Sketch Fest (and other project) scheduling thoughts...

[ellenmillion]

Okay, looking at my schedule for the next few months. I know that there are all kinds of super-woman moms who jump right back up from childbirth and take over the world, and that frankly, I could do that, too.

But I don't want to. I want to take a few months off, bond with my screaming bundle of joy and husband, put down my projects, and stay offline for a bit. I may blog. I may not. I do not want to have to trouble-shoot, organize, assuage, ship or answer emails during that time. Which means: No Sketch Fest. No Torn World. No EMG-Zine. No coloring books. I dunno if my project gland will survive the withdrawal, but I'm looking at it a bit like a project de-tox. I had a good friend (and fellow bat-guano insane go-doer) do this after the birth of her child, and said it was one of the best things she could have done. I am unlikely to have such an obvious excuse again.

Coloring books are easy. Remove the ordering page, add some links to my awesome wholesale clients so people can still find and buy them - I've already warned my wholesale clients, so they know to stock up now (and are!). Close my Amazon page. Check.

EMG-Zine is relatively easy - I can do all of my usual work in advance, and puffbird does all of the heavy lifting. I will have to delegate putting artwork in the gallery, but that has been reduced to push-button work. Check.

Torn World is a little trickier - I hate to lose momentum on a project like this. But, I've got a PILE of work that I can 'time release' while I'm away, and I can pick back up with things in May, for Sea Monster month. I've got a volunteer to coordinate a contest while I'm away. This is a project that has clear waves of activity anyway.

Sketch Fest... ah, Sketch Fest. If I put Sketch Fest on hiatus for three months, I risk public lynching. But every month, regardless of what improvements I have or haven't made, something needs fixing. There are sales that need manual approval. So, I'm looking at two options:

Do two Sketch Fests in December, two in January, and one early February. Take March and April entirely off and pick back up in May with one a month again.

Delegate. This takes not only a lot of trust in my delagatee, but also some major tweaking, since I will have to disable CC ordering... or possibly disable sales entirely. I wouldn't ask anyone else to send out credits during this time, so people would have to buy them in advance, and I wouldn't be able to cash out artists' sales (because however much trust I do have... I don't have enough to hand over my paypal account with the site keys!).

Okay, fine - I'm just looking at one option. No Sketch Fests in March and April. I'm looking at doing another one in December on the 23-24, then Jan 6-7, Jan 20-21, and Feb 3-4. (Guppy could come the first week of February and be considered fullterm, and though I suspect she will be fashionable late, instead [we're half-hoping for a leap year baby!], I don't want to tempt her too much...)

Now, I've heard some feedback, and been stewing over the 'hows', about offering a custom 24-hour period option, a longer Sketch Fest, and some other 'this is a bad time for me!' complaints.

I took some time to think about how I would offer a custom 24-hour period, and I had a few stumbling blocks there:

This would require everyone to register, and prompts to be private to those who are registered. Prompts are public right now - and it's not really fair or in the spirit of things for someone to be able to leave and see prompts, then come back later and start their own timer. So, I'd have to 'cloak' prompts until the user started their own timer.

This sort of kills the 'people all around the world doing the same thing at the same time' feeling of the project.

This is going to drastically change the dynamics of people who are shopping at Sketch Fest - especially if they like to wait until the fest is closed to make their decisions... how long to do they have to wait NOW? 48 hours? Three days? A week? This takes away some of that impulse buying/get it now/excitement of the opportunity.

Nightmare to code.

For now, this is not an option on the table.

A longer Sketch Fest is also something I spent some time thinking about. I worry a bit that if you stretch it out, it starts to lose its immediacy. With less of a deadline, some of that frantic, sketch-sketch-sketch! feeling goes away, and it's less of a stretch-and-speed exercise. Keeping the same level of energy you do for 24 hours for a 48 project isn't always feasible! (Also, Jenny's husband may just fly up here and strangle me, if I 'make' her do Sketch Fest for twice the time!) Coding is a little more complex, but not all THAT much.

I haven't eliminated this idea, however, and with two Sketch Fests in December and January, I'm thinking I may go ahead and try a few trial adjustments.

