Sep 16, 2020
Last Updated: 2/17/23
If you have more questions on my financial goals you can learn more here.
- Learn more about me and why I chose Patreon in this post!
- Check out my 2023 forecast in this post!
- View the 2023 Annual Report here!
Curious about what I'm doing or when to expect something to be posted?
You can now view my Project Dashboard to stay in the loop!
FAQ
What am I paying for?/What do you do? I'm a writer for the sake of narrowing things down but I do a lot of other things like write poetry,draw,dabble in HTML5 and utilize different types of character creation. I am currently working on creating passive income on the path to self-publishing a creative book series but I also make characters,mandalas,blogs and a lot of other stuff including some dabbling in HTML5 programming.
Where does my money go? All my Patreon pledges go toward primarily me having the funds for the things that keep me creating but obviously in a pinch may be put toward personal expenses. While the ultimate goal is working toward self-publishing my first book, that journey includes a lot of expenses like office supplies,software and maintaining things like my webhosting.
Do you have other income besides Patreon? Right now the answer is sort of but not really. Because of my disability issues I'm not really able to work full-time and really can't even travel too far a distance to work without running myself down.I'm working toward establishing things like online stores and commissions to create some side income and I'm working to try to get disability but haven't had success with that yet as it's a time consuming and complicated process.
When will my pledges be due? I charge up front so you'll be charged immediately when you come on as a patron and that date will be your monthly billing date. If you became a patron prior to 2022 your billing date will be the first of the month still.
Do I have to pick a tier or can I choose my own amount? No, but I would highly suggest picking a tier. Patreon switched from filtering posts by monetary amounts to organizing by the tier levels in 2018,so if you aren't in a tier you will get hiccups in seeing content. I only release limited content as "all patrons" so you may get some but not the majority of my content if you are not in a tier.
What content can I access if I pledge outside of a tier? I have very limited to no content that posts outside of a tier. I make some allowances for pub features like character requests outside of a tier but that's about it. Any book surveys,avatar requests and other hub content are something I reserve for tiered patrons.
Why am I getting charged a sales tax? Patreon now applies a sales tax to some patron pledges. It is based on where you live and not where I live so I can't really help you out with figuring out how they will be calculated and if they apply to you. I've done my best to specify what features of each tier count as by percentage but it is up to your state and location if those categories are taxable or not.
What tier would you recommend I consider? I would personally recommend the $3 or $7 tiers. They have the best value and don't break the bank. The $25 and $50 tiers are more for if you want to do more with the characters or get more vectors. The $1 and $5 owl tiers are specifically for if you are only interested in the art and writing so please note that they do not include character requests or character digests.
Can I get a refund on my pledge? Yes but also no. It will depend on why you're requesting the refund. I will happily refund pledges if it is due to financial hardships or other reasons out of your control, but I will not issue refunds for anyone who decides they have an issue with my mental health related content or me as a person after seeing the full library of my work. I put up very clear trigger warnings that state this and they are in clear view on my page information. It's not my fault if you chose not to read it. I know some people will want to be "clever" and try to screw me over by requesting refunds based on triggering content so I've made the change of putting up trigger warnings to nip that in the bud. It is your responsibility as a consumer to heed or not heed a clear and concise trigger warning. I will not reward you for seeing a warning sign of something being ahead and then being surprised or upset when that thing is actually there.
I want to support you but I can't afford it. How else can I help you? I get that life comes knocking sometimes and you have financial priorities. If a monthly pledge is too much I have Kofi. If you pledge then run into financial difficulties please know that while I deeply appreciate your support, I want you to live well. If you have to pull a pledge due to financial hardship, I completely respect that. If you want to come back on later that's fine and if you want to support me other ways like on Twitter or just telling a friend about my work, I really appreciate that too. Not all support requires a dollar sign.
What's kind of character requests are there and how does each one work? The non-patron character suggestions will get used for Twitter characters but will not be available to the requester as a download. Patron character requests will be posted as patron-exclusive posts (if the requester allows it) and sent to the requester as a vector for non-commercial/personal use. I've also recently set up a form for Ko-fi character requests that allows for ko-fi donors to request 1-4 characters based on contribution amount. These requests will work similarly to Patron character requests. You can also now do fan-inspired requests which can be requested by anyone (with patron ones taking priority) and are requests that allow you to suggest a licensed character that I will use for inspiration for an OC.
