January Update + 2021 Roadmap (Patreon)

Howdy patrons, and a Happy New Year!

Wherever you may be, I hope you’re doing well and keeping safe so far this new year. I’m back with another update! And similar to my usual updates, it’s a hefty one (despite my best efforts). I’ve inserted recent pics of Hercules and Eliza to hopefully make the read easier!

Below I’ll be covering:

How I’m doing

Patreon Perk News

In the Pipeline + 2021 Roadmap

Feel free to read through or skip around to your heart’s content!

Dog pics provided to break up the text

How I’m doing:

I’m doing better since my previous update. Life threw me and my family some last-minute curveballs in 2020, but overall I’m grateful to be moving into a new year with the wisdom and grit I picked up along the way.

Some of you may recall that I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2019. However, I had issues getting a machine due to my health insurance, so I kind of...blew it off thinking that it was no big deal. Unfortunately, the stress of 2020 (particularly the last two months) exacerbated my condition and caused constant headaches, nightmares, and insomnia. After speaking with my doctor we determined that sleep apnea was playing a huge part in many of those issues, and I shouldn’t wait any longer to treat my condition. I ordered a CPAP machine last week and it should be arriving soon. There may be a bit of an adjustment period to ensure the machine works correctly, but I can’t emphasize enough how excited I am for some relief!

Another update is my upcoming leave from my second job. For those unaware, for the past four years, I’ve worked an early morning shift several days a week at a part-time job. With the uncertainties of freelance, I held on to that dependable income for as long as I could. However, I'm currently at a turning point in my career. While I’m not yet 100% at covering expenses with just my art, I am unable to advance without first reclaiming some time. I’m an extremely cautious and frugal person, so making this decision is a bit nerve-wracking, but it’s also very exciting because if I’ve learned one thing in 2020 it’s that I’m up for the challenge and I believe I have what it takes to succeed. Your support through Patreon has played an enormous role in this decision, and I’ll explain a bit more about that further in the post.

January Patron Perks + Updates

Here’s a list of reminders and updates for Patreon tiers:

Current Milestone - Dog DnD one-shot and Character Sheets

This got lost in the fray of the holidays, but I wanted to post a reminder that the next milestone perk to be unlocked will be an exclusive podcast mini-series! I’ll play in a one-off Dog DnD campaign run by the incredible  Pedro Galicia, creator of the World Walkers universe and podcast. The campaign will be recorded and released for your enjoyment and is sure to be full of lots of laughs!

By popular demand, I’ll also put together character sheets for the Good Boye Guild characters!

All Patreon Tiers - Discord server access

If you’re a patron, you have access to the Good Humans Guild Discord server that we started in October. This has been a great way to get to know everyone better and to share more day-to-day happenings. If you’re a patron and your account hasn’t been linked yet, you can find info about receiving the patron role and permissions here.

The server will be changing back to patron and sub-only very soon. Don’t worry! All current members of the server will be grandfathered in. And moving forward, anyone who becomes a patron or sub (even for one month), will have lifetime access to the server. More info about this will soon be posted to the server itself, but feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Foodie Family Tier - Wallpapers and Coloring pages

If you’re a newer patron, you can browse the entire past catalog of wallpapers with the wallpaper tag! This will come in handy moving forward, as I predict there will be a lot of new wallpapers dropping this year.

Don’t forget you can always request specific images as wallpapers, too! Just shoot me a comment or message and I’ll be sure to make it happen.

Foodie “Family” Tier - Monthly Livedraw + More

Get your drawing prompts ready! This month’s Livedraw will be Friday, January 29 from 6-8pm CST on my Twitch channel. I’ll send out a reminder post along with a link to the drawing request form the week leading up to the stream.

Moving forward, I’ll be downloading and privately posting the Livedraw streams to my Youtube channel so you can access them indefinitely.

In the Pipeline + 2021 Roadmap

In this section, I’ll cover the things that are in the works along with current plans for 2021. Due to the unpredictable nature of freelance, these plans are subject to change. However, I like setting up goals for myself to keep motivated, and I wanted to share where my head is at currently.

Graphic Novel work

Huge huge shoutout and thanks to my awesome agent, Alice, for her patience and help to move toward this goal! Last week I turned in the last bits needed for putting together a pitch, which will be shopped around once it’s finalized. I’m very excited, and all of my fingers are crossed for some good news to share soon.

Working with the assumption that a book deal will happen, I’m mentally preparing for the amount of work that will be required of me. Above all my other projects and obligations this year, a graphic novel will require the most time and dedication. I will update you all with more information once I have it, but consider this spot reserved!

Comic updates

A goal I struggle with each year is consistent comic updates. With the progression of the Good Boye Guild series, the comics have started to require more and more time to complete. I’m beyond pleased with how much the series pushed me to improve my art skills. However, the comics obviously need more time to complete. I personally like the consistency of updating with two new comics a week, which is the goal I will strive toward this year. Making comics will be my second highest priority of the year, just below the graphic novel.

Patreon Perks/Content

The Patreon page grew a lot last year, and for the most part, I don’t see many big changes happening in 2021 in terms of restructuring or perks. The one thing I’d like to add is a patron-only collection to my online shop. This place would include things like any remaining seasonal or limited-edition items, test designs, inside joke merch, and more. I’m still brainstorming ideas and implementation, so if you have an idea of something you’d like to see, feel free to let me know!

Merch + Misc. Projects

Plushes - I don’t think I announced this officially, but I was working on a Good Boye Guild plush design last year. Due to Covid-19, production roadblocks, and other factors, I decided to put the project on hold. However, plushes continue to be a hugely requested item, and it’s been a dream of mine to bring my characters to life in such a way. I’d like to attempt designing plushes again, however, at this point I have other priorities which mean it may be delayed.

Mystery Project - ??? TBA

Commissions - Though I’m looking at a rather busy year, I’d like to continue offering commissions through my online shop for as long as possible. As always, patrons will get first dibs on any spots available. I, unfortunately, can’t guarantee when or how many spots will be available each month, but I will do my best to accommodate any patrons who are interested.

Shop Update - Out of all my obligations last year, I feel as though I neglected my online shop the most. This is frustrating because I want to ensure I deliver on the things I offer. I’m currently going through the listings and will retire certain designs and objects to hopefully simplify things this year. One big goal I’ve made for myself is to design and release Good Boye Guild enamel pin sets throughout the year. I’ll also be taking some wallpaper illustrations and offering them as prints in the shop. Other than that, I’m going to try and keep things as simple and easy for myself as possible.

Livestreams + Discord

Every Tuesday and Wednesday, I stream on Twitch from 10am-1pm CST. Streams helped me keep a schedule when quarantine first started, and they’ve become a highlight of my week. This year, I’ll continue maintaining my stream schedule, with the hopes of adding a third weekly stream soon. I’ll be sure to post an official schedule announcement once I figure out what my year will look like.

This year I’ll be slowly updating stream and discord art assets. However, these are fairly low priority compared to my other work obligations. It’s just a ‘wouldn’t it be nice if’ sort of goal.

It’s a lot to parse through, but I like sharing all the goings-ons with you. The year is going to be another challenge, but I know the rewards for persevering will be more than worth it.

Thank you again for your support, and I’ll be back with another post soon!