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Introducing: The Freelance Lifestyle Blog Series!

My previous post, where I talk about preparing for freelancing full-time again, was a bigger hit than I expected it to be. So I’m beginning a new blog post series: all about the freelance lifestyle!

What will make this series stand out from other freelance sites or blog posts out there are these big things:

  1. I’ll talk about living well on a budget. Of course I’m going to talk about how to make a budget in the first place. And I’ll also be sharing how to maximize your earned dollars and live well on less.
  2. I’ll share how I land, fulfill, and complete gigs. A lot of posts on the internet are about how to find work. Few of them are about actually doing the work and making your clients happy with your work. So I hope to share my secrets on how I keep my clients happy and coming back over and over again.
  3. I’ll share how to maximize your energy and focus, to know what things are worth your time and energy, and what things are better off left to someone else to worry about. No, I’m talking about hiring outside help – I’m talking about knowing which outlets (social media or otherwise) are worth pursuing.

If there’s anything else about the Freelance Lifestyle you’d like me to talk about, leave a comment below!

If you would like to help contribute to this series, consider giving a dollar on Ko-Fi. It’s a digital tip jar where you can give just once (and it takes a smaller cut than PayPal).

Stay tuned for new updates in this blog post series!

I’ll also be continuing my Adventures in Moving blog post series. That will update intermittently as things develop further.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Price Changes for 2020

There are a number of price changes happening this year, from store prices to commissions.

Why? Because I have bills to pay, yo.

Last year, I did ok, but only because I had a part-time hustle at my local gas station. When I move in the spring, I won’t have that side hustle anymore. I need to adjust my prices to help cover that loss now, so I can be sure I can cover bills today AND tomorrow (metaphorically speaking).

What, exactly, is changing, though?

Commissions have gone up, anywhere between $5 to $30 each.

For a full breakdown of what’s gone up, check out my updated commission pricing list on the Get a Commission page.

Minicomics are now $2.

To be more accurate, all of my minicomic prices are going up by $1 each.

Miniprints are now $3.

They used to be $2. But printing miniprints in color ain’t cheap.

Now I have a Ko-Fi

Tired of Patreon plugs? Well Ko-Fi makes a good alternative. Plus, you can give just one time, OR you can give a monthly contribution. You can go as little as $1 (a month, even!), and you can cancel anytime. It’s more flexible than Patreon in that way.

That said, ko-fi is more for commissioning me to make things. If you want to see behind-the-scenes work, Patreon is still the best place to do that.

I appreciate all the support you have given previously. That support has helped to pay the bills. I hope that with your continued support, we can keep making cool comics.

Thank you for your understanding, and all that you do!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Brave Rewards (Are A Thing)

I recently switched from using Chrome to using Brave, a web browser that blocks ads and trackers. And I discovered that Brave Rewards are a thing.

I switched from Chrome to Brave because I REALLY hate ads. And I really don’t like the idea of a web browser that tracks my usage and sells my data to outside parties. Brave, from what I understand, does neither of these things.

What Brave does instead is it tracks how many ads and trackers it has blocked, and converts that information into a unique digital currency.

(This, to me, makes sense, because Brave will, on occasion, have its own ads pop up. Those ads are 90% of the time about bitcoin and other digital currencies).

After that, you can spend that digital currency supporting creators that you love.

And THAT’S where my interest is. Because here’s the thing:

I’ve had patrons leave Patreon because they’ve taken issue with the platform. Which, I get it. But the patrons leaving the platforms means I need to find another side income to cover that loss.

Enter: Brave Rewards.

If you have Brave as your browser, you can check the Brave Rewards tab, and select your favorite creators that way. After that, ad revenue that you get goes to your favorite creators.

You can also set up tips to go to creators, but at the moment, I don’t have accounts on any of the platforms Brave is connected to tips with (Twitter, Reddit, and GitHub).

So if you have Brave as a browser, I hope you consider helping me out by setting me up as one of your favorite creators. It’s a passive way to help these comics grow.

(And for those of you who hate Patreon and Chrome, this is a good way to subvert both).

Of course, I’m not an expert in this, so there are details that I’m missing. If you know more than I do about how this works, for the love of bananas, leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

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LiveStream This Saturday (If All Goes Well)

You read right – there will be a LiveStream this Saturday!

I found an app called StreamYard that should work. I would use Twitch, but I don’t have the camera set-up or microphones for that sort of thing.

(Also Twitch is linked with Twitter and I refuse to return to that hellscape of a platform. I have better things to do with my life.)

So I’m using StreamYard to livestream on both YouTube AND Facebook at the same time. (Because it can do that, apparently.) If for some reason I didn’t set it up right, the stream should, for sure, air on YouTube at least.

The stream will air on YouTube (and Facebook, if I did it right), THIS SATURDAY, Nov. 23 at 1 pm EST.

I’ll be sharing my screen as I work, while also answering any questions you may have for me.

Be sure to add this to your calendar, and hit the notification bell on YouTube.

I hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

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I’m Moving…

I talked about this before (especially to patrons on Patreon and a mention in this video), but here’s the news: I’m moving.

How soon?

Well, January 2020 at the soonest. Spring of 2020 at the latest.

Why am I moving?

Because the house I’m renting right now, which belongs to my mom, is going to be listed for sale soon.

Now, here’s the thing that makes this situation unique: mom and I haven’t lived under the same roof for nearly two years.

See, she and her boyfriend embraced the RV full-time lifestyle for a while, so they could travel and work. But that left the house unoccupied. So I lived in it.

But now, mom lives in Florida. And she wants to stay in Florida. Which, for her, means buying a house.

She doesn’t want to own two houses at once. So she’s selling the one I’m in right now.

I already did the math, and determined that my best course of action is to find an apartment to rent. NOT as soon as possible, but close to it.

Stay tuned for further updates on the situation. I’ll be blogging about the Adventures of Moving Out for the foreseeable future.

In Other News…

Dragons: A Sketchbook is NOW on KickStarter. Today’s the last day to grab an Early Bird Special, so GRAB IT.

Also The Legend of Jamie Roberts updated today. One of my side hustles has been making me work full-time hours this past week, so that threw off the update schedule on a LOT of things. My bad.

But hey – if you’re in the Robinson, PA or Pittsburgh area, I’ll be at the Nerd and Hobby Flea Market this Saturday (Nov. 2) from 4 pm to 8 pm. Because I need to move, I’ll have a crate full of my old nerd swag available for sale, as well.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.