This is just a placeholder for a major update we have coming up this week. Initially it was planned for last Friday, but there is a lot to go over, and we wanted to cover everything,

Stay tuned.

I had been debating with myself for quite some time on how I would start this specific journal. Of course, I am deeply embarrassed for taking so long to get back on the horse, and broach this topic.

This is largely do to our initial plan a little over a year ago, where we were going to pull out all the stops, brought in extra help, and really aimed to confront a lot of the problems left over from the very beginning of TCF. To be completely frank, this plan did not work.. Until recently, I genuinely believed that we could grind our way through this slump. Stubbornness and pride also playing a big factor. I didn't want to say anything unless I had something good to say… and that was just plain stupidity on my part. I forwarded communications to the other people helping me out, and this worked initially. The same problems cropped up again, as we never addressed the root problem of how communication was done, the who was irrelevant.

I was naive, and with what I thought would only be a few weeks worth of correction, I stayed under the radar until we had our new business model. Yet, within months, we seemed to be going back to old habits. Again, stubbornness and pride also playing a big factor. I didn't want to say anything until the ship was corrected, and with what I can honestly say was the worst year of my life, that didn't happen nearly soon enough. I apologize for being hard headed, and aloof.


I do have some context to add from my personal life that I want to address in another journal, as it was not just institutional reasons for the problems. That, and my own stupidity.. Look for my next installment, where I will go over the move, the landlord lawsuit, communication, the ADHD medication, and the depression aspects of this. Of course, I would not mind a sympathetic ear, but I don't want to come out with what looks like excuses, or deviate from the plan. If you would like to know more about this, just keep your eyes peeled.

Right now… This is our immediate solution.
We are either giving full refunds adjusted for inflation (rounded up to 5%), or finishing the existing commissions as planned. I will be opening notes up specifically for existing commissioners only, allowing us to swiftly come to a resolve (please allow us about a week to catch up). The majority of our most recent commissioners will not be affected by this, but the option remains open to all.

We stopped taking on new commissions around 8 months ago for several reasons. We wanted to shorten our waiting time, not only that, we wanted to break the cycle of taking on more commissions to make more commissions. A strategy that seemingly has no endgame. In retrospect, we should have realized the pitfalls of this strategy long ago.

We recognize that repeating the same action, and expecting different results is ludicrous. Until we iron out these issues, we WILL NOT BE TAKING ANY COMMISSIONS, nor have we for some time.

That does leave us with a serious problem.
It does not take a rocket surgeon to see that running on a fairly thin, to "break even" profit margin, to then no longer taking in the only source for income we have is not a good plan. Not only that, like anyone would expect, we run into unforeseen circumstances that can cost us serious time and money.

Let me be Frank, to run the shop, give refunds, and make this right, we cannot return to the old ways that got us into this mess. Unless you had previously commissioned us, we are going to go exclusively with auctions on completed suits.

Auctions speak louder than words.
We may not deserve it, but we are asking for your help, and we just need you to look at this suit to help get us back on track.

This is a hyena we will be posting once we get proper pictures.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/22508293/
We could really use your help to check out this suit that will be up for auction, and help us turn this around.
This will be one of may auctions to come in the following months.

The basic principal being, a fursuit, in box, ready to go. That is what we want to focus on. I know it may not be the most popular solution. Still, we have reviewed several alternatives, and this is the plan that allows us to not only make things right, but not continue the cycle.

I did want to wait until we had the suit we plan to sell posted before I continued with this plan.

I will be around, but still have quite a bit of anxiety that can be distracting. So, comments may take a moment.


Thanks for reading.

Don't miss your opportunity to get this unique fursuit!

https://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1086513.html

This is an auction for a full lemur fursuit.

Head can be found here.
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/20535488/

Pictures of the body suit can be found here.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10545160/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9420099/

If you have any questions about the auction, feel free to leave a comment.
Favorites will be seen as a personal favor to me.

Thank you very much,

Hey everyone!

Just thought you may like to know we're now open for a few fullsuit commissions.

If you're interested shoot us an email at factoryfloor[at]thecritterfactory.com

Hope to hear from ya!

Howdy folks, Forty Hyena here! The new social media manager for The Critter Factory.
I'm just hopping on here to give you guys some updates about the great stuff going on here at The Critter Factory.

