Hiya, everyone!

Time for another Creator's Blog. Been a bit since the last one, eh? Welp, I guess I got caught up in work and all that. But nonetheless, I hope this gives you an update on what's to come and shares a few thoughts I have.

It's never too late to start again...

Well, if you have been reading some of the previous blogs and such, you should know that I had taken a huge step in my life and decided to call it quits with my old job, one that I had for 7 years.

The reason was simple. I was wasting away in both mind and body, which did poke a scary thought into me.

That I would be stuck there. FOREVER. (I know myself too well; I would never leave if I got too comfortable. >_<)

Hence, since last month, I have been free. Very free, in fact. All while I wait for the University placement to come through. And in the time I had, I took several steps for self-improvement, such as:

Return to the Gym as a regular. I am no pushover, but I have to admit that I let myself "Go" for a minute. So rebuilding myself was something I've wanted to do for a long time.

Repaying a HUGE sleep debt. Happy to say I am progressing on this well to the point I no longer feel lapses in energy.

Study on several skills. I have a bucket list of things to learn before it is too late (You should have one too :) )

Making a good schedule for once. Still a bit of a challenge due to my very active mind, but I am getting there.

Of course, several cons are here too, which are:

No steady income. This was a reality I braced for all year; still, it's rather weird to have no payday. I have to thank all active supporters for their contributions; you guys are really keeping me afloat.

Lack of a true purpose at the moment. Maybe I just haven't discovered my true calling yet. But I hope it isn't boring :)

But all in all, I am very relieved to have taken a step forward in my overall life to make a change. Perhaps it would be worse, or perhaps it would be better in the long run; either way, it was a do-or-die moment for me.

The hustle never ends, eh?

All right, since I had some time to work on my things and benefits here, I wanted to recap what I've done since my break.

Commissions for members. I got gigs from members here and elsewhere for commission work. I made renders and a whole comic.

DAZ Scenes and outfits. In addition to getting back on outfit conversions, I also looked into making more scenes available. As you all know, all my work for DAZ Studio is for my own use and interest, so don't be surprised if I use my own items :)

Collectibles galore. With the introduction of collectibles, I can use a larger pool of models from my backlog.

Comics resuming. With the launch of the Snow Witch NSFW comic, I'm interested in revisiting more of them down the line. A Marika comic is in the works, but I may delay it further, as I had hoped to make a sequel to the Lansseax one.

Animation research and improvements. As you know, I've made animations before, and I hope to make more. But I need to learn more before I continue.

YT Skits are back! (I hope...). With the release of "Meet The Raider," I have completed my series introducing the Nightfarers, so I have more ideas for making more of them now. As well as new games to tackle.

Fanfics progress. I have to admit, taking a step back from writing did help me rest up, but I will aim to resume it soon.

Render Notes are fun! I introduced some Render Notebooks as a means to branch out and work on renders for fun; I will continue to do so when I have the time. :)

And in the midst of that, I had taken a list of things to look into:

DAZ to Blender for rendering/animations. DAZ is pretty easy to use for work, but compared to Blender, it lacks performance and tools. I am happy to say tho that I have worked on the importing side of DAZ to Blender, so don't be surprised if you start seeing some renders that look "Different."

DAZ to Unreal for rendering/animations. Unreal is an engine that is... Rather complex. I have played with it a bit, hoping I could use it for Skits that are full animations. It is tough, though, because I can't get DAZ models to import right at the moment.

A better format for Comics. As you know, most of the comics I make, I use 16:9 renders as slides. This method is... Rather taxing at times. As such, I'll need to put in effort to look into making actual panels like a REAL comic/manga. Clip Studio Paint is the software that I will try with this. (But let me know if you have suggestions :) )

Discord server? I've long debated making a Discord server to update and interact with this community, but I am quite hesitant because I don't think I would have the mental capacity to manage it. I would also want to keep it small, so if I made one, it would be only for supporting members or those I invite. But again, I cannot commit to this, so it may not happen.

Well, you get the picture. Work on this Patreon never ceases, and I hope you all enjoy my offerings so far. I will always work to ensure that more benefits are made and that the existing ones are good.

Real Talk Time. Worries and thoughts of failure

Well, now that is out of the way, it's time for a little vent of sorts. And it has to do with the idea of... Well... Failing.

With this page in particular. I sometimes feel that... My work is not good. Not enough. Nothing of value.

I could make a few hundred renders, comics, asset conversions, and such. Yet it feels like an unscalable wall is in front of me. Somehow, I cannot get over it.

Maybe it's because a number of cancellations have come my way, or simply because there's a lack of traffic and activity on the posts and pages, even though we have a respectable number of members. Either way, it feels like... I am really stuck on a certain point, and I can't get out of it.

I don't really know. Maybe some stress is getting to me. But I hope I have given everyone here something to enjoy, whether it's paid or free. But it gets to me at times, because it feels like I have worked for nothing.

Holiday :D

On a brighter note, I have something coming up this week, and I am excited for it.

I will be taking a vacation to Japan (FROMSOFT LAND).

This is a very LONG time coming, and I wanted it. So, in the midst of that, I will be away for 1 Week+ (7-16 Oct), after which I will resume work on all things.

Another notice will come up the day before, but I hope this heads-up helps ease some lack of activity in the coming days.

To sum it up...

Welp, some talk, excitement, and rants come through on this, huh?

Anyways, like always, thank you all for the support on this Patreon and all other sites that I reside on. It is a pleasure and a privilege to share my work with everyone who sees it.

One small request: please tell me anything in the comments and such. It is always nice to know what you're thinking, so feel free to tell me anything.

As usual, have a great day, week, month, and year ahead.

Cheers,

Ed