Why is my character request taking longer than 7-14 days? While I try to get character requests done in 7-14 days of getting them, they may take longer sometimes. For instance, if I have to do postwork of some kind or have a larger volume than normal of requests, it may take longer than two weeks. It may also be a priority issue as I do requests in the priority order of patrons,patrons using ko-fi,ko-fi donors and then the lite requests and fan-inspired requests.
What license comes with my character request? All tiers except the $50 one come with a single user non-commercial license that is not transferable. You can however select a gift option on character requests which will mean whoever you gift it to will be the license holder. I am considering adding options to specify two different license holders and the allowance of a company as a license holder instead of a single entity.
Can I use characters I request as a gift for someone else? No,if you do the request as a gift it will set the gift recipient as the sole license holder and you will not be legally able to use it.
How can I check on the progress of my character request? If you're a patron you can message me on the Discord server or directly here on Patreon. If you're a Ko-fi supporter or non-patron you can use the contact form on my main website or DM me on Twitter via @themeinav.
Can I use the characters in the digests in my projects? At this time, the answer to that is no. The characters in the digests are for viewing only so they shouldn't be saved,printed,redistributed etc. I am in the process of creating character vectors for sale from almost every single character I'm making on here so eventually they will be available for use in projects (at a much higher quality). Any characters I'm not deeming as going toward the vector collections are being put aside and will be available as downloads in perks for non-commercial/personal use. Also, if the milestone of downloads on special collections gets met, I will not be able to offer select collections for download due to them being based on licensed properties.
Can I download the Weekly Character and use it? Yes, if you are in the $25 tier you can get the weekly character with a non-commercial license and if you are a $50 patron you can download it with a commercial license.
How do I download the Weekly Character? When the weekly character is released you need to reach out to me on Patreon and let me know you'd like the files. This is to prevent theft of content. As soon as I get the request I will e-mail you a personalized license and the files for whatever license type applies to your tier. The character file will be a layered PSD so you can mix and match between the character's different items and create something unique.
What do you mean when you say that some perks are only done "as needed"? In order to make sure I'm not wasting time and energy, I only create perks for tiers with active patrons. This means that if no one currently qualifies for a certain perk I won't produce it until that changes.
Some of the characters look similar to past ones. Are you cutting corners? No,I'm just being human. I've generated hundreds of characters using ePic so sometimes I'll make the natural mistake of creating some that look similar to past ones. It's impossible for me to recall every character I've ever made photographically in my head and I'm working from a limited pool of items so every once in a while I might accidentally make one that looks close to a past character. I try my best not to do that but I can't make any promises.
What is the difference between the book previews and content previews ? The book previews will contain any content meant to eventually be published in a book. This can be anything from the case studies or tutorials to a regular book chapter and any graphics meant for the books. The content previews are content from other projects and endeavors like my store designs,app assets etc.
I can't see the forms/content on Patron Hub pages. What's going on? First, make sure that you have completed the "Unlock with Patreon" step. When you initially access the patron locked pages you will need to log in with your Patreon credentials to access them. If you are still not seeing content it is most likely a browser issue. One of the most common causes of display issues on websites is a browser problem. Make sure you are using an up-to-date browser and try clearing your cookies. Make sure you close all your internet windows and then reopen them and try to access the forms again. If you are still experiencing display issues after that please reach out to me via direct message here on Patreon and I'll be happy to troubleshoot with you until we get the issue resolved.
What browser should I use to view the Patron Hub? I personally use Chrome and it works. I don't know how the pages function in other browsers like IE,Edge or Opera. I have also used Mozilla in the past and had no problems. I would say Chrome or Mozilla are your best bets, but if they aren't your cup of tea, try clearing the cookies and making sure whatever browser you're using is up-to date for best results.
