For the month of May I created 15 single paneled Jetlagged toons, which I released publicly to my email subscribers and social media followers. Per usual, my patrons received them a day early with corresponding progress pictures and line art downloads. Also this month, my $2 and higher patrons received a new benefit in the form of BONUS TOONS! On May 6^th I began releasing episodes from my super secret strip Jetlagged Upgraded. Read all about the new strip here. And if you’d like to see it every week, join the $2 tier on my Patreon page.

Patron Call

I had another incredible month of support and added 54 more patrons and $246 more bucks towards my dream of full-time toning! Thank YOU to my patrons for continuing your support!

Less Blogging  = Sane Kelly

In April I went gung-ho and produced a new blog every week. But on top of the increased weekly toonage, I soon realized this new model wasn’t sustainable for my current lifestyle. So I’ve scaled back to once a month in the form of a broad overview blog. I might put out random blogs here and there, but for now, this will have to suffice for now!

Systems Over Goals

Of the goals I set for myself for the month, I reached my weekly capacity of 3 new toons a week, plus hitting my $100 increase in patron funding. These I met because I already had systems in place for reaching them. The other goals I set for myself (creating 10 new products, outlining my 3^rd book) did not get hit because I didn’t have systems in place! I’m big on systems. And I know if I don’t create a system around my goals, the goals will not be reached. So I had already set myself up for failure by not spending time creating systems around the new goals.

For example, my M-F system for producing 3 new toons a week goes like this:

1. Get up
2. Make tea
3. Go to my office
4. Sit and draw a cartoon
5. Ink said cartoon
6. Scan and upload cartoon
7. Color cartoon in Photoshop while listening to an inspirational podcast
8. Save cartoon

I stick to this system pretty religiously, so I know the work will get done. I have a time frame of when I do it and it is now a part of my daily routine. That is how goals get met. I got better at creating systems after reading the book Atomic Habits, by James Clear. So now I just have to figure out new systems for creating new products and producing a third book!

A Plethora of PR

When it rains it pours! In May I had 3 separate interviews in the forms of a blog, a TV show and a podcast. Tara Carver, patron and lifestyle blogger of Babe on a Mish wrote a blog about Jetlagged and named me Babe on Mish of the Month. Thanks Tara! Then later I was interviewed for a local interest piece on mid-west TV program. Then just today, I had a fabulous chat with patron, FA, author and podcaster Joe Thomas on his podcast Grounded with Flight Attendant Joe. Thanks Joe! His interview with me will post tomorrow.

KellyKincaid.com

This month I also launched my long-awaited site KellyKincaid.com which acts as an illustration portfolio for my non-Jetlagged work. By advertising my illustration services, I keep myself busy in case I do end up losing my FA job come October.

How I Used Patron Funds This Month

Patron funds were used to pay for the normal monthly overheads this month like the Shopify website platform and Constant Contact e-mail services, but also for purchasing the new Kellykincaid.com domain name and paying for a 4 day online cartooning workshop I’ll be attending next month to help improve my abilities as an artist and writer (I’m really excited about it!). I’ve also been stocking away a bit of the funds for future days and months where I might not be flying, plus investing a small amount.

Donations

As I did last month, 10% ($130) will be donated in three equal amounts to the AFA Disaster Relief Fund, the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and my own airline’s Employee Assistance Fund.

Where Did I Fly?

It's hard to believe, but I actually did fly somewhere this month! Last week I got called out (yes, I'm on reserve this month) to layover in DTW (Detroit). It was a short layover (14 hours) and I was home early the second day. It had been so long since I had a layover I hardly knew what to pack. It took me all morning to figure it out. Bailey, of course, knew exactly what I needed to pack all along. 

June Forecast

For June I took a big scary leap and will be flying half a normal schedule in order to focus more on Jetlagged. Eek! It’s a long dream of mine to transition from being a full-time FA to being a full-time cartoonist, and with the help from patron support I’m finally able to make the change. So thank you to my wonderful patrons! I’ll be able to produce another 13 public toons, 4 patron bonus toons and 4 Patron Spotlights. From June 15-18^th I’ll be continuing my education by attending an online cartooning course which I hope will increase my knowledge of gag cartooning and help me produce better content for you in the future.

Fun Facts!

This month’s fun fact about me is that I have a secret love of fermenting things…sauerkraut, carrots, kefir, ginger beer, kombucha… Kelly has one happy belly. ;-)