I present to you my very tough picks for the year of 2024 to summarize for you all here!

I average the production of at least one picture per day (of varying quality) throughout the entire year, so to boil that down to a summary like this was difficult.

A few you see here I put in my single digits best I’ve ever done, so it was certainly a remarkable year.

Here were some highlights to the year:

3D Modeling

Probably the biggest thing in personal development this year was really studying 3D modeling. The first half was spent taking an online class and then the second half applying myself to the creation of one of my characters as a model with the intent of putting her in the game Pawperty Damage.

At year’s end I had a playable version of her in the game but not yet fully finished. I will be going into the new year adding clothes and also facial expressions to the Thundelle the Luxray model.

I have plans for 2025 to increase my work in 3D modeling as I still consider it the next biggest thing in my journey as an artist.

Building Related

Compared to last year, the commercial building I purchased to help save my mom’s bookstore has been less demanding. The largest expense was cutting a doorway through a brick wall in preparation for more extensive work planned in 2025.

Much of what was done in 2024 could be said was just keeping the place running while I piled away money for what is to come in the new year.

Because it’s financial debt is a tremendous amount of distress in my life, I made a very strong effort to start paying down significantly more extra in the last few months of 2024. $1,600 extra per month if you want an exact amount. I mostly say that in hopes that people can look at that and feel encouraged to do it themselves if they have a large amount of debt.

If you are wondering why the debt is so problematic, here are some reasons:
1) My newspaper boss is co-signer on the loan for the building. While he has no material effect on operations and money related to it, it still gives him leverage to do something. I work for his newspaper, dubbed “Hellday”, which I absolutely hate with a living passion. Once the debt is paid off, I can legitimately quit Hellday and he can do absolutely nothing about it. I’m essential enough to his newspaper that quitting will most likely kill his business (he’s straight up told me this outright a few times). That is why I know there is tremendous risk in him being co-signer and me trying to quit before that.
2) Once out of debt, I won’t be ask risk of the bank doing something to me. My income is fairly low for such a venture and I had to co-sign on the building to gain enough leverage to make the purchase in the first place. Without a bank breathing down my neck, I can make more of my own decisions without any restrictions/requirements.

Also with the building I learned new things and views. I’ve learned that my natural tendency to be everyone’s friend works really well in getting favor and treatment from contractors and other people. I think this is what really differentiates me from my newspaper boss.

I had to have some roof repair work done on the building again, but because I was friendly in asking the contractor who did the work last year to fix it, they came and did it without charging me and in a very timely manner.

I also had a blowup with insurance for the building that made me need to switch companies. I got along well with my agent and I ended up with a good deal.

2025 will be a hard year with the incoming renovation work to transfer ownership of part of the building from one tenant to another, and in turn vastly increasing the amount of rent I can pull in each month. If it all plays out, my life will be drastically different come 2026.

End of Patreon Rewards

The insurance panic with the building required me to make a tough decision to end Patreon rewards so I could spend more time focusing on commissions. It was honestly one of the smartest life decisions I made.

I do miss the work I did with my characters that people could immerse themselves in and I am legitimately considering bringing some of those rewards back.

But the heaviest priority right now is getting the building tended to and making sure I’m dedicating enough time to progress in learning 3D modeling. It’s hard to say if it is wise for me to bring rewards back with everything else going on.

---

I wish you all a happy new year and best wishes from me.

And remember, regardless of what 2025 has to give to each and every one of us or society as a whole, -we- as individuals can make it –better-. YOU can make it better than it would be otherwise.

Posted using PostyBirb