Hey there, everybody.
So, it’s time for the weekly update and I now have an actual update to talk about!
Things have been really crazy, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been really kind of knocked me off course and it’s been really hard to focus on things. I know it’s December and I’m still doing Halloween stuff, and I’m very grateful for everyone’s immense patience with me.
Last week I had jury duty on Monday and Tuesday, and was informed that my roommate’s sisters were coming over to deliver some baby furniture for her, so we spent the next several days cleaning. (I also, you know, did the entirety of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker in between things because I have to enjoy myself a little!) All and all, my sleep schedule was fucked up and I was just kind of a mess all week and didn’t want to do anything. I was absolutely exhausted on Saturday and Sunday and really haven’t gotten much done.
I’m not going to lie, the last few years have been kind of a mess with how my work has been. I do my best, but my health hasn’t been great and it’s been one little breakdown after another. Hopefully, once my physical health is better my mental health will improve.
To that end, I had an appointment today and the (hopefully) last of my extractions will come on January 17th. I’ll be in for a couple hours getting the last of my upper teeth removed and the bone filed down so that it lines up with the rest of the jaw. Then I’ll get sewn up and wait for everything to heal down which will take a few months. I’ll probably be out of commission for that week, but after that it’ll be more or less back to normal, just my diet will be even more restricted than it’s been.
Once everything’s healed and I get the few minor fillings and such on the bottom done, it’ll be time to get my measurements done and get my dentures ready.
I’m a bit ashamed, honestly, of having false teeth at my age, but that’s just how things have gone.
The money from Halloween pieces are going to directly to funding my dental work. I’ve got about… a quarter to a third of the pieces done, currently, and my savings sits at about four grand, all of which will get used up. Each of the dentures costs about $2000 to $2200 plus the other $2500 for the surgeries and other work, though my insurance will be paying for some of that, at the least. I feel like I’ll end up being on the hook for maybe $1200 to $1400 beyond what I have now.
The appointment on the 17th will be $700 or so out of pocket, which I can cover easily with what I’ve saved. I just have to make sure I have the rest going forward.
But before I can address that, I have to finish what I owe.
This means that until the Halloween pieces get finished, starting next week, we’ll be having longer hours and less room for other things, which frankly I should have been doing in the first place. I was hesitant to commit because of other work, and then burnout, and then being sad that I’d failed to fulfill my commitments by my deadline. I’ve been a bit depressed about that, but I have to to get back on the horse, so to speak, and move forward.
So we’re going to get this done.
Once that’s finished, I’m going to re-open with fewer slots and start fulfilling commissions and taking breaks on a more regular schedule, rather than taking a bunch of stuff at once and then having to work for months to fulfill it. It’s a mistake I make frequently, but I panic and I want to nip things in the bud.
However, it’s rarely that simple.
So, we’re going to be doing more work in streams, and trying to knock things out a bit more efficiently. I don’t know how or if I can make any promises about how much but I’m going to focus on that above all else. I’ve been pressuring myself on other projects trying to distract myself, but there’s no more point or time. It’s just got to get done.
So, as far as revenue and working on both my medical as well as the money needed for my roommates’ upcoming kid, first we’re going to finish all the Halloween pieces and settle all those commitments. Then we’re going to make sure any outstanding commissions are done. (I don’t have more than one currently I think.) Then we’re going to take a few pieces and get on those and see if we can at least cover anything upcoming. I’d like to make a few Various Happenings posters or art cards that I can sign as well as stickers and put those up for sale. And we’ll see if we can get into a steady rhythm.
That’s the plan!
As far as the Halloween pieces go, if anyone wants to change anything or give it a Christmas theme instead, feel free to contact me and I’ll see what I can do. It’s the least I can do for letting things go this long. I know they’re cheap and most people are just happy to get something, and I’m happy to provide, but its both that my pride is a little bruised and I want to show people I’m not just sitting on my ass and hoping they’ll forget, but also I want people to be happy with what I made for them and I’m doing my best to cover both.
So, here we are.
I hope you’re all doing well over the Christmas season, and I hope any hardships you’re having abate soon. Take care of yourselves, I’ll be doing my best to do the same for myself, and I’ll keep you all in the loop.
Thanks once more for your patience and patronage, and hopefully next year will be a much better one. This year was better than the last, but we can do better.
I’ll see you all next week.
~Spooky
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A Special Thanks goes out to this month's Fanclub Foxes, Norithics, Kithpine, Gunslinger Dragon, Artemis, MechaGhost, and Chris Brown for their support! If you want to help us stay fed and invest towards some cool projects in the future like more Various Happenings, consider checking us out over on Patreon. We really couldn't do it without fans and supporters like you.
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