Here is a thought experiment.

Think in the very near future after “the times” have passed, after the dust have settled. People will most likely go on with their lives and stopped caring altogether, in fact they might forget about the whole fiasco due to how overblown or cover-up it became.

Now when we think of stopped caring about______. Let’s use a few examples.

Breaking News-what ever is going on and seems to be alarming for the moments, but it will go away most likely.

Crypto-let’s face it, most of humanity is too dumb to figure it out and they tend to be too distracted and difficent to make good use of it.

Art and Game trends-Hyperrealism, Pixels, Kickstarters, Challenges, speedruns, people won’t even think about it anymore after a year, let alone value it.

and the list of “the times” goes on.

After they seemingly “stopped caring” about the current events, they will move unto the next thing going down the pipeline, often with just as much artificial urgency and so-called importance. It’s just a sheer waste of time and energy to,

Eventually people will spot caring about it, social media, the current events, whatever new digital information technology driven trends society’s pipeline brings in. People will have to smarten up and get on with thier lives.

Here are some questions to ask after thining of what if people stopped caring about “the times” altogether.

What’s Next?

Where do We go?

What better, new or old thing to invest in?

What’s Left in my case? After I stopped caring about the DarkSouls Inked series perhaps a year or two from now? Or even this upcoming season? Let alone realizing that selling my prints will be a mere routine?

My Originals, My other Hobbies, My Experiences and Knowledge, and anything I have on me.

This is a rather contrary thing to say in the age of so-called “we are in this together” or, “social/digital/cberntic community”. It’s really a facade of shallow people wanting uselss vantiy metrics as always. Through history, the best minds have done thier best works all alone, while building up to that point.

Whenever I do my work, I tend to work alone. There is very little to no documentation nowadays, so newcomers tend to be guessing what is going on the back-end. Plus I’m, not on a streaming platform since the setup of the account and to acquire the hardware and software to get it ready is beyond not only my scope, but I just simply don’t care enough to go that far. I don’t do groups either since I have tried many times, but ultimately you get nothing done. Goofing off isn’t an option when making a product.

Whenever I do my invoices and check the shipping, I do it alone. Self explanatory since most of my transactions and interactions is done via a computer and keyboard. I just type commands and click away what the orders are all about, no yelling or screaming here in my ‘cave.

All responsibility ultimately is done alone. I strain my ear, what do I hear? The small hum of my machines and perhaps the noticeable droplets of rain from a meter away above draining into the basement level. There is no person to check on my progress, only me and the project I have decided to sign up for years ago.

So, it’s kind of off putting to see people online whether though the forums, chats, groups, to even live streams with others in a studio. Just looking at them, “socializing and goofing off”. It’s kind of a waste of time, energy, seemingly everything if their caliber is so low and not worth investing in. What value do they actually make for the market? Right?

Let’s Define the Solitary Journey.

One will have to make it on their own. And what I mean by making it, a self-sustain lifestyle that you built all by yourself.

The solitary Journey, it’s something you gamers, aka my customers and clients should be familiar with. We both know that the Chosen Undead, to the Good Hunter tends to do their missions alone, starting off with a simple note of initiation to adventure. Oftentimes, the start of it will be hard to “get” since one will get snippets and advice from various fragments out there. Expect to fail on the first “big try”, you’ll have to pickup where you left off from a safe distance and get back up there again. Chances are, you;ll figure out this “big try” on your own, use your own judgement.

Sounds familiar? What the first few to several minutes of a typical “souls” game is like.

You’ll be taken to bigger places, and will meet help and aid along the way, you can call them to help you on “bigger tries”. They will help, but only for a certain amount of time. Expect to see many characters and folks in your Journey to come and go. “Jolly Cooperation” you;ll get, but in the end you’ll have to face the “last challenge” alone.

It’s a build up to what you had to do since the beginning, That simple note you where given to start it all, facing what you need to do alone. You either pass or fail the “last challenge” but assuming you took lots of prcautions to come back up for most attempts, you will get to the end. What’s left?

There are a few feelings one might get after finishing thier “Solitary Journey”

A sense of completion, maybe wanting more or it, nullness, or in my case, exhaustion on various levels, thinking what the ordeal was all for.

So, if you want to initiate the Solitary Journey, ask your self if it’s worth it and if you want to do it for yourself?

