Peace of mind (Patreon)

This Patreon article has given me peace of mind. Basically, it has given me encouragement to continue with Hotsatyr. And, most importantly, it has put a value on something I already valued: you!

https://stateofcreate.co/

If you don't want to read it in its entirety, here are some fragments of it:

CREATORS FEEL MANIPULATED. A creator’s decision of what to make should be based on what excites them and their fans the most. But creators increasingly feel forced to post memes, trends, clickbait, and sensationalism, because they understand that’s what will perform well.

CREATORS FEEL HAMSTER-WHEELED. The creative process is not an assembly line. It requires time for experimentation and exploration. Yet a majority of creators say they feel pressured to create new work all the time, or else the platforms will stop showing their work in fans’ feeds.

One reason creators now value building fan relationships over follower counts is because they’ve realized an important truth: it’s actually a small minority of their fans who make the most outsized impact on their income, and how energized their community is overall. Some call these fans true fans, or real fans, or superfans. We’ll call them core fans.

Core fans are more likely to energize the rest of a creator’s community by engaging with other fans. In doing so, they can help snowball the fandom into a community that generates value on its own.

This is great news for creators, because ad revenue and brand deals are inherently unpredictable, while direct- to-fan offerings like subscriptions and digital shops are more stable revenue streams, contributing to a clearer path to long-term success.

And here are some quotes from other creators that have moved me:

“It may sound backwards, but I personally would really rather not ‘go viral’. I enjoy the slow and steady growth that I have had because I love the community I have.”

“Connecting with my most loyal fans makes me feel the most inspired to create the work I want to make, which makes me the happiest, and ultimately leads to my best designs.”

“There is so much power in having people who genuinely support you because they will never leave you.”

“As a fine artist, the work I produce takes a significant amount of time and energy, yet I feel a constant urge to post on social media to stay ‘relevant.’”

“Social media algorithms push you towards what’s ‘trending,’ and before you know it, you’re creating not from the soul but from some sense of ‘what works.’”

I think I'm doing well and I'm on the right track. Thanks for being my patrons! 🐺