foxyrain
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Blog: Origin Story
🕑 Added 2023-09-06 15:13:17 +0000 UTCAs I stared down at the clouds below me I came to realize it had been a long time since I'd went on such a long flight yet for some reason, even though I spent the time just staring outside and didn't do much, I didn't find myself bored as I kept thinking about the things I wanted to share with you all during the trip.
This has been on my mind since my flight a week ago, and I thought now is probably the best time as any to try and find the right words for telling this story of mine.
This is probably something I haven't talked about before, and if I have, I probably just glossed over it during a Twitch stream. I often had questions like, have I been studying for an art degree before choosing to become a freelance artist? What inspired me to try becoming a freelance artist in the first place?
To give the full context of where and how it started, I have to go back several years ago when I had recently quit my work as a government office worker. It was a good-paying job, but at the same time, I wasn't very fond of the monotonous cycle of going to work, coming home, sleeping, and then repeating. That's putting things very mildly, and I probably have a lot more negative things to say about that line of work, so I'll move on. After quitting my office work, I decided to sell most of my belongings as well as my car, and after pooling all my savings together, I chose to go on an adventure abroad.
When I think about it now, I just wonder how reckless I'd been since back then I didn't have any concrete plans as to where I'd be visiting and for how long. I simply packed a few essentials and committed myself to an aimless journey experiencing different cultures as I went from country to country.
You might be asking, didn't you run into money problems on the way? In times like these, I'd find temporary jobs as a working holiday seasonal worker, grabbing whatever jobs I could to save funds that would go towards my next destination. At times I would be picking seasonal fruits for the local produce, at other times I would be packing health products into bottles. It was the life of a wanderer.
It was during one of these temporary jobs that I finally wanted to try out being a freelance artist. I still remember it as clearly as day, I was working temporarily as a tile layer at a warehouse where several other employees, including myself, were laying down tiles for a vast warehouse where the flooring was being replaced with these decorative tiles. It was hard difficult work and I recall how I would end up with so many sores around the knees because there was very limited safety equipment available for all the employees. When I think about it, maybe it really was a black company that was exploiting working holiday visa holders.
Anyways, it was 3 am. The air was pretty cold and I could see my breath every time I breathed as I got into my car with gloves on because the steering wheel felt like I was touching a bar of ice. Even with the gloves on, I could feel the chill seeping through my skin as I drove home tired and sleepy. I'd go home and have a hot shower and try my best to keep warm inside the blankets because the room I was renting didn't really have good heating. Every day was a repeat of that cycle and I was starting to wonder if there was any other way I could find work because jobs like these were taking a real toll on me. I think it was around that time when platforms like Patreon were starting to get popular, a friend of mine gifted me a drawing tablet and encouraged me to try becoming an artist.
At that point in time, it was several years since I last drew anything, and I'd long given up on pursuing art as a hobby. I was full of doubts and I vaguely remember turning down that friend's encouragement with logical arguments that I didn't have the skills to contend with artists on Patreon at that time. I turned down the encouragement but accepted the gift, and during one of my whims, I took it out and started to draw one day. I still remember the first piece I drew with that tablet was a fanart of Julianne Stingray from VA-11Hall-A. I had to look that up on Google because I forgot her name. You can find that very artwork on this post from years ago.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/art-from-past-va-31377793?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
That was my first artwork as FoxyRain (Yup, this was my OG artist handle before I changed it to FoxyReine and later just Reine). I slowly cut ties with that tile company soon after that and actively sought out art commission opportunities. It was pretty rough, I didn't have a portfolio or anything, so finding clients meant I'd spend a lot of time surfing through to see if anyone was searching for artists to commission. I think the first places I had some luck finding clients was in MMO communities, especially ones like FFXIV where players spend so much dedication on their well-customized characters. It was the beginning chapter of my life as a freelance artist, I started out by drawing a lot of Original Characters mostly for FFXIV or WoW players.
I was traveling through Vietnam at the time and it was around this time when I received a notification from Patreon that they would be closing applications for Founders accounts and for whatever reason, I had a change of heart to try and become a Patreon artist. I still had very little confidence at the time but thanks to all the friends I made through commission works showering me with encouragement, I decided to go for it.
So that's pretty much how I started my first steps as a freelance artist and how I started Patreon. If you scroll all the way down to 2019, you can find the first artworks I started to draw for art commissions at the time. It's not a terribly exciting story, which is why I didn't really tell anyone about it before but it's a story with a lot of memories for me. I hope you guys enjoyed the story time, Next I'll be updating you guys with my blogs here during my visit to Korea.
Comments
InfiniteCanvas
Reading all this made me think of the photo of some dingy Taiwanese(?) apartment you posted that was riddled with problems. It was glorious. Forget those picturesque mountain retreats lmao Good thing you found yourself with something you like doing and it working out. That was hard work buddy
Reine
I think it's still in the process of working out for me. I feel that only this year, I've started to make the bigger steps towards some of the goals I set out for.
Reine
Thank you Fern! I'm going to try and write at least once a week if I can make the time for it.
Reine
Thank you. My story is just beginning, though. I feel there's still a long road ahead of me.
Reine
Dialogue for planes? I'm not sure what you mean.
Reine
You've been with me since the beginning Swizzler! Thank you so much for your support! I'm glad to have known you for so long ^^
SenpaiiReaper
This was such an interesting read, happy it all ended up working out well for you
Frm
Reine I was captivated the whole time reading. Really looking forward to these blog posts
bakaslayer
Helluva story. Im so happy that it worked out in the end for you. Always looking forward to more of your masterpieces.
bakaslayer
Are you gonna make dialogue for the plane pics? 😘
Swizzler9
It has been a heck of a ride watching you evolve as an artist Keep up the great work you do and dont stop being an awesome person
