Journal Cross-posted from here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4044081/
HopefulMonsterStudios said:
Hey everyone! Checking in after the craziness of MFF prep to say hi, and give a bit of an update.
Photos of the MFF Wyrms are going up on FA and DA. They are all sold, but I had folks asking to at least see pictures. And yes, I will be making anothr Dr. Who and Idris Wyrm in the future, though I'm thinking of soing the Doctor as a Mini, and Idris as a Great Wyrm or Leviathan. ( as a Levi, she would have a hinged jaw and the ability to open her mouth so a Teacup Doctor -which may come as non-breedable accessory included just for fun- could "ride" in the TARDIS )
Opinions on this are welcome, as I'm unsure if anyone would be interested in a Wyrm that large and spendy.
The belated October Clutch - will be going up on.......Black Friday. ;3 Not saying what time, but it will be going up some time between 10am and 12pm on Friday, November 23rd. There will be a Black Friday bonus gift with each Wyrm adopted, just a cute little doo-dad as a way of saying thanks for all the support and Happy Holidays. And yes, it will be one egg per person, to allow more people to get a Wyrm.
In addition, our next Farm contest will be going up soon....Black Friday, same as the clutch of eggs. It will run until Dec 21st, when the breeding season starts. There will be three categories like last time, with prizes for each, two "Grand Prizes" for the two top entries overall, and a raffle for a Winter Season themed Teacup Wyrm. The Raffle will be 1$ per entry, with ALL the money raised from the raffle going to my town's local No Kill animal shelter. (Animals need our love and support in the cold winter months too, especially those with no human family of their own to care for them!;3) Raffle winner will be chosen by a randomizer online, to make it totally impartial. Watch on FA or DA for the journal with the contest.
That's the good news. Now, unfortunately, for a bit of not so good news.
This past weekend at MFF, I had a number of Teacup Wyrms, as well as a mini and two Standards, go into the Art Show. I was not able to attend MFF, so this was my way of getting at least a few Wyrms there for folks to adopt. They were made specially for the con, and were more detailed than the usual Wyrms I sell at my dealer tables. They were being sold auction style, as is typical for art shows. Now this is where the problems started.
It was brought to my attention that multiple bidders were exhibiting behavior during the art show bidding that was not in good sportsmanship whatsoever. This really upsets me, because I consider the community that has grown around the game to be one of the best aspects of it. I won't go into detail, or call out those who were being poor sports. I DO however want to make one thing very clear. I am an artist, and selling my art is how I pay my bills and do my part to support my family. To that end, items that are sold in art shows or auctions are intended as special pieces that should go to the highest bidder. They are items I take extra special time and effort to create. Guilting other bidders into not bidding, or letting you have the item without competing with you, for whatever reason, is NOT cool! It is not only unfair to the person you are making feel bad about bidding against you, it is unfair to the convention, who recieves a percentage of every item sold (which goes towards helping continue to pay expenses and run conventions for everyone to enjoy) and it is unfair to the artist, who outs their hard work into items they offer up for sale...To The Highest Bidder. NOT to the person who makes anyone bidding against them feel badly about doing so, or someone who hovers over a bid sheet, trying to block it from view and prevent anyone else from bidding. It's one thing to stand there and defend your bid by outbidding another buyer....it is another entirely to be passive aggressive or sad faced and tell them you can't afford to outbid them in order to manipulate others into backing down so you can win.
I make the vast majority of Teacup Wyrms for regular sale, and try to keep the prices low enough a that even those without lots of cash to spare can get in on the game and enjoy themselves. But to be frank, I am NOT a charity, or a not for profit. I do art to make money, and pay my bills. Undermining my chance to do that to the best of my ability is not something I appreciate, nor does any artist. We all work hard to make a living, and it is incredibly unfair to expect us to be willing to settle for less simply becasue you personally cannot afford to be the highest bidder. I myself usually do not make much more than basic living expenses. 90% of all money I earn through my art goes directly back into our household to pay bills, and convention/supply costs. If I want something out of my usual price range, I save up for it until I can pay what the seller is asking. If it's an auctioned item, I bid as high as I am able to afford, and if that is lower than someone else, I let them pay the seller what they are willing to pay. Thats the way it goes. To expect otherwise is unfair and unrealistic.
That said, I do want to make everyone aware I am very grateful for all the support of my art. Evey sale goes toward helping me make a living doing something I love. So thank you ALL for that, from the bottom of my heart.
Thats it for now, hope everyone has a happy turkey day if you celebrate it, and a great week in general for those who don't.
Cheers,
-D