It's tough to move or extend the second December Sketch Fest, because it's running into Christmas Eve as it is, so it will be as usual.

For the first January Sketch Fest, I am thinking I will simply try extending it to 48 hours, so it runs Friday noon - Sunday noon (Alaska time).

For the second January Sketch Fest, I am open to the idea of running it 24 hours again, but Saturday noon - Sunday noon (Alaska time).

Your thoughts and input are very welcome!



And, a list of coding things to finish before February, for myself:

Finish the date-automating at Sketch Fest.

Finish the time-release programming at Torn World

Do my EMG-Zine work ahead of time. (Note, you will only get a cover spot if I have your artwork sufficiently in advance! Go submit artwork for those future themes: Centaurs, Plants and Sea Monsters! Plus, between now and then, Dragonflies, and Steampunk!)

Get people to cash out their credits before I go on hiatus. Or better yet, before years-end, for book-keeping purposes.

Finish this page.

Get the publications sales functions I've been noodling around on finished before years end. It will be SO cool for artists/writers and make my life SO much easier.

Comments

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

Hey, for a no-programming-needed extension, just remove the rule saying sketches have to be done within the first 24 hours, so people who for some or other reason did not or could not draw then can use what is now only the "grace period" for uploading for sketching, too! ;)

"Keeping the same level of energy you do for 24 hours for a 48 project isn't always feasible!"
I think the best I ever did during a Sketch Fest was keeping my energy up for 6 hours, so 24 already seems to be non-feasible to me. 48 hours means either more opportunity to pick a non-short window of time where I can be active, or being able to do two sessions.

If 48 end up too long, maybe 36 hours would be worth a try? If it started Friday noon, that would give people in America all Saturday.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Changing between 24 and 48 hours for a month won't be hard at all - I just sent the end-date in the script for a day later that time. (I presumed I'd keep prompts open for that time, too...)

Yes, I treat the time period the same way - just carve a few hours into it somewhere. But I know some people take a little more seriously than I do, and I don't want to burn them out! :P

We'll see how the 48 goes... 36 might be a nice compromise at the end of things, though it isn't as *neat* a number as 24.

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

Is it set that there will be a Sketch Fest on the 23-24th this month? Thing is I have one chat buddy who keeps missing the dates because she doesn't know they're happening - she's not on FB or Twitter and not really active on LJ, see? - so I'd like to try to tell her beforehand.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

I will make a definite decision this morning and post about it shortly!

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)

[kittrel.livejournal.com]

I agree with you that making custom timeslots for Sketchfest is negating the spirit of it. Most of the fun is in seeing what others are working on at the same time as you, refreshing the page and seeing new prompts and new ideas. It just adds to the creative energy - it's a social thing.

If you were going to have your own "SketchFest" on your own time when not everyone else is working... well, you may as well post in your own LJ or blog and just ask for prompts on your own. It's just not the same without everyone else. And why code something complex that someone could do on their own? Sketchfest is special because of the community, that's what makes it work.

And yay for taking time off. I'm sure your projects can wait a little while for you. :)

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

*nods* Custom 24-hour periods would really dampen the entire social aspect, I think.

:)

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The suggestion was for a custom 24-hour period but within a shared weekend, to accommodate different people's schedules, not for a random 24-hour period in the month. After all, even with the exact same 24-hour period, different people are sleeping and eating at different times.

I think even if you tried that, that masking the prompts isn't necessary. Most of them in any given month ae similar to prompts from other SketchFests, after all.

Just sharing thoughts, not really advocating one way or the other for the flex-time option.

[jenny heidewald (from livejournal.com)]

You can be sure to get about 10 with "fairy" in them. :D

I kind of figured that it would be a nightmare, I know nothing really of the how-to's of coding, so just threw it out there ( I am fine with how it is set up right now right now). :) If I could *pause* Sketchfest while I slept...hmmm... :D

[redokapi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this is kinda what I was thinking. You'd specify a 48 hour period, and then people could pick their own 24 hour period within that 48 hours.

Masking prompts would be neat, but I also don't think it necessary. For the "jams" that have a competitive element, it's important that everyone gets exactly the same amount of time. For sketchfest, you're not really going to gain much by looking at the prompts early. It may break the "spirit" of the thing, but a person who does so is really only going to affect themselves.

