Project Mongoose: Phase 1 Complete
October 29 marked the end of Phase One of Project Mongoose!
So, far… it’s somewhat working. But! At least the most important things are getting done first!
Commissions
Phase One Goal: Finish 4 commissions
Phase One Output: Finished SEVEN commissions!
Technically, these are 4 total commissions, but two of the commissions had multiple pieces and, to properly account for time spent, I’ve counted all pieces as “commissions” for the purpose of Project Mongoose.
What Worked:
Chunking sketch work, ink work, etc. together
Learning how to use the special ruler tool to create faster backgrounds
Synchronizing commissions and Twitch streaming
Pairing emote commissions/work between large commissions to stave off fatigue
Maintaining communication with commissioners with upcoming works (holding myself accountable)
Letting commissioners know that I was streaming their work on Twitch. They really seemed to enjoy being a part of it and seeing how it was made. Definitely want to keep doing this!
What Didn’t:
Forcing myself to work on Wednesday. I really need that day off to recuperate
Pre-sketching commissions for Phase 2 is incomplete
I prioritized getting the groups of commissions out the door, so that pushed back emote work. I’m happy with this decision, but for future commissions I need to be thinking about how to better align work so everything is getting accomplished.
What I’m doing differently in Phase Two:
Making sure that I’m completing 4 (and no more) commissions so that I can keep other projects on task.
Starting a waiting list for people interested in getting commissions after Project Mongoose is complete because there’s a lot of interest, but I do not want to take on more work without a better understanding of what I can handle weekly.
All things considered, I’m pleased with how this portion of Project Mongoose went. I think this strategy has helped me better allocate time for the coming weeks.
Emotes Progress Update
Emotes did not go as smoothly as commissions. However, I think I can catch up on them easily. The graphic doesn’t have the animated Nezuko emote, but I did complete her as a part of Phase 1.
Emote Phase One Goal: 10 emotes
Emote Phase One Output: 7 emotes (70%)
What worked:
Synchronizing emote production on Twitch with giveaways. Definitely want to do this again!
Listening to lectures for class and drawing emotes.
What didn’t:
In planning my days, I kept forgetting to write down emote production. I think that, if I had remembered to do this, I would have stayed on track.
What I’m doing differently in Phase Two:
Deliberately planning emote creation into my schedule on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with the understanding that most emotes will be completed on Friday’s stream and that Wednesday’s emotes are being done in conjunction with listening to class lectures.
Product Development
I started strong on this, but then put it on the back burner to study and push commissions.
Product Development Phase One Goal: Clear backlog (Pillows, Phone Holder Straps, New Charms)
Product Development Phase One Output: 2 sets of pillows (6 designs) finished (33%)
What Worked:
Pre-Identifying what I wanted to make and putting those directly onto my schedule
Asking myself to give it “just five minutes”
Completing these while listening to lectures
Reusing art and assets where I could
What Didn’t Work:
Not putting them on my daily schedule.
I spent about 25 hours studying for incremental gains instead of doing product development
Got into the “it’s ok, I have time” mentality
What I’m doing differently in Phase 2:
Making sure specific product development goals (SMART goals) get on my daily to-do list
Identifying new products while at arts markets and writing them down in a google doc
I really could have done better in this category and most of it boils down to poor time management for studying for school. Though it won’t affect Phase 2, I don’t plan to take as many classes in one semester in the future. It just creates too much conflict with production timelines.
Emotes in Online Shop
I completely tanked this goal. I did nothing toward it other than resizing emotes. I at least took product photos of my charms for my website.
Phase One Goal: 10 emotes in online shop
Phase One Output: None
What I’m doing differently in Phase 2:
Chunking the goal into three parts:
Writing a template page for emote listings to apply to all future listings (Monday)
Updating emote download terms (Tuesday)
Sizing all remaining emotes (Thursday)
Zipping all the emotes into files (Thursday)
Uploading 5 emotes per day starting Friday until all backlogged emotes are on the site
Other Stuff I’ve Been Doing Well or Need to Improve
Though Project Mongoose has 4 categories with specific goals, I’ve been also tackling my anxiety about posting on social media.
During Phase One, I have posted on social media every day (at least on both Twitter accounts) and have updated Instagram multiple times. I have also been more active in sharing my Twitch streams.
Speaking of Twitch streams, the new ad structure is going well. I see less drop off in viewership and I’m feeling better during streams. I find that I keep making the streams run longer than they should because I’m feeling so much happier and more motivated by stepping away for 3 minutes per hour. I’ve also noticed a significant bump in ad revenue that is starting to rival subscriptions. This is good because it will help lessen pressure on me and my viewers to support the streams with subs during this hard economy.
Raiding is working beautifully and I’m able to network with more streamers.
I’m maintaining the blog well, but need to be making shorter posts.
The weekly schedule was popular! I want to keep doing this! It also kept me on track, which is good.
My main issues going into Phase 2:
No new product listings online. I
I’m not creating promos for streams early enough
I need to be wrapping streams on time to continue meeting other goals
I need to be taking Wednesday off. I’m too burnt out on Wednesday and it is affecting Thursday’s outputs
I still want to be doing more on YouTube, but I recognize that’s not a part of the plan right now. I need to stay focused.
Arts Markets continue causing significant fatigue and time sink.
My portfolio is a disaster and I need it updated immediately, so that will take away some time this Sunday.
So, all-in-all, I think Project Mongoose was effective. I pushed out a lot more commissions than usual and did more emotes and product development. I also started posting more on social media and I feel good about that. I just need to clean up my hours and what I’m sinking time into - like writing blog posts that are WAY too long.
On to Phase Two!!!
