The REAL Cost of Making an Animated Series

There is a cost that comes with any creative endeavor. Some of it is money, but there's... a lot more to it. ...and did we ever get around to knowing who's voicing the character Aecious? Let's figure it all out.

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[tridek]

You can tell there's been a timeskip because Brookes has an updated character design.

[jademonas]

I think society in general is starting to understand that indie projects really take time to make
things like silksong, deltarune, the ENA animations, people are getting used to waiting more for a project they know are going to be high quality
could you imagine if one of those coming out with cyberpunk-level roughness? they would never recover
so thank you for taking time to make sure it actually comes out to a level of quality, thats all we want

[ADistantWail]

Maybe the real Stormfellers were the beards we grew along the way.

[kinocomix]

I dedicated most of my 20's to finishing a graphic novel that i published on the internet for free while working any job i could get my hands on. a lot of my peers have successful careers and at times it feels weird, because all i have to show for it is a very big comic book. making art is only worth it if you make it worth it. I still remember an email i got three weeks after it was done, of someone who had just binged the whole thing and was crying. the next day i started work on the one i'm currently doing.

[sylvanshroom]

I relate so hard to the story of being more upset that someone was waiting. Even when things are out of our hands it's so hard to feel like you somehow did wrong by someone or otherwise inconvenienced them.

I am so pumped to hear about Aecious!! And dang the new textures are looking tasty. So excited for this project as always!!

[Lobstro]

Congratulations on getting such a legend to be a voice actor for your show! I hear Quilver is really picky about what roles he plays, so good on you for getting him to agree to this!

[SouthernShotty]

Nice to hear you reflect some of my own feelings. Thanks for the shout out and good luck on the journey

[alternatingthursdays]

Man, did this hit close to home. I may not be working on an indie animated series, but as someone who has a lot of creative ambition and lots of ideas/plans/goals this made me feel very seen. It's absolutely incredible how much effort you're putting into this. I'm very excited to see what your pilot brings, and I absolutely know it'll be worth the wait. Hearing other people talk about the struggles of being a creative/taking on big projects makes me feel relieved to know I'm not the only one struggling or taking a long time. You're a massive inspiration to me, and you have been for a long time now! You're doing a wonderful job!

[RooNelo]

This came out at good time. I’ve had a stop motion short film idea in my head for years now, but it’s still in the early stages. I keep falling into the trap of “I have to learn more or get better at this before I can do that.” I definitely feel the soul, weight, and debt factors you mentioned too. I don’t intend to give up on it but part of me wishes I didn’t announce the project. That said, I do enjoy any and all updates you give on your project. It's looking awesome!

[TeeKetch]

Continue wishing you all the best Brookes. You're doing things the right way and that is commendable. I'll be ready to scream out about Stormfellers as soon as its out and make sure everyone sees it haha

[Iddstar]

I got shingles a few years ago due to the volume of stress in my life. It's awful and nobody seems to acknowledge how across the board crappy it makes you feel, or how long it takes to feel better. I'm sorry you've been ill with it on top of the mountain you've been climbing to make this all happen. Personally, I find it deeply inspiring, and I am nothing but patiently excited for the pilot. I hope you're able to take care of yourself as well as taking care of everything else!

[starburn]

9:00
You made a point that got me thinking deeply about my work ethic in my art and projects. My problem is that I've been delaying my personal projects because I'm facing college and struggling to manage my personal care and school life. I can barely handle personal projects.
So much so that not only have I been ignoring my personal projects, despite me constantly saying that I do care about it and yet not doing it due to burn out, not making the time, busyness, tiredness, and lacking confidence, I have been pushing people that tried to care and support it away because I didn't give them what they wanted, to see more. That lead to so much opportunities that my friends said is open, I never got to take. And it feels like I'm holding weight due to the fact that the content I have were made by others that was given to me. Which I now struggle to maintain because I don't know the full important concept details, and the people that does left because of my lack of effort.
I kept saying that I wanted to do it at my own pace and that some of the help or advice that people gave was too much for me to understand entirely. I needed baby steps to understand every single important fact. But I feel like it's me who's been a problem, and I'm not adjusting or making the effort that I wanted to due to either burnout or a lack of drive.
What can I do about that? I'm stuck and feel like my passion for art is running so dry and I don't know what to do.

[LARADEKA]

As someone who is trying not only to profit, but also find my place in an ever-changing industry...

It gets harder. As ideas gets broader, and the team starts from square one, it gets more difficult to organize yourself and set out a clear timeline of how you want your projects to be. Some teams had to delay the project so they can come back to it with a strong goal in mind, as well as to improve on what they failed. Crunching leads to burnout, and now I prefer flexible work hours whenever I want to career hunt/team hunt.

Managing, however, is a double-edged sword. But if you are a multitasker, you can take many roles, from the lowest to the highest. It sounds humble, but it is a challenge, especially when you're doing everything by yourself... which is what I'm doing.

*_Also, Parker Simmons is a legend._*

*_Now I'm driven to go indie._*

[shock]

You're getting closer every time!
I know all this effort will pay off, you got this!!

[ayperosia]

Putting your time into a project is more than enough of a reason. Treating your workers well is also an awesome reason to have some delays on the estimated timelines, avoiding crunch etc. This little update has been very appreciated, yes this is a passion project, but do take good care of yourself please! You should know we're all excited and looking forward to the trailer and happy to wait longer if that's what is needed! ✨

[Helimations]

I cannot express just how many people need to hear this, especially if you're in the process of making your own series. This is something I have delt with for almost a year now, and to hear someone else express the exact feelings I had is both comforting and gut wrenching. We often forget that we tend to make things come off as worse in our own heads than what people really think.

Always cheering for you, Brookes!! You got this man!! Don't let the mind overcome the soul 💖

[evanlane]

I've seen a few of your videos but never knew about this project. Just missed that content somehow. Keep at it! It looks amazing! Subscribed!

[CatLover-gkuu]

You still remain a massive inspiration to me brooks. The time, work, effort, sacrifice, It's amazing everything you've done for this project. Every dollar I have put towards you and supporting you I still feel were worthwhile and i'm still excited. So let's see what the man who got me into worldbuilding, story telling, and character design gots in store for us next and I don't care how long I have to wait, because I know it will be worth it.

[DavidAnastasiou]

As long as you are giving 100%, what is there to feel guilty about? You’re doing the best you can. It takes as long as it takes. We’ll get there when we get there. Remember to be kind to yourself.

[theloob]

This is hellp full, but yet not, I am not old enough to make my own money, but dreams and passion is what creeps us all going. I wish you good luck on yours. (I am crying i don't know why)