Important News - The End Is Near!! (+ new textures)

Hey everyone! Ok. Announcement. A big change to the project. In 4 to 6 months, I'm gonna be moving the project off of Patreon. That's tough to announce; there are a lot of things to love here on Patreon, which I’ll mention. But it’s all about sustainability. I’m ALL-IN on keeping Texturelabs alive and thriving... but I do need to adapt to survive!

It's a ways out so I’m still working out the exact details. But it’s a big announcement and I felt I should let you know ASAP. I truly value you guys and I want to convey the “why” and the “what next”. So I’ll do my best to break it down here!

Well, for me it's a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things, more of a course adjustment. I just need to shift how the project gets funded and see if I can get the "bonus content" to do a little more of the heavy lifting. Texturelabs is still here with lots of ideas yet to be explored. And I still want to be friends! As a matter of fact, I think I can still provide almost all the same features you find here. Perhaps they’re just a bit more a-la-carte.

Let me quickly describe what to expect next, then I’ll lay out my thinking and reasoning.

Over the next several months, I’ll be working hard on a big update to the site. It’s going to be the same, with the addition of a third section. So you’ll have:

TEXTURES(free) / TUTORIALS(free) / TOOLS(individual paid items)

Tools. Or maybe it’s called the Shop. Or something like that. I can’t say for sure how long that will take (maybe 4 months). In the meantime, the Patreon will still be up and running and you’ll have all the same access to everything.

When I get that update ready, I’ll pull a giant red lever with lightning bolts shooting out of it, and all that stuff will go live. And the Patreon will be turned off (or hidden might make more sense).

If you’re a monthly subscriber, feel free to hoard project files and lossless textures in the meantime! If you’re an annual subscriber - don’t worry, I’ll figure out a way to make you feel whole and make it worth your while.

So... why????

Here’s the MAIN thing. The tutorials take a friggin' long time. Creating textures, actively managing the site, trying to make it all feel simple and seamless. They all take a whole lot of time. Time and focus. Precious resources and wow, they burn fast! Trying to keep my brain in Texturelabs-land, Youtube-land and Patreon-land... it’s insanely challenging. And probably not so beneficial creatively.

I’ve often found myself wondering, “Why can’t you just buckle down and get everything done?” So I charted it out for myself. It turned out, for a perfect month in which I got everything done I think I should be doing, I'd need about 28 hrs of Texturelabs per day!

I’m serious when I say I had no idea that’s what I was trying to do. And for me, it was super clarifying and accounted for a lot. So ya. Gotta streamline be a little more focused.

I DO want Texturelabs to stay free. Free like it is now - as free as it can be. Because, let’s face it, you guys are footing the bill for Texturelabs.

Patreon supporters represent about 1% of people who use the site regularly and subscribe to the channel. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that at all. In fact, it speaks volumes about your generosity.

But it also means I'm walking a fine line here - it's month to month, and I’m not sure it’s something either of us can do for years on end. But I think if I can provide individual projects, templates, plugins, etc - as affordable as I can make them - it'll make the whole thing tick a little better.

I can provide all the same stuff, distribute the costs more evenly, and potentially make more money. Not for me to sit on a stack of gold coins, gnawing at the bones of artists. But so I can do more, hire a better web developer, take more chances, that kind of thing.

The Patreon format also introduces challenges that are a little hard to square. For example:

• Some ideas are too time-intensive to make available for just a couple bucks (longer courses or more plugins?). But they require taking time away from tutorials/textures to develop. So it doesn’t feel right that Patreon should be subsidizing that.
• Some of you have been Patrons for two years and have gotten two years worth of bonus content. You can sign up now for two days and get two years worth of bonus content. Many go to the trouble of signing up for one day to get one project. And there's nothing wrong with that - it's just that it makes less and less sense.
• There are still some client projects that I'd like to say yes to. But it wouldn't be right to focus on client work while Patreon continues billing away.
• Here's a pickle: A bulk download option for textures. It’s a feature that many have requested and I’d love to provide. Dropbox/Google and other “free” storage systems are generally protected against this kind of commercial use (and would require maintaining an entirely separate updated library). The easy way would be an option to transfer every file on the site - but that would cost over $10 in data fees (all those lossless files are HUGE). There a handful of these things that are hard to fit in the Patreon format.

WE DO! I love the community here. Generating content is a surprisingly solitary endeavor, and having the ongoing dialogue with you guys brings me a sense of connectedness, inspiration, and helps me tie the project to real names, faces, and awesome work.

Perhaps a Discord server might be a cool way to keep that contact. A little more about the conversation. Questions and answers and ideas. Just a thought. Anyone have any experience with Discord, is it cool?

Monthly updates can be the same, but can be an email that goes to anyone who wants it!

Ok, that's the big update. I'm sure there's a decent amount more to cover. There's probably a lot I haven't thought of. AND - I want to hear your thoughts. Did I lose my punk-rock status? I hope not. My goals remain the same - share awesome stuff with the world, maintain my sanity, and create meaningful work and connections with artists and designers.

Thank you. I truly mean that. More than ever. And... as always, back at you soon with more Texturelabs and more details.

Cheers, Brady

Oh, and 37 NEW TEXTURES are up :)