Life Update (Patreon)

Hello Dragons, First, WELCOME to the influx of new patrons I’ve seen this month! I hope you enjoy your time here and please check out the MASTERLIST to scroll through any old content and get FAQ info. 

 As many of you know the mid season finale was posted last week so I thought it would be a good idea to fill you guys in on what’s been happening behind the scenes since SZ returned 1 year ago. (Warning - this might get somewhat dark at times) I won’t lie, these last few months of uploads have been ….rough to say the least. It’s been a combination of overwork, unsatisfactory management decisions as well as trying as well as trying to top what I’ve done in the past. 

 As soon as the mid season finale was posted, about 1 day later came the news that the author of the popular Solo Leveling Webcomic had passed away from a chronic health condition (likely due to stress and overwork). I thought about the day prior as I was finishing the finale and had only gotten about 1 hour of sleep in 2 days or how I randomly cough or have a lump in my throat for what feels like no reason.  I think a great deal of my stress comes from this awesome yet constantly changing landscape of webcomics. About 2 years ago, webcomics would launch about once per week/per month and get weeks of promotion and exposure on the front banners.  I think a lot of comics that consistently rank in the top 10-20 were ones that launched during this time. Those of you who follow the app have seen a constant influx of comics where new stories hardly get 1 day of exposure. Having all these new series to promote, it makes sense why older comics like SZ don’t get as much exposure as they used to, but I have to say…. It’s been really hard trying to keep myself motivated when It feels like the platform ignores SZ to push content that only performs well for an initial period of promotion before falling off (This is my perception at least). The majority of series no longer get promoted when reaching exciting story beats and instead only upon launch of a new season or finale. I guess what I’m trying to say is that… despite trying to stay resilient though 150 episodes, pushing myself to make longer chapters, creating exciting/intense story beats, I don’t exactly feel…appreciated by the platform. (FYI I love you guys, this has nothing to do with the amazing readers who continue to support me!) There are also other things that contribute to this sentiment but I would rather not go into it.  

Aside from reaching some low points during this season, It did make me go back to my roots and work on things that I deemed to be fun and entertaining. I found that being in a good headspace is what drives me to create fun storylines and enjoy my work the most.  I’m still very passionate about telling the story of SZ and sharing some exciting news with you guys (including a possible physical version of SZ cough cough, hints of a new story, etc.) but I’m really going to try to focus less on trying to stay relevant/popular in this climate and telling the story I enjoy! (There are so many things that will happen, I can’t wait to get to them). Overall, I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to accomplish with SubZero and I have you all to thank for that!

Now that I’ve gotten some rest, I’m going to go back to working on SZ stuff and sharing them with you guys here. I will be doing another Patreon give*away next month with shiny prints, stickers, etc, so stay tuned for the announcement. 

Finally, I just want to say THANK YOU to those of you who continue to support me through my ups and downs. I always said my dream was to be a comic artist, but you’re the ones who make it possible for me to do so.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you <3

  NOTE: I made this Nouris Doodle on my ipad! You can watch the PROCESS VID in the attachments!  :D