Congratulations on the baby!

[merseaone.livejournal.com]

I've been so out of it that I didn't even know you were pregnant! Hope all goes well and you have fun bonding with your baby! Hope everything works out with all your EMG stuff. I don't think I could do any of what you do, you are an amazing woman, Ellen!

God bless!

Re: Congratulations on the baby!

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

:) :) Thank you!!

[jenny_evergreen]

I am SAD about no Sketchfests. My walls and wallet will probably be happy, though.

I like the 48 hour option, and am glad we're going to try it!

I have no particular comments on anything else, but I do agree that planning to be AWAY is a good idea; however, your journal might be a lifeline, too. Don't hesitate to come for support if you need it! (The first three months for me were beyond hard.)

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm definitely going to leave the no-strings blogging option open; I want to be ABLE to come gush (or cry!) about things, but not be obligated to, or have people think it means I can manage other projects, too.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

"fellow bat-guano insane go-doer"

*weeps with laughter*

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Am I wrong? :P

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Not at all! I just thought it was a lovely description. :)

[meeksp.livejournal.com]

I was too sick to participate in the first SketchFest this month, so I certainly wouldn't object to a second one! Earlier would be fine, too, if just before the holidays is a bad time for a lot of people.

I agree that the custom 24-hour option would be impractical, but a longer SketchFest might be interesting. A noon-midnight option could also work, if you think 48 hours is too long.

You'll be missed, but it's great that you'll be taking the time to spend with your family! (Though with four sketchfests so close together, I'm likely to need a break afterward, too. :P)

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. Yes, I was hoping I'd Sketch Fest some folks out, and they wouldn't miss those two months quite so much. :P

I'm curious to see how the 48 hours goes, and am eyeing a 36 hour option, if it seems to be too long to maintain its energy.

[raventhourne.livejournal.com]

take your time after the baby...I had all of these dreams of knitting projects etc while I was on maternity leave and yanno...I would just loose hours sitting on the couch snuggling with the baby. I really wouldn't trade those hours for any projects completed...it was too precious.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

I am greatly suspicious I will feel the same way. If I can get some writing or programming done during that time, great! If I do nothing but learn to sing lullabies and spend hours of snuggly baby time, I cannot imagine how that would be so much worse! Having the pressure of HAVING to do stuff off me is already making me enjoy the very idea of that more.

two a month??

[edward cammarota (from livejournal.com)]

Are you trying to break me?? :-) :-) :-)
I can not afford two sketchfest a month. :-)

I would suggest just the one in Dec. (because I'm broke) and one the middle of Jan.
Come back in May or even June.

You know I love sketchfest and would really miss it, but family is way more important.
Having two a month is just putting more strain than nessessary on you.

If you keep this up, Guppy will come out with a pencil in her hand, ready to sketch.
Start to relax now so it will not be a shock when you do have to (want to) stop.

It's like any addiction, you don't want to stop cold turkey, you want to gradually get away from it. :-) :-) :-)

Wish you and your family ALL the best.

[taralphiel.livejournal.com]

As a new SketchFest devotee, I'm happy you are trying to offer more of them despite impending bub. But if it's not possible, I'd certainly understand that you need time to rest and recuperate.

You look like you have a huge to-do list. Best of luck! You're a hugely motivated woman, so I'm sure it'll all come about :)

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

I think taking a break for baby-time sounds like a great idea, not only for the family bonding time (though obviously that's the most important thing!), but because it'll give you a chance to recuperate, de-stress, and come back to your projects with fresh eyes and new ideas and energy! It sounds like a total win all the way around. :)

[nixjim13.livejournal.com]

I think if you change the days to Sunday you'll pretty much lose any of the Aussies because it would be Monday here (and well I'm at work, so I wouldn't be able to participate). This is why the Friday slot works well (because it is Saturday for us) The 36 hour thing might be an option.

I'll be sad to see Sketchfest shut down temporarily, but life happens!

