Current Status of Patreon Rewards and Commissions

But also a somewhat frank discussion of our own status.

First and foremost: We regret to announce that as of right now, and for some time moving forward, will likely need to delay working on Patreon Rewards -- the Thank You Doodles awarded to our $10 Patrons specifically -- until such time that we complete an outstanding YCH commission, and then take and complete at least one other commission to be chosen immediately thereafter.

All Patrons who have completed their pledges at the $10 tier in June and July and have not yet received their Thank You Doodles for those months will receive them as soon as possible, but we must admit that they are not and cannot be our immediate concern due to reasons we will outline in the following paragraphs.

We offer our sincere apologies to any and all Patrons affected by this delay, and we encourage them to consider if they want to remain pledged at the $10 tier, or the Patreon in general until such time as we can catch up with our obligations. We are truly grateful for all the support we have received, and we will fulfill our duties towards all out Patrons and clients.

To confirm: all Patrons who do continue to support us at the $10 tier will continue to receive their Thank You Doodles for August as soon as it is possible for us to recommence work on them and address the backlog.

We would also like to apologize for anyone, Patron or otherwise, who has put in a commission request in the last few months that has not been attended to yet.

As far as why this has to be the case:

Primarily, we are facing financial difficulties resulting from, and recursively compounded by, mental health struggles we have been enduring, and we must focus on work that can shift that balance back towards a sustainable situation.

I have to admit that we have not been doing well. Over the last two months or so we've been battered internally and externally, in ways big and small. These conditions have exhausted and preoccupied us, which has stymied our ability to work, and the quality of our work. This has resulted in us falling beyond on completing Patreon rewards [the Thank You Doodles awarded to Patrons at our $10 tier], an outstanding YCH commission, and taking on other commissions requests that we have received.

Our mental health concerns have continued to been untreated due to a lack of financial ability to address them and lack of medical support. They have been flaring up in the intervening time. These factors alone would have severely impacted out productivity if they were all we were dealing with, I must state.

The general state of the world, particularly in the US, our place of residence, has, to put it lightly, contributed negatively to our mental health and ability to be productive. The rampant and spiraling reactionary and authoritarian spiral this country has continued to accelerate down made us feel nothing but either despondence, dread, or absolute fury, and will continue to do so until either we slip from the world entirely or finally see justice be done.

On top of these major concerns are a phalanx of smaller, personal troubles. From our work environment being disrupted by noise pollution, to our various chronic pains flaring up, to our friends being raked with their own worries and troubles, to a lack of ability to take a break from our work environment except to attend to other duties [getting groceries, doing laundry, etc.], to spiraling inflation and cost of living increases combined with consistent unexpected expenses leaving us nearly destitute.

The latter conditions, compounding with and by with our lack of productivity, have produced a state where we are constantly falling behind on our expenses, and both unable to either work effectively enough to be able to address them, but also unable to take a useful break due to anxiety about not working -- and also the lack of finances. It's a vicious downward spiral.

My mates have struggled with speaking about this publicly for a number of reasons -- avoidance, guilt, a desire to not burden others with concern or take unnecessary attention... And I do want to take a moment to stress that though we're going through a rough patch right now, that we will be okay.

We are not at risk of homelessness or food insecurity. We have some degree of risk of physical illness or harm resulting from poor mental health, but those concerns are manageable, and I believe will be alleviated by limiting the scope of our workload for the time being. Point being -- we are, and will be, safe. Please don't take any information here as a sign you need to offer any support to us beyond your means or comfort.

The purpose of this post is simply to inform our Patrons and prospective commission clients on why things have been delayed, and to admit that there will have to be further delays in the immediate future while we refocus our efforts -- and to simply admit that we do need to make a change in order to be able to do anything.

Thank you once again for all your support and care. No matter whether you are a Patron, a client, or simply a fan of our work, we do still look forward to producing work that can bring you joy, especially in times such as these. Take care of yourselves and the people within your means to help -- and we'll get through this, together.

- Spark Cosmos of Cosmos System