First order of business is our contact info. Any questions you guys have can be directed to our new email at factoryfloor[at]thecritterfactory.com

Second, We have a reamped Social Media presense that is being head by your favorite space rat. Me, Forty. So check us out on twitter at https://twitter.com/CritterFactory and on tumblr at http://thecritterfactory.tumblr.com/ I love hearing from you guys, so say hi! Send us your fun tweets and video, we'd love to see them!

Third, We got some GREAT fursuits in the works right now being loveingly crafted here in our secret underground workshop. But we are in fact, OPEN FOR COMMISSIONS.
For quotes and any questions you might have, please send an email to factoryfloor[at]thecritterfactory.com

We'd love to hear from you!

~40

Hi there!

 cyrilwolf here.

I know a lot of people are in need of an update, so I'll take this time to get some info out there.

Over the last few months a huge amount of change has swept over the Critter factory. With my return, and the addition of two new faces on the team we have been working toward really retooling our approach. In the pipeline so far is a re-designed website, learning to use the new tools at our disposal including 3-D printing and a LASER cutter, updating our standard patterns, creating brand merch, and trying not to run out of room in the shop.

With my return I do have some new duties that are really the true topic of this discussion. While I have myriad reasons to return to TCF, right now the single most important reason was helping Lemur (AKA dear leader, or Jeff) through a very rough patch over the last few months. While I will allow him to give the full account, I will say that he had been juggling personal health problems, life threatening health problems in his direct family, domestic problems with another member of his direct family, all while running the entire shop independently until new helpers could be brought on board and trained. Currently, I am taking the role of communication and manning the TCF accounts to help Lemur catch up, and focus on what he does best with production. If you need to talk to TCF I am here to help, so please shoot me an email.

In my stead Lemur has been up to some of the most impressive work he has done to date. If I am being honest I think he has been too much of a perfectionist and it would be nice if you could actually see the work he has been doing, as there is no point to making suits if we can't get them out there. Or as I've taken to saying around the shop, perfection is the enemy of the good. A few of these finished suits have gone out the door without pictures, and I know that even some of our most popular suit owners are still asked who made their suit. That is where Circuit comes in. Our electronics, photography, and social media expert.

We also have Mik. He is our production expert, and will focus on the tails hand paws feet paws and bodies.

Lemur has been apprehensive to take on new commissions until we have everything for the re-boot ready to go. I feel like we have been ready to take on new commissions for some time now and have been antsy to help decide our what suits to take on. I got the green light to post that we are looking for commissions

For current commissioner's questions, or for quotes, please contact me at cyrilwolf@thecritterfactory.com, and we can get you set up with the next generation of Critter Factory suits.

Alright!

Well then. The days of gloom and doom officially ended on Tuesday.

I have 2 strong candidates for helpers, and a 2 left to interview. (The handing out of roses for the new hire ceremony will be streamed on Friday {no, it won't})
If you are still interested in helping around TCF, drop me line via twitter https://twitter.com/CritterFactory as I want the new hire working by the 1st of June.

In the world of communication.
It's still a tad pokey. I will be doing a final audit today to get everything 100% current. So, if you have not heard from me by say around 11AM EST, send me another e-mail, just in case.


The news many have waited to hear

Commissions

I am approaching my safety buffer with the mailing out of a few suits.
So feel free to send a quote request my way, and we will start actively looking for the next small batch of commissions. Again, we hope to have the two slots filled by the 1st. So, tell a friend if you know someone who might be interested.

If you have any questions, I would like to start fielding them to my twitter account to keep my inbox clear for out current commissioners. Hit me up https://twitter.com/CritterFactory and I will get back to you ASAP.

Other than that, keep your eye peeled. Oh, and if you are willing to help with a photo shoot on a day off, and you live in the greater Orlando area. We need models!
Again, talk to me via twitter, and we will set that up.

Thanks!

So it's Memorial day weekend, and I have fursuits to make..

but I also have a truckload of VHS tapes, plenty of beer, and pizza.

Would anybody in the Orlando area be down to have a fursuit making sleepover?
You bring your PJ's, blankets and pillow

And!

You bring what you have been working on a suit you can bring your project, and we can "stitch and bitch" with fancy drinks, pizza, and the best movies of the 80's and 90's.

Am I crazy, or does this sound like an ideal Friday night?

Hey all.