[pixiewildflower.livejournal.com]

(hugs)

[katerinaart.livejournal.com]

congrats on the baby ellen *hugs*
i think having one sketch fest in one month is good , with the holidays , christmas coming up it will be a very busy month for many of us,and do one more if you can in January then take time off to be with your family when you're ready come back :)best wishes *hugs*

[redokapi.livejournal.com]

I would not mind having another Sketchfest in December, since I missed the last one (very busy weekend for me). However, if you just want to stick to one a month until your "vacation", that's also fine. It's likely I'll only have time for one in January either way.

I am in favor of extending the time to 36 or 48 hours. I tend to have more time for sketching in the evenings, so if I can't make time Friday night I generally end up skipping the whole thing. Even just adding that extra 12 hours means I get a whole extra evening to work with.

I have some art to submit for EMG-Zine, I will try to get it prepped and submitted before the end of the year.

[puffbird.livejournal.com]

I think your choice to take time off for you and your little family is absolutely a wise idea. You never know how things will go -- some people can bounce back really fast, and some people need more time.

I'll be here to do what I can! :)

*shuffles*

[haunted-blood.livejournal.com]

I think a 48 hour one would be cool. I seem to spend most of Sketch Fest asleep as it is as the moment, being over a huge pond and far away :D

[headchef.livejournal.com]

Do what you want to do with the sprog but if you don't post up pictures all of us will hunt you down and hurt you in not pleasant ways ;)

[moon-fox.livejournal.com]

I definitely understand the coding nightmare aspect, and barring the custom 24-hour period, a 48-hour window would be nice. I agree that the idea of people doing things at the same time all around the world is great, but when it's essentially Friday evening and Saturday morning for me, I spend a lot of that a) at work and b) sleeping off my work week. Assuming I sleep in until 10 am on a Saturday, on Mountain time, it leaves me maybe four good hours for sketching, unless I'm lucky enough to churn one out Friday night.

This was definitely less of a problem when I was unemployed :) I would really like to participate in sketchfest more often, but right now the timing is just so poor.

I do like the idea of having sketchfest every month, if possible, though I understand that with a baby around that might not be top priority and would completely sympathize if we didn't have them. Nixing the shopping options for those months would be a good idea (maybe put in a note asking artists to put a "buy" link in the description if they want to sell independently?).

[jenny heidewald (from livejournal.com)]

Sketch Fest... ah, Sketch Fest. If I put Sketch Fest on hiatus for three months, I risk public lynching.
---
*You'll have an angry mob outside your door with torches and pencils? :D
---
But every month, regardless of what improvements I have or haven't made, something needs fixing.
---
*I haven't broken that much, lately. ;)
---
Okay, fine - I'm just looking at one option. No Sketch Fests in March and April. I'm looking at doing another one in December on the 23-24, then Jan 6-7, Jan 20-21, and Feb 3-4. (Guppy could come the first week of February and be considered fullterm, and though I suspect she will be fashionable late, instead [we're half-hoping for a leap year baby!], I don't want to tempt her too much...)
---
*One birthday every four years? :)
---
A longer Sketch Fest is also something I spent some time thinking about. I worry a bit that if you stretch it out, it starts to lose its immediacy. With less of a deadline, some of that frantic, sketch-sketch-sketch! feeling goes away, and it's less of a stretch-and-speed exercise. Keeping the same level of energy you do for 24 hours for a 48 project isn't always feasible! (Also, Jenny's husband may just fly up here and strangle me, if I 'make' her do Sketch Fest for twice the time!)
---
*hahaha* I might have to limit myself... <:) Though a longer one would give me more time to spend on each sketch, get them inked in and all that. :) Or stock up on sketches to finish during the hiatus...Though I could use a break to finish other projects. :) I still have to finish the sketches from last time, job is really busy right now due to Christmas coming up and is wearing me out.

Sketch Fest

[ranunkelmor.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the baby!

"For the first January Sketch Fest, I am thinking I will simply try extending it to 48 hours, so it runs Friday noon - Sunday noon (Alaska time)"

I like the sketch fest as it is, no need to extend the time.

I think it would be much easier for you if all the artists sold their sketches by themselves, and then simply donated to the SF page. Then you would have no obligation to send people payments.

Happy December!
Marianne