Thoughts on requests

Honoka's workout clothing from the 6th PV.

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I really like this outfit, and since anon said he couldn't find any fanart with her wearing it I decided to try and draw some. While I'm on the topic, I noticed there's been a surge in people asking me for requests lately, not entirely sure why. But it made me think about requests, and why I take them/don't take them. My most common response at the moment is to say it really depends on my mood, but a lot of times it results in the person making the request and then waiting for me to "get in the mood".

 

On my stream I kinda went into the idea that I usually only do requests for friends, but on further consideration I realized that's not entirely correct. Most of my personal best friends are people I've never drawn anything for, and they've never asked. Likewise, I've done many requests for people barely know at all and enjoyed that.

 

A realization I had while thinking about it was that I only enjoy doing requests when the person never asked me to do it, which is perhaps a bit ironic. I guess a part of me likes the surprise factor of it, and the genuine appreciation that comes from that. When someone requests something from me it creates an expectation, which in itself isn't bad, but a lot of times it can result in unfavorable outcomes. It's really hard to turn down a request without seeming like a jerk, and I've had people get upset at me for not drawing what they want me to draw.

 

Ultimately, drawing is a hobby for me, and I want to spend my hobby drawings things I enjoy, which might not necessarily be what other people enjoy. This post is probably entirely wasted on anyone actually reading it, since I know the few people who check this blog haven't really asked anything from me, and most of the people who do ask don't actually follow me at all haha.

 

Of course, this short rant would be too difficult to explain to anybody who asks for a request, so I guess the conclusion I've arrived at is to just say I don't do them. I don't want to upset anyone, but at the same time my time in finite, and I want to spend the time I do have to draw drawing things that I enjoy.

 

Anyway, to get off this topic and end the post on a more interesting note, I've been listening to this remix for awhile now. I've only heard 2 of the songs used in it, but it's nice music to draw to. God I'm such a sucker for mashups.