If you know me personally it will come as no surprise that I have ADHD. If you already know I have ADHD, it will come as no surprise to you that my is ADHD is classified between moderate to severe.

I have heard it all, "If you just to try a little harder", "You are just lazy", "Are you too stupid to do it right", "ADHD does not exist"... the whole gambit..

100% related!
Here is a comic to illustrate how we treat mental illness opposed to regular illness. http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2271298/t.....-HUGS-570.jpg?

If you do not have ADHD, but would like to know what it feels like, go to the ADHD simulator I have put at the bottom of this journal.

While I have used several different strategies to combat the symptoms of ADHD, one of the most useful was my prescription to a stimulant medication known as "Adderall".

Unfortunately, there is a stigma that follows this drug. It is classified as a Schedule II narcotic in US federal law, and that classification to many, marks you as somewhat of junkie. This, all despite how therapeutic it may be, and how strictly you are supervised in it's use.

So, while there is certainly a social stigma in taking a drug, in my case there is also an equally troublesome consequence in not treating my ADHD. It would seem rather obvious to those who have struggled with ADHD in their own past, but if you have not, let me clue you in.. It's really really really really hard to live a "normal" life with untreated ADHD. See "simulator" at the bottom of the page.


This brings me to the real reason I am posting this. I could really use your help. While far from perfect, I can maintain normally when I am on my meds. My doctor of 17 years has taken a month leave. This means I either try to find a sympathetic doctor for only one month that will take a new patient and actually prescribe my meds..
A risk, because.
1. Adderall is a Schedule II drug.
2. The doctor can still charge me for the visit, even without the script.
3. I could be subject to the stigma of being a "junkie" just for changing doctors, regardless of how rational the reason.

Or..

I go off my meds for a month.


I chose the ladder option.
As I was abruptly taken off my meds without a taper, I am dealing with some rather unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, including Irritability, depression, restlessness, drowsiness, and lack of concentration. This coupled with the symptoms of untreated ADHD, and me still looking to fill the vacant position at TCF has made this last week nightmarishly difficult. I could use a little help this next week and a half to stay on track.


I know that the furry community is renowned for taking care of it's own. I am hoping that is true. For the next week and a half (until the 1st), I could really use some help. You know, keeping things around the house nice, helping me staying motivated, helping me with mild depression by stopping by, or helping me around the office by packing up suits, helping me mail things out, or even helping me stay organized.
I will stress this. I don't want your money, I don't want your pity, all I am really asking is for a little of your time.

If you are in the greater Orlando area and you are willing to help me out running the Critter Factory for a few hours, or even just want to hang for dinner so I have company... would be really really appreciated. And I would, of course, be happy to return the favor in the future.

As promised, here is the ADHD simulator.

--ADHD simulator instructions."
You will need
-A blank sheet of paper
-A white room with only an overhead light, one chair, one desk, one door, and no windows, *white carpet optional
-A wall clock
-A working pen, or sharpened pencil
-12 hours with nothing to do aside from a profoundly important task that can be completed on one sheet of paper that must be finished within 12 hours that will significantly alter your life for the worse if not completed in the 12 hours allotted
-An Ipod loaded with random music that skips to the next song every 7 seconds that you can't turn off.

Once set up, simulate!
-Enter the white room.
Turn on the light.
Sit in the chair.
Pull the chair to the desk.
Observe the wall clock.
Place ear buds in your ears.
Turn on iPod.
Stare at the paper in front of you.
Want nothing more in the world but to finish this one task.
Wait 12 hours, you may doodle during that time.
Live with the crushing guilt of having every opportunity to make your life better, wanting nothing more to do so, but failing to do so.
Repeat this for about 80+ years.
Tah-Da!
That's how it feels to have ADHD!

In this authors humble opinion.....
Short answer no, long answer IT'S COMPLICATED!

If you are looking for a simple answer, you are in the wrong place. This will continue to be a discussion long after I post this. Keep it civil, stay calm, or I will keep this civil for you.

I got into a bit of a twitter scuffle... the most dreadfully annoying place to have a conversation on the planet. I think it would be more productive to argue in Morse code. In 140 characters or less, everything is inferred as an attack, or a big internet hug (e-hug, awww). I submit a grey issue beyond twitter's capacity to explicate!

