Hello Steemit.
It is with a heavy heart that I say I'm not sure about the future of Freebie Friday anymore. I think I may end it.
When Apollo was at the vet for life-threatening emergency, no one noticed I missed Freebie Friday. And no one noticed I missed Freebie Friday this last weekend, either.
I joined the site back in May, and I have only missed Freebie Friday twice. Both times, no one even noticed.
I realize that I haven't been posting too much lately, but Freebie Friday was something that I had actually been known for. It hasn't just been the last few weeks that it had declined.
I realize I had fallen behind in requests, but there were reasons for that. One of which I was rather embarrassed about, but was the fact that the pen for my graphics tablet requires batteries and those aren't exactly cheap. While, yes, you can buy super cheap batteries, and I have been using super cheap batteries, their lifespans are short and they have a tendency to corrode so it's a gamble using them.
Yes, finances are so tight that it's hard to get my hands on AAA batteries that won't damage my equipment.
My health has also been an issue. I was fighting with a lot of issues. I've been adjusting a new medication to deal with migraines. I love drawing freebies for people. And hey, sometimes, I would make a few bucks overall off the upvotes from a Friday. But that stopped even before the requests stopped coming.
Yes, I have my Note 8 now, and I can make art with that, but people seem to enjoy what I do on my tablet more. Which means batteries for my pen. What do I mean by they enjoy what I do on my tablet more? I mean I actually get more upvotes on it.
I really don't know what to do anymore, guys.
With Freebie Friday failing so bad now, I find it hard to even want to hang around. Freebie Friday was my thing. It was what I was known for.
Nobody knew who I was unless you mentioned "that free art guy" or "the freebie guy". (I saw myself mentioned in a few Discord servers and Steemit.Chat channels I lurked in, it was amusing to see that people didn't necessarily know me by name, but damnit, they knew there was a guy that gave out art on Fridays and even if they didn't follow me, upvote, or make requests, they were watching, and they enjoyed my art.)
It made people smile.
That was the whole point.
But it doesn't even really do that anymore.
I'm not sure how to proceed with that anymore.
While yes, I love giving away free art, I do also need to try to make a living as well. It was nice being able to make a few dollars here and there with the upvotes from Freebie Friday. As it gained traction, I also hoped that maybe it would get me a few commissions throughout the other days of the week. Instead, others would just request banner work for freebies. (Which I will not do now.)
Advice?
Is there anyone out there that was a fan of Freebie Friday? Anyone out there that still is?
Help?
To all of you still waiting for art, I am still working on it. I've been having some issues with the different programs I'm using and having to go back and forth between computers (and some of them I'm going back and forth between computers and my phone, which is super annoying). Also, the whole needing good batteries for my pen issue I mentioned earlier. Yeah. It's actually an issue.
That, and I'm working on other things that I'm hoping will make some money. Sorry, but gotta keep food in the kitty bellies and gotta pay for meds and get some food on the table and some gas in the truck and get some better batteries for my tablet pen. Survival is important.