Interesting. A lot of this is really similar to stuff I've heard! I guess self-promotion on the internet is a skill that transcends medium.
self-promotion is absolutely a skill! i think it gets overlooked a lot, and some people are just innately good at it!
How do you know when you have a big enough audience before you start trying to make money? (I don't think I have this problem, but it seems like a scary leap to have to make.)
What, uh, what are the consequences of trying too soon, and do those consequences go away at a certain point or do they just become more tolerable?
i think the answer sort of varies depending on what you're trying to sell: if it's physical merchandise, then doing interest checks is usually a good way of gauging things. the consequence for trying too soon here would be... you lose money from producing merchandise that didn't sell! i've seen this happen a few times, where people would start selling acrylic charms/stickers/etc. without having done much work in building an audience.
if you're trying to sell art commissions, this one is a bit more of a leap of faith -- you can try to sell art at any point! the main consequence is... if no one buys, then you take a hit to your ego? it hurts and is somewhat demotivating for a lot of people! there's always the option to price your art cheaper, and more people might buy then, but then it might feel awkward to raise the pricing to a more reasonable amount. it's a bit of a tradeoff, and depends largely on the person! if you've a strong mindset, then the consequences aren't too bad here.
art pricing is a whole other topic that i have a lot of thoughts on.
(if you're trying to make money via patreon or something, then it's sort of an in-between depending on the rewards. if there's no physical rewards, then the consequences are sort of closer to commissions)
in both cases: if you immediately make the jump from whatever you're doing to living -> trying to do art for a living without having a "big enough audience"... you're in for a lot of financial struggle.
on occasion, i've seen stories of people that decide to pursue art and they drop out of school/work/etc. even though they've barely marketed their art at all. it usually doesn't end well.
is it easier to grow an audience when you're not trying to make money?
i wouldn't say it is! you can grow an audience at the same time, but it depends on the situation
if you're busy doing art commissions, you lose out on time that could be spent trying to build an audience more (e.g. making content that the majority of your followers/audience would be interested in vs. working on commissions where the commissioner might be the one with the main interest
(unless they're commissioning fandom stuff))
on the other hand, if you're producing physical merchandise... sometimes that can actually help you build more of an audience at the same time!
kisses the floor
i love it thank you kilza
1) How long did it take you to make the Oarfish game?
i made it over the span of 2 days, i believe! not sure on the total time spent, but i doubt it was more than 8 hours
(excluding the time used on art assets)
2) Why did you end up doing so many oarfish-related things for the camp?
it started as a joke! i doodled a 3-piece oarfish collectible as a joke (the actual message itself was "ive come up with A Very Important Collectible Idea
its a joke please dont take me seriously")! and then they ended up taking it seriously.
the oarfish game happened because i had the oarfish pieces as emotes and i kept making it longer... and then i jokingly said i should make a snake game but with an oarfish.
my jokes spiral out of control sometimes.
3) Which video game has your favorite fishing minigame?
i don't actually have an answer for this -- i don't think there are many fishing minigames that stick out in my memory. perhaps one of the many various ones from mario party, just because they're more entertaining.
(but it's a different context compared to life sim games where i'd end up fishing more)
4) In your opinion, what is the ideal hand size?
my hand size is ideal, because im ideal
5) Which would you rather have: Small hands and big feet, or big hands and small feet?
big hands, small feet. im a clown, but i dont want to walk around with clown shoes
6) How big are Mistreil the OC's hands?
as big or as small as needed. whatever's funniest at the moment
7) What's your favorite finger on your hand?
my pinky! its small and cute. also the nail on my pinky is nice.
8) If oarfishes had hands, how big would their hands be?
depends on how long the oarfish is
the longer the oarfish, the smaller the hands
9) What is your opinion on the N64 game Glover?
i never played it but spiritually im sure i have. i respect glover. that's peak character design.
10) If you had the sole responsibility of choosing a color/name for a cabin, which color/name combo would you pick and why?
▇ Mossballers
im kidding i don't want to be a baller. i have no idea, but lets say ▇ Oarfish
11) How much did you want to try and bribe your cabin with free art again in order to try and win?
me?
bribe people? why would i ever do that?
i thought about it, but that's ethically wrong at this point. also i still haven't finished my TBTWC art.
12) If you could draw a non-Nintendo character for a Mysterious Masterpiece, who would you choose and why?
po from kung fu panda
so many people answered po. i still don't understand.
13) Which of the 3 camp reactions is your favorite?