So, this is a rather under-used tactic in the indie artists circles, but has been around for along time in the company cultures spheres. Basically, the premise of sending sample works, and even securing sponsorship for say online influencers are something to get leverage on. This year’s attempt was done via Off-Line-TV, but the long-term results has yet to be studied.

Such as, will this feature be effective for the rest of the month, quarter, or year? Who knows.

Sending the right product or service, to the right people, in the right place and timing(which is big deal in this fast-moving world). Is key to getting the most of these moves.

Consider sending work to people with power, influence as an investment for all those artist needing exposure out there. And no, it’s not about shout-outs or anything like that.

The World moves too fast, but then again, with the internet giving abundance of leverage on a seemingly infinite level, the right type of decision making will reaps good rewards for sure.

During the golden era of YouTube (circa 2010-2016 approx), there where sponsors and loot crates style products that where sent to various channels, either they are still around or have become bankrupt from a *social equity standpoint.

*social equity refers to the level of influence that a Brand weather ‘Corps or Personal has in their accounts/platforms it’s a way for them to market themselves and command large waves of users/followers to do seemingly whatever they please. cite Gary Vaynerchcuk

Marketing for artists can come in many forms, but guerrilla will yield both good and bad results depending on if you know what you’re doing.

The Key thing is to get leverage via unorthodox methods and get’s people thinking about your brand despite not being a specific part of the main brand or attraction they signed up for.

You may not be able to self promote your work directly to the audience, but using the influences to access them will do the job of reaching them.

hence the “Guerrilla” Marketing.

So, if you a creator or someone who does product or service, consider sending your best and right kinds of samples to folks that will appreciate it and aids in your product placement.

There is a misconception in the current social climate is that one should be an Youtuber, or Instagramer. This mentality can acrew to the artist circle too. The problem with the term artist is that it’s too broad. It’s kind of a useless term unless one is in the academic circle of fine art. Then, that artist title can have a merit to it. But in the meantime for everyone else…
They are better-off having a more niche job description in mind.

Ranging from Cartoonist, Illustrator, Inker, Pixel, and the list of more specific spots goes on.
‘See, artists are becoming more and more obsolete since everyone want something more specific as the internet allowed for these niche obsessions to become a thing. In my case, I stayed away from the Digital Works due to the fact, it’s becoming the majority for industry-level artists and workers. But Paper and Pen type artists aren’t as common nor there are initially enough good-level artists out there that can get noticed and be worth working with long term.

It’s better to be that Brushpen Cartoonist, or the Mecha Desinger.

Because it’s such a niche creative job title that people who care will actually remember them most likely.
The problem with being an artist is that it’s not a very viable title nor association anymore with many people calling themselves so-called artists, it’s only a matter of time before the boat flips over and it loses it’s real meaning.
So, in the meantime it’s better to cultivate the concept of illustrator, designer, cartoonist, animator, etc so there is a more tangible meaning to it.
Just because you can draw, sculpt , or even paint means that you are considered an artist. You’re product or piece of work isn’t up to spec. Chances are, you are amateur if you spread your attention that much to too many radically different mediums.
Those who focused on a few or one thing only. They earned a position in the field at that point.

Stop it, just stop calling yourself an artist, content creator, CEO life, etc.

Chances are, you are doing a big disservice to everyone anyways.
Just figure out your actual Job, and focus on that aspect.

Keep it Real.

Look, I could have been a so-called gamer if I felt more encouraged and felt the
so-called community, in fact I could have been a boycon-bro among you should my focus was gaming in general. But, in the end, I end up making art that is well, just drawings or illustrations. It’s not much more than that.
‘See, gaming is a strange thing to me as I get into my mid 20s. I don’t feel that connection to characters, in fact I feel a bit of resentment and loathing to gaming culture ironically, since I end up creating a sizable body of work featuring gaming related stuff. So, what does this mean?
gaming was a thing for me, back in the PSP era, in fact like most normal western developed world kids of the 90s I got to play on the N64 and Xbox, and that is about it.
So, what happened? Why this huge far-cry in mentality and why my work is somewhat strange in terms of the thought process behind it?
Let’s turn back the clock, to back in the early decade of 2010s, it was a turning point for me, I started to get bored of gaming, gaming culture was more or less not as praised compared to the mid 2010s decade where twitch and youtubers played games to be paid. Mind you I basically missed out on the gamers and weeabou booming movement essentially since I packed up and left the scene more or less years earlier not knowing if it was all cracked up to be.
But what fumy is that the internet allowed me to be informed in almost real time on what’s going on. It’s the broadcasting boom that allowed me to be informed of what’s going on.
However, it was a recommendation of my art mentor’s Eldest Son that really started off the Series of shenanigans that I end up following through for a couple years.
‘see, I hate to admit it but I’m sure that greed of sort tends to run through of us. It’s never enough and the scarcity for things we want is out there.
And I thought back in the day, that chasing these vanity metrics on reddit or imgur was a good idea during that time.
It’s was not until I started to do for months, darksouls and bloodborne paintings during 2016 that people start to notice. But then out of the left field. A commission came along.
the client wanted me to so a DarkSouls Inked drawing at a rather substantial price at the time. It signaled the type of work people wanted and a several months later people will start to notice.
And after that the follow through of DarkSouls,Bloodborne, and other fanworks Inked, and the rather disastrous social arms race on instagram.
Rest is History.

