminds me every day that this is not the future I want for us. I think it’s important for us, the consumers, to do what we can to support real artists and try to pressure corporations into not replacing artists with this slop. I get that companies are extremely motivated to use AI and I share your worries. No matter what happens, I think you’re always gonna have a fan base of people who love your art. Even if your life goes another direction, there will be those of us who want to see your creative expression. I would love to see where your exploration takes you. What stories you tell with your art. As much as I love looking at your art and saying “oh this is so pretty!”, I also love saying “I love this little guy” and I support whatever direction your creativity takes you.
Valkyrinn
2025-04-29 16:06:38 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing all of this. I assumed the pain for the artists in the way you describe, but to hear it firsthand brings it on a whole new level. One thing is for sure, this time of hardship will prove valuable for you. It's not easy to challenge ourselves in this way, but it opens the way for our heart to lead. I can speak for all the magic players i know, we all cherish the handcrafted worlds and art. Our support is with the people that bring true imagination to life, and therefore there will always be people down to support you here on patreon or through projects in kickstarter. This journey is far from over if you still want to create. All the best :)
Maximilian Gruber
2025-04-29 15:57:57 +0000 UTC