What happens to the responses I put in on the book surveys? Book survey responses go toward how I consider the development of my book projects. It lets me know what the people most interested in my work want to see in my books when they get released. The idea behind the surveys is that people supporting me while I work toward self-publishing can feel a sense of being sort of spiritual co-authors for the books.
When will you be publishing your first book? Currently, I don't have an answer for that. The biggest thing I'm missing is funds and since I'm self-publishing, that burden is all on me to fill. That's why my current work is going almost completely toward setting up passive income like storefronts and assets but also toward building up active solutions like Patreon support. Ideally I want to have a book published by early to mid 2024.
How often will book content previews come out? Again, I don't have a definite answer here. I am currently taking the approach of doing content in chunks and I've just recently worked out a new Table of Contents for my book series. I am going to be taking the approach of doing text first with image placeholders and then doing the graphics. Ideally I want to have some book-related content coming out every 1-2 months but it's not a process I can guarantee.
How often will art,poetry and articles be posted? These types of content,while they are included in my list of perks, are ones I will probably only do occasionally. While I do enjoy art, I also really enjoy exploring other tools for character design and find them less strenuous on my joints. Drawing is really more recreational than a career goal for me. Articles will also be something that, while I want to start doing them again, they aren't essential right now. I included perks related to these content types so that when I do post them people will have an idea of what access they can expect to have to them. Poetry will be a bit more sporadic as I don't write it as often as I used to or always have time to do desktop publishing projects.
Do the owl tiers mean more art,poetry and articles will be posted? Yes and no. It means I will try to put up some more art,content previews,character sheets,poetry etc. when there are people in these tiers but I can't guarantee how often larger articles or book content previews will be put up even with these two new tiers existing due to it being larger and more intricate content. While I will try my best to make sure any active owls are getting 2-3 posts a month, I don't know what mixture of content that will be right now.
How often do you run special offers? Right now I'm trying to build up a small catalog of vector collections but hopefully starting in mid-late 2023 I'll run special offers every 2 months.
How do I redeem my special offer vector pack(s)? Please note that you must have at least one successful payment and be in a tier $25+ for 30 days or until the next payment period to qualify for the vector pack offer. Please also note that you need to meet these requirements while an active special offer is running. This is a precaution to prevent people from just dropping in downloading the vectors and cancelling the pledge which is essentially theft in my eyes and not something I feel like dealing with. Only those in the $50 tier will qualify for the extra vector pack. You can request vector packs via my site at http://haevenarts.com/redeem-your-special-offer-vector-packs/ and the pack(s) you choose will be emailed to you with a unique license document. Please note that this form is now visible to the public to facilitate redeeming vouchers even if you are no longer a patron.
What can I do with the special offer vector pack(s)? The license issued with the vector packs for all tiers except the $50 one is a single-user non-commercial and multi-project license. This means that you are the only person authorized to download and use the product and that it can only be used for non-commercial or personal projects only. The packs can't be given as gifts,or redistributed as a standalone product. They can be altered or edited only by the license holder. The license is not transferable and the vector packs are ineligible for resale or trade-in. The packs are are also not refundable and collection vouchers can only be used once.
How often do you release new special offer vector pack(s)? I am currently really behind on making packs. I had a lot on my plate in 2022 and it just had to keep being put to the side to work on the vector collections. I am currently prioritizing getting a lot of backlogged work caught up but I am hoping to get back to work on the vector collections in Q2 or Q3 of 2023.
How long do I have to get the special offer vector pack(s)? The packs are cumulative so they will not expire. When you qualify for the special offer,regardless of whether it's from a tier switch or new patron status, you will be able to choose any of the collections from the full catalog as your downloaded pack.
What determines the theme for the special offer vector pack(s)? The packs are determined by patron and non-patron votes gathered via polls. Any active polls I have going for collections can be found under the "Polls & Surveys" tag.
Can I exchange my special offer pack for a different one after receiving it? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Once the pack is in your hands I can't do an exchange. I try to provide as detailed a preview as possible on the collection ads so you have some idea of what you're getting for this reason so please make sure the pack you pick is definitely the one you want. I am currently working on ideas to perhaps make a catalog to make selection easier as well.
