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CLOSING THIS SITE
14 years ago
General
I know, I know, it JUST opened, but this is something I've been struggling with since about the day it did and I've decided it's probably the best thing to do NOW, before I make further promises with it.
The site is not a bad idea. In fact I can imagine a future, where I am physically and financially secure, in which I may return to it. Perhaps if I knew, with certainty, devoting my all to this site and posting about a page of new content a day could earn me enough to make some sort of minimal living off I would keep it open and give this a go. But as it is this is not the time in my life to try such an endeavor. I got caught up in the idea of the project, only to realize (as is typical with me) that it was a bit too much to attempt given my current limitations and other conflicting goals.
Given some thought, I've come to the conclusion that I started this site so I could feel productive with my work, as a substitution of sorts to my current unemployment. However this was not the way to go about facilitating my productivity. I need to focus on finding a real job and preparing projects with a potentially larger scope. The main thing I have been struggling with, behind the scenes, was finding an appropriate balance in StudioStank's eternally pending concepts that would please the more... well, perverted of furry mind and also function as potential legitimate and profitable projects for wider audiences. The more I thought about this, though, the more I found myself inclined to phase out the 'furry fanservice' aspects of all these projects... which of course removes most of the profitability of StudioStank and makes the whole endeavor of this particular site rather fruitless in the first place.
In short: There is nothing wrong with catering to the needs of the furry fandom. I have them myself. But I do not want to FULLY indulge in them at this time, not without a considerable profiting system in support. And let's face it: For an artist, the furry community is the WORST place to look to in order to make money. The community is rather small (as its various distributors will attest), full of specific niches, artwork is more abundant than blank paper and thus worth much less than it is in almost any other community, and filesharing is rather rampant (which makes comic projects especially hard to support). Furthermore, StudioStank would only work as a porn site first and legitimate art site second. That's what makes the most money in the furry community, and that's unfortunately what my fanbase has come to expect from me (so it is very much a problem of my own creation). I want to focus (for the most part) on bigger things, and bigger things is not what the furry community was formed to support. I want to create things with greater potential beyond the community. Things that I can actually show to normal people not only without shame, but also with the possibility of actual invested interest.
I do long to contribute to the furry community in a real way. It has done a lot for me (heh, almost typed 'to') and I am rarely happier than when I am working to make you guys happy. But these moments are not ALL I live for, and I have a career to pursue at the moment. I keep WANTING that career to go through the furry community... in the future it may still... but as for now I simply want to aim at larger audiences with the majority of my time. StudioStank would take up the majority of my free time.
StudioStank will exist, in a smaller capacity, incorporated with my normal art site,
stank
-VS- will still continue, will still be vote based, and still be auction-based for new spots. I aim to start another version of -VS- that will be bondage-minded, or perhaps blending the two. Practically Legend will be my most current attempt at contributing back to the furry community in an actual meaningful way. I may also start a series entitled 'Squish' that will allow me to fully live out my more... kinky side. But I will also just do whatever the heck I want to do, when I want to do it. THAT'S how I want to work now, and that will lead to more inspired content in the future (although there may be less of it than StudioStank would have otherwise enabled). When I need money I will let you all know and hold some auctions or other fundraisers, instead of developing a complicated entrepreneurial system as I have here.
I hope you all can understand, and even enjoy some of the less esoteric projects I'll be working on. IF YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED MONEY HERE, I WILL OFFER A REFUND UPON REQUEST.
The site is not a bad idea. In fact I can imagine a future, where I am physically and financially secure, in which I may return to it. Perhaps if I knew, with certainty, devoting my all to this site and posting about a page of new content a day could earn me enough to make some sort of minimal living off I would keep it open and give this a go. But as it is this is not the time in my life to try such an endeavor. I got caught up in the idea of the project, only to realize (as is typical with me) that it was a bit too much to attempt given my current limitations and other conflicting goals.
Given some thought, I've come to the conclusion that I started this site so I could feel productive with my work, as a substitution of sorts to my current unemployment. However this was not the way to go about facilitating my productivity. I need to focus on finding a real job and preparing projects with a potentially larger scope. The main thing I have been struggling with, behind the scenes, was finding an appropriate balance in StudioStank's eternally pending concepts that would please the more... well, perverted of furry mind and also function as potential legitimate and profitable projects for wider audiences. The more I thought about this, though, the more I found myself inclined to phase out the 'furry fanservice' aspects of all these projects... which of course removes most of the profitability of StudioStank and makes the whole endeavor of this particular site rather fruitless in the first place.
In short: There is nothing wrong with catering to the needs of the furry fandom. I have them myself. But I do not want to FULLY indulge in them at this time, not without a considerable profiting system in support. And let's face it: For an artist, the furry community is the WORST place to look to in order to make money. The community is rather small (as its various distributors will attest), full of specific niches, artwork is more abundant than blank paper and thus worth much less than it is in almost any other community, and filesharing is rather rampant (which makes comic projects especially hard to support). Furthermore, StudioStank would only work as a porn site first and legitimate art site second. That's what makes the most money in the furry community, and that's unfortunately what my fanbase has come to expect from me (so it is very much a problem of my own creation). I want to focus (for the most part) on bigger things, and bigger things is not what the furry community was formed to support. I want to create things with greater potential beyond the community. Things that I can actually show to normal people not only without shame, but also with the possibility of actual invested interest.
I do long to contribute to the furry community in a real way. It has done a lot for me (heh, almost typed 'to') and I am rarely happier than when I am working to make you guys happy. But these moments are not ALL I live for, and I have a career to pursue at the moment. I keep WANTING that career to go through the furry community... in the future it may still... but as for now I simply want to aim at larger audiences with the majority of my time. StudioStank would take up the majority of my free time.
StudioStank will exist, in a smaller capacity, incorporated with my normal art site,
stank-VS- will still continue, will still be vote based, and still be auction-based for new spots. I aim to start another version of -VS- that will be bondage-minded, or perhaps blending the two. Practically Legend will be my most current attempt at contributing back to the furry community in an actual meaningful way. I may also start a series entitled 'Squish' that will allow me to fully live out my more... kinky side. But I will also just do whatever the heck I want to do, when I want to do it. THAT'S how I want to work now, and that will lead to more inspired content in the future (although there may be less of it than StudioStank would have otherwise enabled). When I need money I will let you all know and hold some auctions or other fundraisers, instead of developing a complicated entrepreneurial system as I have here.
I hope you all can understand, and even enjoy some of the less esoteric projects I'll be working on. IF YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED MONEY HERE, I WILL OFFER A REFUND UPON REQUEST.
Are you just gonna leave this inactive, then?
As for unemployment, the way I see it, we all have problems. Problems that tear at us and try us, but we can fix them. All the work there is is reaching our goals and putting out the fires along the way. Log some hours on the pavement and I'm sure you'll fix that problem. Other than that, all there is we can do is cope.