You must be wondering why I never do digital render of my ideas ever, the answer is rather linear and simple. ‘See, I never really grew up with Technology in a traditional sense like most people pf my generation, I’m stuck using paper notes, and used more pens than most average north americans. Texting is a rather forcing thing to me since it has all these small bugs like typo corrector and what not, interrupting my line of thought(which is rude by the way to my personal, thought technology is supped to make my miserable life better, not worse….), And Looking at these screens of “normies” trying to get on with the internet is rather strange too. So, does all this to do with my absence of digital art? Kind of Yes. Because I’m not really integrated like Millinelas and Gen-Z, there is a bit of an off-put in terms of how I try to use the latest tech they tend to have. I’m still using a Thinkpad and Windows 7 and longs to downgrade to an XP at times myself.
But to cut to the chase, here is the why. It’s because it’s too technical, there is a lack of ease of accessibility and things I kind of “get” in order to access these kinds of hardware and softwares. I never used an Iphone or ‘Pad, let alone what a windows surface is like, where most working-class artists, seems to bee already integrated and their abilities are so in-tuned with the technology that is kind of baffles me.
What’s really off putting for me to try to use the digital technology to create art is that it’s not only too clunky, needs load-up time and all this stupid BS. It’s the fact looking at screens at times gives me migraines. I shouldn’t be suffering at thsi level just to make art, I shouldn’t be straining my brain to figure out how to stupid controls work just to get the right colors. Why is technology in some departments so stupid to me?
The other reason? Well, I’m too invested in my paper and pen approach, and the fact there is a growing demand for it kind of makes it hard to back away from it now. ‘See, given that most of the artists and illustrators out there is transition into digital due to the industry demanding it, they have to. Or else, they wont make it.
But as a nobody, I have more broader and more interesting options, I answer to the market, not the industry. There is a subtle difference, but one of them is where my actual customers and clients hang around.
People still want hand drawn stuff at times if not the ideas I pump out and offer to clients. If I can fabricate ideas and sell to clients quickly and efficiently while keeping focus and costs low, it’s good. And my pen and paper approach is just happen to fit the bill. It’s not as high-end like the professionals that gets their work in galleries, nor is it technically and deep like the digital ones, but I managed to find a way that at times gets people noticing.
I’m just an isolated guy who just got left behind, and technology tends to do that to people who aren’t in the forefront of it.
Just can’t keep up.

        So, since starting and seeing what might happen back in 2019 of early summer, I kind of place bets on a thing that is often mocked, parodied on youtube, and whatever so-called stupid things people think of it. I just went for it.
And after half a year, and more or less apparently got to Level 1 (and lost the official of it due to some issues on maintaining a key aspect of it)
here is a several notes on what I learned and you might be able to apply to your own life.

Understand the position of the Pipeline you in.
The project or thing you are working on is at times bigger than the assignment you are given. It may well be part of a series of works and you are either the early, mid, or even stage of the project your client is trying to build. So, in a way it pays to know where you are and perhaps what the client will expect of you as you work on it.

Look at the bigger picture.

Do your Client Right
Focus on creating Products or Services that will solve your client’s problems, and it better be the best of it’s kind in the market. So, to give it context, in my case. I just sketch on a almost pro-level of robots and machines and they tend to be conceptual serving as a base for their designers, developers, or detailed illustrator. If your work is lacking, learn to fix and adjust the issue while time allots.

It’s going to help out not on the metrics, but personal reputation you will bring to the table .