I saw a picture of a dancer wearing a head, and some hand paws, I asked to use the picture.. I did not get permission to use it. Completely unrelated, if you wander over to my twitter I did happen to retweet some interesting tweets.

I could have just lied, and said I was using it for research.. Kinda creepy, yet presumably more effective than the truth. I told the truth and as you will read below, this is NOT negative. If anything, I am trying my hardest to look at the issue as objectively as possible. Again, not an E-hug(aww, E-hug) or an attack, but a place twitter dare not venture. As for the people in question. Their loss, water under the bridge. I am sure I will share a drink at a con with these individuals once we get past 140 characters. Twitter sucks..

They did brig up some points that I wanted to address, however.


Those arguments are.
-Not everyone has enough money for a fullsuit.

This is a hard one for me, as,the very reason I started making my own suits was that I did not have enough money to buy one. To convince me is going to be an uphill battle when you consider that aspect.

Furthermore, I remember very distinctly offering part or parts of my costume be cut off my own suit for other dancers. I think if you ask  zoomba he will confirm that I offered to cut off MY OWN [fursuit] HANDS when he misplaced his.  omgsparky also performed in Spook, my ringtail costume when she needed a suit.. I mean, the list does go on.

Still, let's ignore all of that, and move on to why that argument fundamentally does not work.

Could you enter a skateboard competition if you couldn't afford a skateboard? No....
Can you enter the Indy 500 without an Indy car? No...
Can you enter your into any competition without the requisite means to do so? No.

Cost prohibition is not a factor on what is really fair when everyone else is asked to pay for their own means as well. Meaning, if I need a fursuit to compete, then why wouldn't you?

I know it sucks... I had to learn to sew, get burnt, stabbed, cut, and inhale enough fur fibers to share the respiratory problems of a Victorian era asbestos factory worker.
I know first hand that being too poor to participate does not mean I can participate. It's not a logical argument, and I know it first hand.

TL;DR version: Sucks, yes. Valid argument, no.

Another argument.
-I can kick really high, on one foot into a split, that's talent..
Wow, um.... okay.. First, we have to ignore the fact that one is expecting the world to be relegated to a lesser argument because that individual can kick well..
Even if it did.. Kinda my point, you didn't do it in fullsuit..

I have competed is these competitions for now, almost a decade. I actually was at the very first FWA comp.. so, I have seen my fair share of dancer bravado. Near pro dancers that make cocky remarks like the example above are followed by an exasperated dancer that forgot 90% of their routine, and is blaming everything from the sound guy, to audience response. I often ask, "you didn't practice in suit, did you?"

Much love to the new kids on the bloc.. We all enjoy a little bit of machismo behind the scenes, but it does not mean anything on stage. If there is one thing that you will learn is that dancing in suit is a little [very] different. Talent level in and out of suit are different things, removing most of the suit does not alter that.

TL;DR Cool Bra', now do it in BASIC.


Now, this is where it gets tricky.

What is a fursuit dance comp, anyway?

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the video involved in this case is not that."

-Supreme court Justice Stewart weighs in on the matter.


Competitions have rules. You accept this when you enter the competition. If the rules are unfair, you simply do not enter. It's really quite simple. As competitions are defined by these rules, the definition can be at least somewhat static.

When I hear the words "fursuit dance competition", I infer that there is an additional aspect to differentiate this from other dance competitions. If one of the rules is that you have to be wearing a fursuit, then how a fursuit is defined needs some clarification. If you feel you can leave this blank, then it's not much of a slippery slope to painted hands, and fox paper masks.

This brings us to some very important questions.
Is there a level of difficulty inherent in performing in costume above that of normal clothing? If so, how much regular clothing should be allowed?

I submit that the added constraints of performing in a fursuit is one of the defining aspects of fursuit dance competitions. The trend to remove more and more of the costuming aspect is to remove the very thing that makes it special.

What I have not said is that finding clever, and new ways to make costumes better for dancing should be limited. Quite the opposite. Pushing the limitations of both dancers talent, and costume design go hand in hand.

In the end what I am saying is, we need to be careful not to lose sight of what makes this so unique. When we allow such trends to continue unchecked, we need to ask if we are straying too much. Ultimately, that has nothing to do with me, I am a grumpy old lemur (Who wants an e-hug?) It's really for you to decide.

TL;DR Do you, but tread carefully.


