Do you remember how I disabled comments ages ago? Probably not, because I removed comments long before this comic had any kind of a readership. But now I want to try a thing; and that thing? Is comments.

Rather than have comments on individual comics, though, I am going to steal a page from some of the blogs I read and have an Open Thread party, wherein we can all talk about whatever, whether it’s the comic, or what your holiday plans are, or anything else.

I’ll tell you what I want to talk about, though, is commissions: I had a very interesting conversation with the Blotch duo the other day wherein they told me that if I wanted to make any kind of a decent living on my artwork, I need to stop taking them. And it makes sense: I spend so much time trying to get commissions done in order to make ends meet that I have no time at all to work on the comic, which is what is largely responsible for most of the interest in my work these days. So that’s something for me to think about.

I don’t think I’m ready to stop doing them completely, and certainly I am going to complete my existing queue, but I think that going forward, any commissioned work I take will have to be done with the understanding that I intend to sell prints of that work, and will be selected according to its viability for print sales. (And on the subject of print sales, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if I spent a bit more time preparing the ridiculous backlog of work I’ve completed over the last few months for printing so that I can make them available.)

I do have a bunch of ideas (like, a whole bunch) for themed collections and illustrated stories, and single pieces I’ve been wanting to do, which I just couldn’t budget the time for. The idea of stopping work on something that’s paid for up front to focus on stuff that might sell in the future is kind of scary to me, and honestly I expect I’m going to have to find a nine-to-five again until I figure out exactly how this is all going to work, but it’s been my experience that when I work from my own imagination and draw to my own tastes, that’s the stuff that always winds up resonating with other people. And for that reason, I am optimistic!

Anyway. That’s what’s going on with me. What’s going on with you? Do you guys want some possible worldbuildy spoilers about what’s going on with this boat? Because I am prepared to dish. Comments are open until Sunday night; I’ll try to be as active with the responses as possible!