Your client came for your product and services
focus on your Product and Services you want to offer, this doesn’t only apply to fiverr, but business in general.Sure, it’s maybe tempting to use social media, but in reality it doesn’t have an effect on your bottom-line unless you are trying to make it as an so-called influence(and they might not be viable long-term too) What most people online when shopping for is either. Product or Services, and oftentimes stuff you can only find online. So, in a way you want to not only create a product that is great and solves and helps the client get somewhere, hopefully their next level.

And to top it off, it better be unique in a sense that others can’t really copycat off you so easily, it would be a complete cover blow, so learn to cultivate your personal signature on these products and services.

Learn to Improvise
Chances are, you will run into problems, and often too if it’s a large and complex project. So, focus on things like having results oriented action and just get it done somehow. Early orders of mine managed to get me more work than I expected. But also, if the client is cool with you, just ask for more time.

Time is your best bet for solving the complex issue, throwing more money wont solve it if the thing isn’t complete by the deadline.

It’s okay To leave money on the table sometimes-be on the good lookout for Better Opportunities
So, this is a bit of a strange thing, since it’s kind of a counter intuitive thing. Sometimes, you will be approached by rather attractive offerings, but logically. It wont work. either because the nature or it is too technical, or the assignment is substantially above your level and you can’t train or improve on time to tackle it. The whole thing wont’ work, because it won’t work no matter how you look at it, the odds are too stacked against you and time wont allow it too.
For example, I did turn down assignments worth $200 or so, but the problem is the workload and the time and level of work simply outweighed the benefits and the costs would be too high, I had to pass up on a few of these since they were too above my league.
But, there is good news too. There is always opportunities. And if you know what you want, chances are, you will find them easily. It’s not so much about having the most Money per order, but working on things that is within my niche, my interests, and can be done relatively quickly and the offerings is enough.

To simplify-you have too much on your plate during the time, out of your league. and you have an agenda to tend to.
and sometimes, better opportunities comes

Time is Money-But have Buffer
Learn to work effectively and efficiently. You can be good at your craft. But, it’s not worth much if it’s doesn’t get stuff done on time and the execution should be spot on too. Learning to draw fast and with precision is something I learned to do practicing so often for years.
when it comes to making things for clients, you want to think about the following, can you get complex stuff on time?

It’s good to have a day or two to buffer, and ask additional time if the order is too rushed. It’s like an insurance policy.

Have a pre-order briefing
Before you get into the fray. Assess. just get to know what your getting into. So, in my case, I tend to ask for the two things. What is it? and how urgent is it? Usually that will allow me to gauge what I’m getting into. And, sometimes, I do a bit of free work for them to see if they like my demonstration.

In some rare cases, I just learned to back-out early since it’s way out of my scope.

TimeZones and Areas
They might be sleeping or something, so keep in mind, there maybe delays in what is going on out there. Learn to be courteous in their off hours and focus on the project to get it done.

Avoid rambling.

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if you had your 2 cents on this kind of post. Consider the following.

Follow via email list or share this with those in your circle.

here is a PDF of the Article for those who needs a take-home lessons.

and to those who wants my services. Fiverr is here.

        So, the online store was more or less an unlikely thing that happened to do not bad, actually. After 300 sales and 2-3 years of it. It has been working it’s way up quietly and with a degree of success. Prints for sure are the real main seller here. And there are some recurring returning customers too. Unlikely projects that gave more than I asked for.
Here are a few things I learned while getting up to my 300th sale.

Product Matters
On Etsy, it’s mainly a platform or online store where people go to buy tangible things often, but there are cases often of sellers offering non-tangible things like Files and PDFs to name a few. What is important is that if you want to do well on Etsy for a start, focus on building a product that is either Niche, Exceptional, and the service around it is great. In my case, Made to Order Prints-and it’s environmentally sound too. It’s a rather distinct thing since, it’s on etsy and not on places like redbubble and what not. And due to the fact at all the orders all the way up to 300.

I double checked and fixed every single one of them myself. Products and services around it mattered.

Communication is Key
Customers want in on what going on. And they tend to have various questions. For example, in regards to see if their order arrived. Usually I have a FAQ for that nowadays, but in the early days, I told them to wait 2-3 weeks to arrive, if it doesn’t. I just send another batch for free on my tab, and if I felt like, even tracking too if the cargo is valuable enough. It’s just a matter of solving problems yourself if the FAQ doesn’t yield anything.
Communications is mostly reversed for more personalized things, but it’s to give clarity directly to my customers if things aren’t going smoothly or is just too complex.