Do you update the special offer packs and if so will I get them for free? If I ever make changes,additions or reprocess a vector pack any person who previously downloaded will get the updated pack at no charge.
What if I qualify for a download but have all the available special offer vector pack(s)? If you run into a point where you have all the current available packs and qualify for another one (or two for my $25+ patrons) then you'll get a voucher for a pack or packs to be used when new packs are added. Pack vouchers will not expire but are not transferable and will ONLY be issued if you already have all the currently available packs.
How do I get my commercial use license as a $50 patron? Commercial licenses will be sent via e-mail to patrons that qualify for them. They will typically be specific to a certain collection or file and are not a blanket commercial license.
Current Tiers
- My writing and art only tiers are $1 & $5
- My lowest tiers are $3 & $7
- My higher range tiers are $25 & $40
About the Perks
Books take a long time to produce so my perks are set up in a way that when I produce chapters and book content people can see those parts of my creative journey, but also get other rewards when I don't have book content. There's no way for me as a writer to guarantee a book chapter every month, because that's just not how books go for most writers. They are a long,arduous and hair-pulling adventure that take time and rarely come out on a schedule.
That's why part of my perks focus on people having access to the process for my upcoming books and part of them are lighter fun perks that revolve around my love for character design in general or increase communication between me and the people who want to support my work.
Becoming a patron makes you part of my creative journey and has the following benefits!...
- Access to viewing all finished artwork and poetry (all tiers)
- 30 Day early access to any written articles and general access to NSFW/potentially triggering art & poertry (all tiers)
- Access to artwork processes and WIPs (all tiers)
- Early access (when possible) to see Samplers and Twitter characters as soon as they're done (all tiers minus owls)
- Discord access (all tiers)
- Access to the Patron Hub to participate in surveys,view archived and exclusive HTML5 demos and hopefully a lot more moving forward. ($3+)
- Access to submit unlimited character requests ($3+ except for serious owl)
- A monthly character digest of 8 characters ($3+ except for serious owl)
- Content and book previews ($5+)
- A customized owl avatar ($5 only)
- A patron avatar ($7+)
- Access to special offer vector packs when I have promotions running ($25+)
- 1 Weekly character with multiple looks ($25+)
- A 10-character vector pack download each month for commercial use ($50 only)
- An option to download the weekly character for non-commercial use ($25+)
- 1 Special offer vector collection claim when I'm running a promotion at $25 and an additional claim if you're in the $50 tier
- Commercial use of character requests,vector downloads and weekly characters (including special offer packs) for $50 patrons
- 1 voucher coupon for a free vector collection at Christmas & an extra voucher for tiers $25+ (useable even if you stop being a patron later)
As a non-patron who keeps an eye on my work you still get...
- Access to read any news or updates I post about my projects and life
- Access to the monthly newsletter which contains 4 sampler
- 10 character Fanpro Friday Digest every other week or when possible (on hiatus until 2023)
- Limited access to SFW art/writing content I post (poetry mostly not included)
- Lite and fan-inspired character request access
- 2 sampler digests annually (midyear and end of year)
2023 Sampler Digests: July 2023 & December 2023
Patron Avatars
The patron avatars are a perk that I added mainly so I would have a fun and simple way to represent my patrons when I produced content and wanted to thank them, but they do also give you a fun avatar to use on other platforms too. The $7+ tiers allow you to request or change the avatar at any time through my main website. The $3 tier and $1 owl tier do not include an avatar,just a "plaque" representation on applicable media posts. Only the $5 owl tier gets the owls.
Please Note: I am currently working on adding owl options to the avatar form and I no longer restrict the number of times you can change your avatar around based on tier. The form just needs an overhaul.
Discord Server
The Discord server at the moment is more so patrons can reach out to me easier. I think as more patrons come in I'd love for it to be a nice creative community but that will take some time.
