I wasn’t sure I was going to do one of these, as 2023 was very much a “let’s just get through it” sort of year. But today I’m feeling reflective, so let’s reflect:
Going into 2023 I knew times were going to be tough, business-wise, and wow was I right. Given the state of the world economy and ever-growing economic disparity, people just don’t have the money to spend on fun things like puppets, no matter how good they are. It was a very rough year financially, and I don’t expect 2024 to be any different. My original thought was since I knew this going in, I was going to use 2023 to build my audience and community — the fabled “phase 2”. Coupled with this was my increasing desire to rely less on large corporate social platforms over which I had no control, and which only exist to harvest data and exploit people.
As usual, things didn’t go exactly to plan. I can’t say that going into 2024 the O:P community is really any bigger than it was in 2023, but that’s nothing to dwell on. Puppets are a niche field in a small subset of online viewers, and having *any* audience at all is a success. I was hoping to shoot for Kreutinger numbers, but I just don’t have the social media savvy to pull that off. A big part of that is my personal distaste for large scale social media in general, and the sort of things you need to do to get noticed. I tried, and failed, to make TikTok work. I can’t do Shocked Guy thumbnails. I can’t spam. I hate keyword stuffing and SEO garbage. And hence, I am, and will remain, small.
Part of my going into 2024 is about making peace with that, and finding ways to make O:P sustainable. Thankfully I have a few ideas, which I’ll be going into more detail soon, but they boil down to “I gotta be me”. This only works if I enjoy it and am true to myself, and I have to keep the faith that although my audience will be small, they’ll really connect with what I do.
There are plenty of challenges ahead for 2024. I’m facing a whole laundry list of medical stuff that needs to be tended to (and paid for — AMA about dental insurance) and I need to balance that time with being able to keep the shop stocked, plus keeping up with community events like the build streams.
It does feel a bit overwhelming, but I suppose if there’s any advantage to my age, it’s in a small bit of wisdom. I’m not going to succumb to pessimism or despair. The “maker movement” is about taking things into your own hands and forging ahead, instead of waiting for someone else to make it better, and that’s what I’m determined to do. I’m going to do what I’ve always done, and what I will do until I can’t do it any more:
Gather tools, learn skills and build. Onward to 2024.
Lastly I’m afraid we will be ending on a sad note. For those not on the Discord (join the Discord), our friend and O:P community member Scarlet passed away earlier this month. The details are personal so I won’t get into it, but it feels very much like O:P lost a family member. I know they didn’t have a biological family, but my condolences to their friends and peers. Their absence is felt, and they are missed.