Changes to Patreon/ Final packages

Hi Everyone, as you might have seen on my main channels I’ve been absent for quite awhile. I made a big post on Instagram and Twitter about the nature of my health and how it’s been impacting my work and shipments for the past months. That extends to this page as well, and as I get the remainder of orders and care packages caught up with, I will be shutting down the upper tier for Patreon. I need to narrow my focus as I clear our my backlog and want to thank everyone who has supported me while I was away.

I explained my condition a little bit on my main post, but I will give a longer explanation here. About 3 years ago I had a pain in my groin, I’ve had hernias before from heavy lifting so I thought it was another Hernia. The pain was so severe at one point I was afraid it was something worse. I was working as a receiver for Whole Foods mostly lifting boxes off of trucks, so I figured it had something to do with an injury. I went to my doctor, got an MRI, and waited for news. When he got back to me he said what I had was not life threatening, but quite serious. In a scan of my hips, they found dead spots within the heads of my femurs, where the legs meet the hips. Apparently due to lack of blood flow, my bones are dying. Although they had caught the condition early, there is no cure. The disease I was diagnosed with is Avascular Necrosis, or AVN. A type of Osteonecrosis that leads to debilitating arthritis. Usually the cause of this condition is either heavy drinking or steroid use. My doctor attributed my case to prolonged steroid use, where I was prescribed steroid inhalers for chronic bronchitis I suffered from when I was younger. I went to one of the top specialists int he country, and after examination he told me to “Just enjoy my life, and manage the pain”. Eventually my femoral heads would collapse, and I would need a hip replacement. It could be months or years.

I have done physical therapy, taken pain medications, changed my diet and health routines, and unfortunately the pain I experiences slowly but surely increases. It has been a constant reminder as I try to keep up with my day to day activities. Where I used to be able to run around, lift hundreds of pounds all day, and generally just walk normally- I have slowly lost the ability to do intense labor that involves movement of my hips. Over exertion leads to sharp shooting pains up my sides and down my legs. It’s like someone has taken a knife and is wedging it between the joints of my hips. I am 32, and hip replacements are normally reserved for people between the ages of 60-80. I have considered getting a total hip replacement early, but 1) I would have to take time away to recover, which I simply can’t afford with my business model and 2) If I have my hips replaced now, I was told it’s terrible having a second hip replacement when you’re older. Apparently replacement hips only last so many years before they are worn down.

I am someone who has always had a million ideas that I want to bring to life. Even without my condition, I think my scope of work was too much for myself (and my partner who helps when she can). I’m taking this as an opportunity to scale properly, invest my energy into quality work and products, and making things that excite me. I’m also halting merch drops until I have a system that is timely, has fulfillment assistance and where the final products (not just samples) can be vetted in depth before the sale goes live.

Until then, I’m excited to work on more digital content with videos on Youtube, Tiktok and Instagram, make more series of artwork, publicly release my brush set and wrap up my comic and video game. Anyone who supports via this Patreon will still be featured in every Youtube video. I have some ideas on how I can create a more realistic version of what this Patreon could offer, as my really huge ambitions didn’t pan out on the first try. But I’m feeling energized now, and genuinely am so grateful for everyone who has supported me regardless. This Patreon has literally paid for my medical bills so saying thank you doesn’t feel adequate, but thank you, thank you, thank you.

I hope that explains my absence, thank you for your patience as I resolve the ongoing turmoil I have been experiencing.

Best always Pitch