As some of you know, at the beginning of the year I transitioned into living out of an RV full-time, which has been... an experience. It's definitely had its ups and downs, and I've definitely learned a lot over the last year about the highs and lows of nomad life, but one of the things that I've definitely had to grapple with is losing the consistency of an anchored life.
I've had to delay more comics this year than ever before, and a lot of that is due to me continually adjusting to life in a van and having to spend a lot more of my attention and effort on things I used to take for granted: inclement weather, temperature swings, public access parking, the cost of fuel, and the constant maintenance I've had to do on my combination house and chariot. I'm not super happy about how much my schedule has slipped this year because of this, even though obviously there's quite a few more variables I have to deal with in my day-to-day existence now.
Add to that the fact that in the last two months I've been forced to acknowledge that I've begun to feel the old familiar sizzle of burnout creeping around my edges. I didn't want to accept it at first; it felt like a betrayal of my decision to live my life more freely than I had before. If working on this comic and living the nomad life truly made me happy, then why was I still reaching the end of my rope creatively?
I've since realized that no, I'm not unhappy with what I'm doing with the comic and with my life; it's been a complete blast realizing a dream I've had for quite a large fraction of my life. But what I'm forced to come to terms with is that this existence isn't financially sustainable in its current configuration, and so I'm realizing that I now have to do what I hate doing and have always dreaded having to do, despite knowing in the back of my mind that this was always an inevitability.
So dear readers, I come before you humbly begging for money.
January is going to see some changes to the site and to the Patreon as well; I'll be switching the Patreon over to the newer subscription model as well as revamping some of the patron tiers, including an increased focus on Patreon-exclusive monthly art. I'll also be trying to figure out how to utilize Ko-Fi as more than just a glorified tip jar, as well as eventually opening up commissions for anyone who wants to purchase some pokey little drawings from yours truly.
Rest assured, I am neither down nor out, and I will continue to strive for the same standard of quality y'all expect out of A Distant Sky. Including the one we're on, there's at least four more chapters in the pipe based on my current outlines and plans, and the future remains wide open. But I literally cannot do it without your help, so literally anything you can toss in the collection plate is vastly appreciated and goes a long way toward keeping me both solvent and on the road.
Thanks for sticking with me, and happy new year!
