Hello and welcome back to Subscriber-only content again! Updates exclusive to Iridescent and higher tiers! It's been quite a while since the last time I posted anything here. Only just recently I have enough free time to work on my website and write posts again. I'm not completely back, that will be explained throughout, but with some new things coming.
TOPICS
THE ART STUFF
Got one art commission a few months ago by HumongousFungus! So I'm happy about that, and hope to get more in the coming weeks. Will be uploading that illustration as it is mildly suggestive. The only thing I'm doing now in regards to commissions is updating my VGen profile with more recent art so that it's a little more complete and understandable. I'm just getting back to trying full time commissions again.
I'm also fixing the M.A.T. Marketplace channels, in the hopes that area can at least have some activity started. Not sure when I will be active again, all I'm planning for it for now is finishing up the missing art trades.
I'm also in the middle of getting tested to be the Powers Squared sketch and line artist, as the current artist wants to retire. I'm hoping I pass to get paid better, but I'm also afraid with the history of not communicating and lack of effort put into the scripts. I can only hope for the best.
PLANS FOR VTUBING
Recently and slowly working on a new model for my KSKArt channels, but also learning more about rigging so that I can keep working on my official Vtuber model currently dubbed CZV. Not many other updates for this at the moment, as I'm trying to get financially stable before continuing this project. I did also get a part time job in the meantime, but it doesn't pay nearly enough for where I live, more on that at the end.
CONSOLIDATING CNC
So on the IRL, I was laid off from my full time job a few months ago, which explains my lack of online updating for a period of time. I have mentioned my discontent and frustrations on previous posts, and it seems like it had just gotten worse for the business to deem any one worth laying off with how little success they have with keeping new employees to begin with. I might do a future blog explaining in detail what happened from my own experience, and say it that way as management never really divulged anything helpful or intending to avoid conversation, whether it was essential for the team to know or not, with whatever happens at any point since I was hired. So a lot of things I will mention is from my own experience or hearsay, but have reaffirmed suspicion from what I have witnessed happened.
CURRENT PROJECTS
In any case, since my laying off and abundance of free time, I have been thinking of dabbling in a few things while waiting for job application responses. Currently building a page with a CMS menu of projects I had in mind for some time! One of these being 3D printing, where I'm glad Blender is much more compatible to my understanding than the CAD programs that are a headache to figure out key bindings for (might need to do a keymap of that later). Tried some pre-made STLs and tried one of my own Blender made projects, but through all the frustrations it's really fun to make these. I'll figure something out with this at least.
Also trying die-cutting with a cheap hand-cranked machine I got from Amazon, looking into selling stickers and acrylics, and maybe work on my Kamyu closed species again. So far, I have only looked into manufacturers for stickers and acrylics, so I will start with test making stickers with the die-cutter. Right now, I'm just focused on making assets for anything I can print.
LIFE STUFF
Yes, I left this intentionally out of the link menu, in case you weren't interested in this kind of update. So, the main reason why I have been inactive online for so long is that I was laid off near the beginning of the year and have been looking for a job since while desperately trying to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the career I was looking forward to build on, CNC specific jobs seems to be a no go. Most of them are asking for a lot for such low wages while additionally needing to work with dangerous materials and/or precision work of less than .0001-.0005 tolerances (so tiny, your eye can barely detect the differences). It feels so very predatory, to be any more knowledgeable and skilled just to be so criminally underpaid. Even one where I got a tour and was gassed up to get sponsored education while I worked I got rejected the Monday after, and from what I hear it's rare to get a tour? But were still offering low wages to make that happen. Not really sure if tradespeople are in need like they seem to need as much as getting people into the notion that being underpaid for not having a degree (or being family) is acceptable.
Fortunately, luck has been for once on my side only recently and gave me a small sigh of relief, however not nearly enough to be back on my feet. Got a part time job that can at least pay for basic bills; got offered to be the sketch and line artist for Powers Squared because the current artist wants to retire (or simply retiring, because I have yet to receive work for this month) so I will definitely get paid more; thinking of donating plasma now that I eat and sleep a little better than when I worked; and still will give me enough time to look for either for more work or a better full time job. I'm also thinking of having an online shop for once, as it's been a long time interest of mine to have passive income with work of my own doing that I can be personally proud of. I still have a lot to learn about business, but if I don't start now I don't know when I'll be able to in this abusive economy.