First, lemme say a big-ass thank you to everyone who replied to my journal. I'm in a better mental place right now. After doing a lot of thinking, I think I see things a little more clearly.

BIG-ASS THANK YOU. If I had the time, I would draw a picture of KJ's butt pressed up against the screen, but sadly, I ran out of time tonight when I thought of that joke.

Okay, now that THAT'S out of the way...
I've been open for commissions for 21 days now. I've netted a total of 10 commissions... with 3 of those 10 sitting on the fence waiting to see if they'll have the money to pay me.
It's time to face facts: I don't have the watchers to happen upon the folks out there who have $50 in disposable income.
If I can't even fill 10 commission slots... working as cheap as I do... raising my rates certainly won't help me.
It's time to stop focusing so hard on commissions.
WAIT WAIT WAIT I'M NOT CLOSING COMMISSIONS! STOP TYPING RIGHT NOW!

Hear me out here!

I'm keeping commissions open, don't get me wrong. Mikaness, I'm finishing your commish up as fast as I can. I kinda had a minor meltdown and needed to work on a few personal projects for a couple days to keep my sanity.

Everyone else, I will be contacting you who HAVE already paid for a commission for permission to take 2 weeks off.
Why?
I've been focusing so hard on commissions that, as you can tell, my comic production has fallen sharply off.
But commissions clearly aren't going to pay the bills. I'm not popular enough to be able to charge more for them, and they're a finite source of revenue anyway.
I need to focus purely on the Pet Project--on comics--to prove once and for all to myself what I'm capable of for comic production. I will work exclusively on the Pet Project and see how many pages I can make in 2 weeks.

Why is my production speed so important?

When my 2 weeks of focused comic production are up, that will tell me exactly how many pages I can say I'm capable of producing when my Patreon campaign is launched. I'll continue as normal after that 2 week period, but I will be working on commissions 4 days a week rather than 5 until they're all gone.

Yes, I'm going to launch a Patreon campaign of my own. It's far easier for people who like my work to support me by giving me $1 and nudging their friends to buy me a $1 cup of coffee as well than it is to expect 20 people to give me $50.
The Patreon campaign is to produce a martial arts themed furry comic that will be posted for all to see. This is along the same lines as my "GFL" idea, but more fleshed out. It doesn't just inexplicably feature furries duking it out for no good reason, it will feature Pokemorphs as competitors. There'll be plenty of action, my signature detailed artwork, funny banter, and lots of naughtiness.

Here's what I need, however, opinion-wise.

I was trying to figure out what kind of milestones to use. I mean, I'm surely HOPING that a large number of you watching me are willing to support me on Patreon, but I wasn't sure what to set as my goals... so if you have thoughts about my Patreon numbers, please weigh in and lemme know!

So, here's what I'm thinking as far as Patreon total milestones are concerned:

$250/month: 1 page a month. Non-Patreons will get to see the comic in greyscale, cell-shaded. Patreon supporters (starting at $1) will get to see the comic in color (cell shaded). At this milestone... frankly, I can't afford to be throwing myself at the comic full steam all the time. Without the necessary support, I'll be having to scratch and beg for commissions in the hopes of patching the gaping holes in our bank account so we don't end up bankrupt in 3 months.
$500/month: 2 pages a month. Non-Patreons will get to see the comic in greyscale, cell-shaded. Patreon supporters (starting at $1) will get to see the comic in color (cell shaded). At this milestone, the comic will be making more than the combined commissions in February... but I'll still need to make room for commissions and I won't be able to focus too much on it.
$1000/month: 4 pages a month. Non-Patreons will get the see the comic in greyscale, cell-shaded. Patron supporters (starting at $1) will get to see the comic in color (cell shaded). At this milestone, the comic will be able to stop MOST of the hemorrhaging. I wouldn't be working on this comic QUITE full time, but pretty close to it.... depending on how many pages I can get done in the 2 week production period. I'm kind of going on the assumption that it takes me a week to produce a page.
$1500/month: At LEAST 4 pages a month. Non-Patreons will get to see the comic in greyscale (fully rendered). Patreon supporters (starting at $1)will get to see the comic in color (fully rendered). At this milestone, the comic will officially be my full time job. If I'm capable of producing say, 1 page every 5 days? I THINK that will translate to 5-6 pages a month. I'll be producing as many pages as I can working 10 hours a day on the comic.
(Dare to dream?)
$2000/month: At LEAST 4 pages a month. Non-Patreons and Patreons alike will be seeing the comic in full color. Patreon supporters (starting at $1) will get to see the adult pages and uncensored versions of pages with nudity.

Those will be the milestone promises. Too much? Too little? Too ambitious? Not ambitious enough? Just right? Leave a comment!

And here's what I'm thinking for individual Patreon rewards.
$1 or $2--I really want to encourage MORE people to donate LESS money. $1 lets you see the comic in full color and, depending on the milestone reached, access to bonus sex pages and uncensored pages.
$4--Most other Patreon plans have $5 as the entry level tier, but because of the nature of how I want to run with this Patreon campaign, pledging $4 a month gives you the ability to vote and steer the comic. After all, I might be making a comic I really want to author, but I'll still be working for you guys ;3
$10--All of the above plus an entry into a draw to have a character of your choice appear in the comic as a background character (And not like, a head sticking out from a crowd, I mean a full body shot in the foreground.)
$20--All of the above but instead of a chance to be a background character, a character of your choice will appear in the comic and have a speaking role as a corner coach for one of the main characters (or their opponent) between rounds in matches. This will require them to be in multiple panels.
$40 (even once) cements a character in the comic. They will be reoccurring, like Derpy Hooves in season 1. Specifically, you will be able to choose your role: 1) As the boyfriend/girlfriend of one of the main cast 2) As a reoccurring trainer like Leilani 3) As an occasionally appearing friend of one of the main characters. 4) As a sparring partner for one of the main characters.

Those will be the individual Patreon rewards. Too much? Not enticing enough? Silly? Just right? Leave a comment! I need your brains!