P.S. Seeing as this opened a can of worms, I will be submitting further propaganda on the subject. This has become part 1.

If you have watched me for a longer period of time, I am sure you have noticed a bit of a slowdown in posting pictures, streams, etc etc etc etc......

I am sort of killing two birds with one stone here. This is both a rundown of what is happening right now, and a non-conventional job posting for the greater Orlando area.

Overview:

a little backstory here. I am not sure if you had heard, but  cyrilwolf is no longer an active part of The Critter Factory. Much love goes out to my brother from another mother. I am sure he will pop in from time to time.

This has left only one full time person to handle all aspects of production, ordering, repairs, edits, shipping, design, social media, web presence, and development. The caveat being  ripner handling general inquires, but leaving all other communication to me.

The truth is this job can be hard, really hard.
Think about it.
When you can sink or swim depending on how quickly, competently, uniquely, and creatively you can make something that has never been made before. At the same time taking criticism, edit on request, and maintain a smile. This, no matter how hard you have worked, or how messed up the criticism.
Add that to a level of social isolation that is not intuitive relative to your observable popularity. So, no, this job is not for everybody.
As the old saying goes, "it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it"
Not that I am complaining.....

Anyway, here is part update/job posting.

General issues to address:

The majority of the issues below can be addressed fairly easily by distributing the responsibilities among two people as opposed to one. Some of the issues represent an opportunity for re-organization from the ground up, something much easier to do with new people. In both cases I wanted to lay out what an applicant would expect to be helping with. Right this moment fursuit production itself has not slowed that much, all of the other aspects listed below are really what I would want a partner to address first.

Let's get social.
While I am happy when a suit goes off to it's new home, I think you can understand why not having it seen by anyone else can be problem in the visual medium business. My last count leaves 12... yes TWELVE, undocumented suits that where never posted. On this aspect alone, many newer makers have blown us out of the water. It seems they do this crazy new thing called posting their finished work. In a way this is reassuring, as the problem is not a technical, or creative one, but rather a social one. Any individual that is able to update a twitter more than once a month would be an improvement, but I want to make sure we are present in social media. The Critter Factory Website suffered an apparent hacker attack. The site was more of a glorified link to our email, and the hacker was either not particularly competent, or not particularly malicious. In any case, the site will be back up soon and will need content. Just taking pictures and making sure things are moving forward would be very helpful.

Keep folks in the loop.
Currently communication is slow. Like most creative types, I do tend to get into a "work groove". Projects often come together quickly when certain creative elements align. For me, this means working as many as 48 hours straight with music blasting, materials flying, machines at full throttle, while even forgetting to eat. Nobody minds this level of eccentricity if all other aspects are maintained. Currently, what has been problematic is breaking away from production, spending what can be as long as 6+ hours of emails if I include quotes, then try to regain my initial productive momentum. With only myself to keep up production, I often opt to keep focused on production if production is going smoothly. Of course when you send out emails, you get responses, and the process repeats. This is not an excuse, or whining, just pointing out a problem that can be solved with additional hands on deck.  ripner does a fantastic job, but is not elbow deep in the projects themselves. Being intimately aware of where each project stands is hard to do by proxy. Helping provide information to Ripner, or customers directly would be an incredible help.

Be excited.
Morale is important, as creativity does not occur in a vacuum. Getting excited about a project is often a feedback loop. You cannot do this job if you treat it as you would a production line, or administrative duty. It does require a certain "je ne sais quoi" quality. Being really really really into fursuits helps.. a lot. Working alone, you can loose this. All of your morale boosting comes from external praise, either from the commissioner, or places like FA, and almost always after the project is near finished, or done. Lacking someone of whom is excited just to be making fursuits can make the low points where the project is just getting off the ground much more exciting, and helps to carry a good attitude through the process. There is an added perk of having a full fursuit making shop at your disposal in your free time. Yes, that does mean we can make you a fursuit, if not for free close to it. Persona projects can help motivate you to be creative. For me, seeing first hand excitement to make something is contagious.

