This is not the easiest thing in the world for me to write. I have been on DA for five years now, and never in my five years did I ever once deny anyone the chance to have free art from me. Here’s the thing: I don’t like taking money from people for any reason. I don’t even like taking it from my job. So for the past five years, I have said “yes” to every single trade and request that came my way. And that has been a lot of free art.

This isn’t to say that I should have never done this. Quite the opposite. I’m very glad that I did. But I have to stop. I simply do not have the means to continue doing this. When I opened commissions, I left the option open for people to still do trades and requests. And though I had some good friends commission me, most people still went for the free art (and I totally expected this). I wasn’t hard-pressed for cash, so I didn’t mind. But my time that I can spend drawing keeps getting smaller, and my need for extra income keeps getting larger. And so, effective now, I will no longer be taking any new trades or requests. I will finish the ones that are still outstanding, but that is it.

I think my biggest mistake over the years I have been here is that I’ve been too damn nice to people I’ve never met. I find it really hard to say “no,” even in real life, and so I get roped into things that I really don’t have the means to complete, and as a result, everyone involved ends up getting disappointed. I can’t even count the number of times I did a trade or request that had to be rushed for the sake of completion, and so was poor for the effort. Even worse, the times that I have taken my time on something, and ended up taking over a month, two months, half a year to complete one drawing, and hurting the feelings of the people involved as well as my reputation: I know that I have a reputation, even among my close friends, for being terribly slow when it comes to owed art, regardless of who it’s for or what it is. I really should focus as much time as I can towards the art that will serve me best, as selfish as this sounds.

In short, I have been wasting resources. And I don’t have the luxury to do that anymore. I need the money, as sporadic as it is, and I won’t be able to earn it if I keep offering free art. And I value my time, which I have so little of as it is. I know that it’s going to be hard for me to say that to people on an individual basis, which is why I am writing this. So if you’ve been linked here as a response, don’t take it personally. It’s not that I’m not interested in honoring your request or trade, but that I don’t have the resources to complete my end. If you are interested, I can of course direct you to my commission information. I want to be able to give my best to those who commission me, and by doing this, I think I will be able to.

This is not to say that this is permanent and inflexible. I know that there will be instances when I will make exceptions for this rule, but they are more on a case-by-case basis. As a whole, it is easier for me to say “I probably can’t” then “I probably can”. Again, this policy may change in the future, but for now, assume the days of unconditional free Neko art are over.