Steven's Journal #1

A heartfelt thank you to my patrons! I don't know what brought you here, but as a small artist still figuring out his life while trying to make ends meet, your support means a lot to me. I'm truly grateful!

I want to try making journals once in a while so I'll have something to look back on someday. They're going to be quite mundane and pragmatic, so feel free to skip these! Also, no, I won't stop adding a random dog in my painting warm-ups. >:)

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I originally wanted to work in an animation or game studio right after graduating last year. Unfortunately, a medical condition came up simultaneously and forced me to take a whole year off. Now that I've wrapped up treatment for it last week, I'm pondering my career.

I'd started social media solely to network and find job opportunities in 2020. Now there's funny animal people everywhere! Perhaps it's to be expected when my early portfolios were geared towards children's book illustrations and thus filled with whimsical animal folk.

Regardless, I've been giving commissions a try since early August. I don't consider myself the most unique or skilled artist out there, so I hope it goes well! After a few months, I'll decide if I want to keep freelancing, switch to contracted studio work, or go back to school to study something new (like medicine or engineering).

I picked up comic-making during my aforementioned time off, which has been really fun! However, I'm starting to learn that comics (at least mine) haven't been very sustainable. To paint a better picture: after a year of doing them, I've never made more than half my state's minimum hourly wage (through Webtoons ad revenue and Patreon). Nobody's fault but my own, though! It really was just something to do while unemployed, alongside a huge skill issue because I don't draw/write well or fast enough, haha! But with over $27k in student loans to pay starting October, I need to reallocate my time.

It doesn't mean I won't do comics anymore! Just less often, at least until I reach some financial stability. They never had a schedule and always had inconsistent quality, so nobody's really missing out. :'D My quiet dream is to be able to dedicate more time towards personal work like comics and indie projects, even while pursuing a lower-paying career path. Just have to keep striving.

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for reading!