Let's show people what we can do.
Broad appeal is something I never have ventured to obtain, but rethinking what projects I take on may help define the unique style I have to offer. I have always tried to take on any project with almost no input filter. Stick to the ref, stay objective, don't make it the way you want to but the way the commissioner wants it, and no matter what it is, I can make it. You can see yourself as a medium to materialize the vision of another individual, to differ to your expert opinion only when necessary. While I absolutely will maintain this philosophy for many projects, I recognize that you cannot do this for every commission, or even the majority of them. Even attempting to remain competitively priced against the stylistic normalcy other makers offer can lead to problems. For instance, not to name drop; I rather like  wild-life 's style, and ability to establish what I consider a brand. This example shows an inverse in approach that I find compelling. There is a wide range of diversity occurring within stylistic constancy that I personally find laudable. Yet, our pricing on fursuits is fairly comparable. Trying to stay style neutral can leave me with less tools at my disposal. As opposed to a tried and true method of universally recognized character stylization to work within, I often start from a blank slate. This means more edits, more time, more materials, and more capitol invested. In one or two rare occasions I have under-charged for a lofty project, and when all costs where considered the cost of production had cost close to, or more than total amount charged. At the same time, I think there is a market for an "objective vessel" to recreate a well defined character on paper in a three-dimensional medium. It's the duplicity of my style to also be offered to a greater market that I seem to be missing. This leaves an exciting new canvas to fill. Any fresh perspectives would undoubtedly help galvanize stylistic consistency.

Understand that being bored is universal.
Sewing takes time. Lots of time. Hours and hours of time. Working alone you are not only bored you are lonely. Even having a person to talk to when sewing is a huge help. Obviously, I would ask that a partner do more than just talk while I sew. Being able to sew, watch old movies on VHS tapes, and not go crazy would be a major help.

What to expect:

As I mentioned before, this can be a rough business. Some days are going to suck. The following is what you can expect on those rare days.
You will be asked to re-make something you feel is perfectly fine. You will be subject to critique. You will be burned by a glue gun. You will cut yourself with a razor. You will step on a pin. You will ruin something bad enough where you will have to start from scratch. You will stain your clothing. You will work 20 hours straight to keep a deadline. You will have to see your idea thrown out over another. You will become addicted to caffeine. You will waste $70.00 in silicone. You will get angry at me.

I didn't write this with the explicit intention of scaring off prospective applicants, but I don't want to portray this as if it where all sunshine and lollipops.

Really, there are 2 positions available.think of it as part-time, and full-time.

Part-time is really more of a sub-commission gig. You would essentially be a sub-contractor. Paid for each part you make on an ala carte' pay schedule. roughly, you get $50.00 for a pair of paws, $400.00 to make a body suit, etc etc.. The advantage is you would be trained, do not have to supply materials, and can use superior commercial grade equipment. You simply come in, pattern, cut, and sew. You can set your own work times, but must complete tasks within a given time frame.
Compensation would be via paypal. You provide transportation. You do your own 1099

That would be helpful, but temporary. A partner is what I am looking for long term.

Full-time, or really, limited partnership would be a lot more of a commitment. Your responsibilities would reflect that. While I can offer training, ideally you should have some prior experience in making costumes, or other artistic medium. Everything from communicating with customers, using advanced materials, keeping your work-space clean, preparing shipments, working a table at the dealers den, handling large sums of money and anything else that is part of running TCF will eventually be handled by you to an extent. While we would have to work out the details, as a partner you would potentially be entitled to as much as 50% of overall profit. The caveat being you would hold 50% of the responsibility. Of course, this would be quite a lofty commitment not to be taken lightly. "The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step."

If you are interested, let's start a dialogue and see if our ideals are compatible.

I want to keep my email inbox free of job/partnership inquiries. I do not want risk missing commissioner emails if there is a large response.

Feel free to get a hold of me via twitter critterfactory
https://twitter.com/CritterFactory

Tweet at me, then we can start a chat with private messages.

Some other things to keep in mind.
-Be realistic. If you.... live in Argentina; are finishing up your doctorate; don't work well with others; have never seen a sewing machine in person; need a full-time job to satisfy the terms of your probation; this may not be a good fit for you.
-Honesty is the best policy. No need to pad your achievements. If you have limited experience, say so. Sometimes that's better.
-Understand that chemistry is important to a business relationship. Friction is common in creative collaboration, and I could potentially be spending more time with a business partner than significant other. If it does not "click" I wouldn't take it personally.

If you have not already, please follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/CritterFactory

If you grew up in the 90's you may remember this Gem of a saying, "anything but country, or rap"..