- The $1 - $7 tiers, including owls, will be put in the Basic Patron role which allows for embedding links,attaching files and gives you access to the general chat,generator room and art room text channels,the ability to change your nickname and gives you access to the character chats and critique room text channels
- All tiers $25+ will be put in the VIP Patron role which adds the ability to use external emojis as well as access to the VIP Channels which will be added in the future such as a VIP Room that will be utilized if I start streaming and possibly a consultation room where you can schedule personal 1:1 chats with me for character design advice sessions
Patron Hub
The Hub menu of my site is meant to provide extra content and interactions for patrons. It currently has...
- The Vector Pack Redemption form is for requesting special vector collections when you qualify for them (publicly visible to allow inactive patrons to redeem vouchers)
- The Request an Avatar form is to request/change your patron avatar. Please note that if you are in the $3 tier or a $1 owl the avatar request form will not apply for you.
- The Character Designer's Series Feedback Surveys are for patrons who want to be part of my books coming to life. You can currently vote on book cover designs or suggest a chapter idea. Surveys now count for $5 owls.
- The HTML5 Demos are where I'll put any patron-exclusive or archived app demos.
Please Note: Character requests are now in their own menu instead of the Hub one. Owls cannot submit character requests.
There are currently 4 types of character requests:
- Lite: A simplified request form available to non-patrons and patrons but meant mainly for non-patrons. Created characters are not available to the requester.
- Fan-Inspired: A simplified request form available to non-patrons and patrons. This form is for sending me suggestions of licensed characters you'd like to see me make OCs from. Patron requests will be prioritized over non-patron ones.
- Ko-fi: A detailed request form available to Ko-fi contributors.Created characters will be made available with an appropriate license to the the requester via email.
- Full: A detailed request form available to patrons only. Created characters will be made available with an appropriate license to the the requester via email.
The pages under the Patron Hub menu are locked via Patreon for Wordpress so the first time you go to use them you will need to click on the "Unlock with Patreon" button and use your Patreon credentials. If you are still experiencing issues like not seeing a form on the page then send me a direct message here on Patreon so I can check on your user registration on the site and make sure it's under the correct role.
The goal is to eventually add other things to the Hub menu in the future. I am currently working toward a more expanded character request form and there will of course be more forms for book feedback added in the future as well. I'm also looking to add more interactive features and a special price list for commissions when I make those available.
Character Digests
The digests are probably my most varied perk right now. They are collections of generated characters that I create with ePic character generator and other generators. I am currently running the following digests...
- The Fanpro Friday Digest posts every other week when possible for non-patrons & patrons. If I happen to be too busy to produce it I will postpone it. It contains 10 characters inspired by the Fanpro project. This digest is currently on hiatus while I archive the Generation I set.
- The Character Inspiration Digest posts at the end of each month for all patron tiers. It contains 8 characters from either ePic Character Generator,Factory of Heroes or Character Creator 2D. When it's ePic the characters will be animated. When it's Factory of Heroes there will be a bonus set of lineart/color-in characters. When it's CC2D there will be a bonus download of the animation parts.
- I also post 4 sampler characters in every monthly newsletter for non-patrons & patrons that are usually made using other generators/games besides ePic as well as characters and portraits on Twitter via @themeinav.
- The Manga Creator Event posts every March. It will feature School Days,World of Fantasy and Vampire Hunter but I allow people to vote on the options I use for it.
- The Sampler Digest posts two times a year with each sampler featuring 12 animated characters.
- The Patron Choice Digest is a digest that I am working on rolling out in 2023. It will be a 12-character digest made using a generator or bundle of flash games chosen by patrons. I am currently looking at it being quarterly but I'm still hammering out the specifics. This digest was put into the works based on a patron poll that patrons wanted some chances to vote on the generator I used. It's also a way to still keep some generators I don't use all the time and the flash stuff still in rotation and create some variety.
Art & Writing
I don't always post art because it's secondary to my writing. When I do post art,the basic stuff like sketches or sketch dumps will generally be available to everyone and all my other art will be available to all patron tiers. Poetry will be mostly available to everyone but some pieces that are deemed sensitive or potentially triggering may be made patron-exclusive.
For my writing, any patron $5+ will be able to access chapters and content I make while I produce books . Book content will generally range from things like the case studies to actual chapters and occasionally book visuals as well. When and if I write any articles not related to the book, all patrons will get 30 day early access to it.