Do right if something goes South
So, this is one of the biggest problems all artists and sellers tend to have. Half of them, they wont lift a finger to fix even small issues. ‘See getting up to 300 sales is rather hard for me I realized. Since, your customers is your life-line in some ways. So you rather do them a favor and fix the issue either via sending another batch, or a refund if the issue is too severe. It’s a case of mitigating issues before it gets out of hand. Everyone makes mistakes and learn to owe up to that and do what’s right. And then move on.

It’s just a case of stumbling forward towards a “passing grade” and getting better.

Offerings, Figure it out
Do most people know what they are offering? usually no. they are often clueless to what they are offering since they never defined what they are offering. Define what you will offer and build on top of it. To give clarity, offerings isn’t only the product, but also variations you may have within that product line. In my case-made to order prints that comes in 2-3 sizes ranging from 6×8, 8×10, and 11×14 inches. Those are my offering that people are starting to understand and it’s becoming an established norm.

The easier your products and offerings to understand, higher the chances people will tag your work with the traits and you can refine it as time goes by.

Focus on your Niche
as tim ferris would say in his 4hour work week. It’s the new big, this is what the internet allows for. You want to build a niche that acrews to your brand. a niche-to give a redundant example, Made to Order Prints that is environmentally sound. It’s a mouthfull, but given enough time and reviews with it. People will start “getting” what my products are actually.

Focus on building something very specific and unique, and it will acrew to you.

Give more than Asked for
This one is a rather personal one since, it’s really a thing I tend to do myself. For a little while now, from 2017 to nowadays in 2019. I have been giving away free sketches and prints to my fellow customers. It’s more than what they asked for, but from my subjective views.

I felt the need to just do as much as I can. I felt that I’m doing them a favor of sort.

Focus on Actionable/Practical Things
Forget about the metrics if people are favoriting your products, what counts is either they are buying your work, or leaving stellar reviews. It’s all about doing things that matter to you.

Focus on building or improving your products and offerings. It will serve you well on the long run.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

if you had your 2 cents on this kind of post. Consider the following.

Follow via email list or share this with those in your circle.

here is a PDF ver of the Article for those who needs a take-home lessons.

and to those who wants my services. etsy store is here.

So, this is a long one, but it’s because it has been a recurring thing for the year 2019. That’s 12 months. And I been able to do much with it.
Card-Stock. A type of paper that is seemingly overlooked in a world where art boards and Bristol is king. It’s kind of a strange thing for me. Since, I’m used to for a couple years using larger and higher quality types of paper. But with the booming days gone, it’s kind of a thing where I felt that for a certain amount and a bulk stack of them, it’s logical to take this route and make a plan around how to make work for myself and client’s eventually. And it did after half a year.
Is the material good enough for work?
Kind of, it can do a bit of everything such as washes and holding up to layering of markers too. So, it’s can holdup. But don’t expect it to do very heavy amounts. It will do sketches and light conceptual easily.
What is it best suited for?
Sketches. Sketches for sure, due to the fact it’s in the 8.5×11 inches range and most of so-called “best ideas” are sketchers often, people want my ideas mostly. And sketches are adequate enough to get it across.
Earlier this year, I did do inking for sure, but that’s about it. It can for sure have a crisp clean finish when it comes to ink.
What does it mean?
Well, it’s nothing short of being economical and it’s to sustain my creative work a bit longer. Given the type of works I’ve been assigned to, it’s kind of a logical move to use something that supports it.
Does it give me any serious advantage?
in some ways yes. Given that it’s already a standardized paper and size, it allows me to refine my technicians and ideas within it’s limitations. Having more doesn’t mean better always. What it’s good at is that it gives a better working surface than simple copy paper where it can fall short in the durability department.
Is this something most people can get behind?
in the direction where it’s either Digital Only, or something higher-end is used. I have doubts that the mainstream will “get it”. There is a skill gap to jump through and most likely my kind of work and knowledge around it is too niche for many to care. ‘See, we no longer live in the 70s-80s anymore, production art done on paper is becoming very very rare, and chances are those who do it for a living have been doing it since the post-war eras. They been doing it that long and I have doubts that they will even give chance to share their knowledge online.
Who does this material suit?
Those needing a practical material to work from. It’s inexpensive and it’s viable for those starting to upgrade from copy paper and want to start doing light renders of ideas and works they have in mind. It can hold up to quite a bit of work, and chances are, it will give it’s bang for the buck. Plus the scans are quite clean too.