I'm glad you're able to make money from creative work; it's not an easy feat. What is it specifically that you do? I'd be curious to hear how you made the transition to earning from it.
I feel like I've already replied to a lot of what you've said in several other posts, but a few notes:
I'm currently working on "Divine Dreams", which is set to be told over three chapters that I'm intending to stick with until the end (unless something like dying of brain cancer gets in the way). It's inspired (heavily) by MARDEK, but it's got a different title because it's a different game.
My opinion of the old series was sour for many years, largely because it took forever and was a financial failure (plus other factors like general poor mental health, trying to find my place in the world, etc). I recently played it again and have a much better opinion of it now.
Still, I'm not continuing with that exact thing for a few reason. Some are technical; it was made in Flash, and Flash is dead. I can't port any assets over, so I'd need to remake everything anyway, so since I'm doing that I'd rather go all the way. There's so much I've learned about every skill I use in the years since then.
Another is that I'd be targeting a limited and diminishing audience that way. Let's say there were (for the sake of example; I don't have a clue about the actual numbers) 1 million people who played MARDEK. According to stats I've seen, only a fraction of them stuck with it long enough to actually complete it. So let's generously narrow the number down to 10,000. It's been a decade since MARDEK 3 came out, so the number of people who played it then and would remember the story and would be interested in more is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction, and new players might be put off because they're expected to be familiar with this old stuff but they're not. I would be.
By making an improved reimagining, capturing the essence of what made the originals great while (in my opinion) improving many aspects, seems to me the best way to target a new audience (hopefully) while also giving something to the old fans who liked the general aspects of the old experience but might not even remember the details now anyway.
I'm aware that there'll always be a portion of people who'll resist anything that's not exactly what they remember or hoped for an ending for, but I don't think they're the majority. We'll see, though; I think people need to actually see what I'm making now in more detail before they reject it.
2
capnbunnypaws10~4Y
Aw heck, let's hope none of that gets in the way! Have you been better in that regard? Health-wise I mean.
As for what it is that I do... I make illustrations and short comics at the moment. Mostly centered around fantasy, cartoon/manga styled characters, gore/macabre, some fetish art as well.
I started selling it back in 2009 or so when I saw that people were liking the style, especially the dark fantasy aspect and weird stuff I was making. As a disabled person, it really helped me not to starve to death, haha.
2
Tobias 1104~4Y
I'm not dead yet and I don't have any major cognitive impairments from the surgery I had, thankfully (though that's largely because I convinced the brain surgeon to take a different path through my brain using the knowledge of neurology I'd gained at university), but this kind of tumour often comes back, so that's always going to be looming over me.
I've heard that fetish art tends to sell well, and I wouldn't be surprised if gory stuff is the same; I can understand the appeal of having things that cultural taboos normally make forbidden and inaccessible. I'm glad it's working out for you; I've wondered about it myself if nothing else works out, but my art skills aren't up to scratch just yet! Too little time to practice. And I feel I've come far along on this particular path that I might as well stick with it at least a while longer.
I feel like I've already replied to a lot of what you've said in several other posts, but a few notes:
I'm currently working on "Divine Dreams", which is set to be told over three chapters that I'm intending to stick with until the end (unless something like dying of brain cancer gets in the way). It's inspired (heavily) by MARDEK, but it's got a different title because it's a different game.
My opinion of the old series was sour for many years, largely because it took forever and was a financial failure (plus other factors like general poor mental health, trying to find my place in the world, etc). I recently played it again and have a much better opinion of it now.
Still, I'm not continuing with that exact thing for a few reason. Some are technical; it was made in Flash, and Flash is dead. I can't port any assets over, so I'd need to remake everything anyway, so since I'm doing that I'd rather go all the way. There's so much I've learned about every skill I use in the years since then.
Another is that I'd be targeting a limited and diminishing audience that way. Let's say there were (for the sake of example; I don't have a clue about the actual numbers) 1 million people who played MARDEK. According to stats I've seen, only a fraction of them stuck with it long enough to actually complete it. So let's generously narrow the number down to 10,000. It's been a decade since MARDEK 3 came out, so the number of people who played it then and would remember the story and would be interested in more is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction, and new players might be put off because they're expected to be familiar with this old stuff but they're not. I would be.
By making an improved reimagining, capturing the essence of what made the originals great while (in my opinion) improving many aspects, seems to me the best way to target a new audience (hopefully) while also giving something to the old fans who liked the general aspects of the old experience but might not even remember the details now anyway.
I'm aware that there'll always be a portion of people who'll resist anything that's not exactly what they remember or hoped for an ending for, but I don't think they're the majority. We'll see, though; I think people need to actually see what I'm making now in more detail before they reject it.
As for what it is that I do... I make illustrations and short comics at the moment. Mostly centered around fantasy, cartoon/manga styled characters, gore/macabre, some fetish art as well.
I started selling it back in 2009 or so when I saw that people were liking the style, especially the dark fantasy aspect and weird stuff I was making. As a disabled person, it really helped me not to starve to death, haha.
I've heard that fetish art tends to sell well, and I wouldn't be surprised if gory stuff is the same; I can understand the appeal of having things that cultural taboos normally make forbidden and inaccessible. I'm glad it's working out for you; I've wondered about it myself if nothing else works out, but my art skills aren't up to scratch just yet! Too little time to practice. And I feel I've come far along on this particular path that I might as well stick with it at least a while longer.