Regarding Patreon Rewards... (Please Read)
Added 2024-01-12 08:12:18 +0000 UTCFirst, I would like to announce who I've decided for a Patreon reward this month. Those individuals are: TealGale, fowmart, Kasai, Ross S, and Yana_Amelin. And while I'm trying really hard to keep it to 5 rewards per month as I'm supposed to, another extra I decided to take is Pencia.
As usual, Patreon Rewards are available to those who are a Gold Paw patron or higher. These open on the 1st of every month and then close on the 10th.
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That said, I doubt half will read the rest of this post, but for those who do... thank you!
A little bit of history, but monthly Patreon Rewards are something I've introduced back in December 2021, where I did an average of 4 rewards (full-body flat colored pieces) each month. On May 2023 of last year, I increased that number to 5, and even then, had some months where I had taken double or almost triple that amount. There has only been a single month in 2023 where I had taken exactly 5 rewards.
To date, the amount of Gold Paw (and higher) patrons who have been applying for a Patreon reward almost doubled since 2022; I've almost reached 30 total forms this month (wow!). With this, I find it getting increasingly hard to choose Patreon rewards each month. This is the reason why I've taken on more than I'm supposed too, cause I just ultimately feel bad for those who weren't picked and want to make sure everyone's satisfied to some extent.
Over the past year or so, it has also become harder when there are quite a few individuals (who I will not name) who have been pretty persistent and treating Patreon rewards like commissions or paid work, and even more-so filling the monthly form like one with their forms being so extremely detailed. Some don't even bother reading the Terms and Conditions, and in some cases, have even attempted to submit a form the month after they've just received a Patreon reward.
I'm turning 30 later this year as scary as that sounds to me... and I am by far from being one of the fastest or best artists out there, or in a position I'm comfortable with. I felt like last year was mostly just me pumping Patreon rewards out, and I just haven't gotten much time to explore other things that I wish I could do, cause again, I'm just generally slow with things and occupied with mostly Patreon rewards. For those who remember, I even had a goal set for 2023 to launch my online store before the end of the year, but I had barely worked on any of that.
At the end of the day, Patreon rewards have become a sort of love/hate relationship, and I've just been a bit lost on what to do? I just know I don't want to get rid of them entirely as I want to reward my patrons (you guys!) for your support in some way.
Comments
As many people already suggested I would say you can add another month to the waitlist, add a sort of hidden keyword to the ToS and put a description limit with either sentences or character like on Twitter. I would be fine with all of them tbh, as we don't want you to stress yourself out.
Lupusdiabolus
2024-01-13 14:14:29 +0000 UTCCurrently doing my best to keep my head up, but if anything, I still want to stick to doing only 5 a month. I feel like downgrading that number would make a few upset and I wouldn't want that, and if anything, I don't mind bumping that to 6 if I hit 1.5k or 2k monthly, but sadly I've been stuck going past 1k since the start of 2023. Increasing the tier would be too much of a hassle so I don't think that's an option haha.
Kazu
2024-01-13 02:17:10 +0000 UTCHope you're feeling ok Kazu ;; As for the rewards going forward, you can try this: - Don't guarantee a full body when doing them. Sometimes you feel like doing headshots, or half bodies. Art rewards should come as surprises and not something to be expected - Increase gold paw's price, to like $12, or $15, enough to give you just a little bit more to sustain yourself in hard times like these. You're pretty much undercharging with this the perks you're providing us. - Just do less in general, honestly. You should definitely stick to just 5 winners for a while. Or even 4. Or 3. Mental health is important. I and many others understand.
iiau
2024-01-12 23:52:10 +0000 UTC