Hell, I know I said it.. to be honest I have not heard this phrase in quite some time. Through the years such a mentality withered away. I assume partially do to the connectivity of the internet. I am going to completely ignore that, as it is not conducive to the point I am belaboring to make.

Let's assume for a second that this phrase is still as prolific as it once was.

From a completely superficial standpoint one could easilly attribute merit to the statement. My parents where not huge N.W.A. fans, so my exposure to rap was the following.



Pickeld beets? More like Pickeled beats....
Sorry, dad humor...

Then we have the other side of this sonic dichotomy, country.




Now, how exactly is this defacto worse than


Yikes...

So, why am I bringing this up?
Rap and country are huge blanketed generalizations that are adequately represent by Care Bears, or white jeans and mullets.

More to the point, people did not listen to enough of either to come to their own conclusions, they parroted sentiment, and used the examples above to further their confirmation bias.
Eventually we started to see a culturally reinforced bias proliferate the hierarchy of 90's, suburban, elementary school students.

It took years, but eventually I found out that rap, and country can be awesome. Turns out music is just music, and you as an individual can like anything you like.. Crazy, huh?

To tie this with my main point, when people say "Furry is not about sex", or something along those lines, I feel it's a paralleled cultural bias problem. I am talking about the prudish image we try to project.. a squeaky clean image to the outside world. That somehow sex is wrong, or sullies an otherwise innocent thing, and furry has nothing to do with sex.

BULLSHIT!

I would argue that it is more unnatural to not sexualize anthropomorphous anything.
Humans are sexual creatures. We sexualize EVERYTHING.

Here is an exercise for you, try not to imagine any of the following.

Sexy..
-Nurse
-Plumber
-Scarecrow
-Witch
-Fireman
-Refrigerator repair technician
-Nerd/Librarian
-Obama
-Taxi driver
-Used care salesman
-Used car..

How did you do? Your dirty little brain can imagine a sexual situation for all of the above..How cool is that!

Hell, say it's 3AM, you can just go to the store and buy this..

http://fairvilla.costumesupermart.c.....LAMP85258.html

Or this...

http://fairvilla.costumesupermart.c.....-FW121304.html

You can even buy your kids costumes at the same store you buy your sex toys
http://fairvilla.costumesupermart.com/

Is this really so taboo?

Every time we bow to the co-opted bias thrust upon us we in turn look less normal, not more normal. I have no intention of feeling ashamed for something I did not do wrong. Every time you bend the truth, or even lie, you are empowering that bias to continue.

Humans are odd, sexually frustrated, imagination machines, and that is 100% natural.
When you are apologetic, aren't you just admitting what you think you are doing is wrong. I ask you, what is actually wrong?


Does that mean that you as an individual should enjoy sexualized anthropomorphic art, stories, or whatever? Of course not, but to deny the true scope of how sexual this little subculture of ours happens to be is downright unnatural.


In the end is this not just another echoed sentiment of individualism I have droned on about before? Your're damn right it is.

Be yourself, live for yourself, and see for yourself. Do you..

Hey Everyone(or Everyfur, if yo' nasty')


We are ramping up production on our basses. If you do not now what these are here is a link to some that we have made in the past.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12898356/

The big difference is the price drop, our kits are now going to sell for $175.00 and ship for free anywhere in the continental USA.

Here is a post of one of the most recent suits that used one of our head kits.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14828539/

If you are interested in a head kit from us feel free to email  ripner @ TCFquotes[at]gmail.com

Hey guys,  ripner here. I am posting t let you know that the Critter Factory is opening for 2 commissions slots. If you are interested, or have any questions, please feel free to contact us at

tcfquotes[at]gmail.com

Hey,

Just a reminder that this is the last few hours to bid on the otter suit for auction.

http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1057953.html

Are you around 6’2”, and 185lbs? (give or take a few inches, or pounds)

Do you live around Orlando?

Do you have the afternoon free?

Of you said yes to all of these, I could use your help to model a fursuit.
Respond to me here, and we will figure out all the details.

http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1057805.html

Last few minutes for this wonderful goat fursuit.

Take a look.

http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1057805.html

Humans are interesting critters.

So, if you posted some feedback on my last journal,and are wondering why I deleted it... lemme splane

First, if you did respond to my last journal, I kept your response. As I know what it feels like to take the time to respond to someone... just for them to delete what you said. It's annoying, and it's rude.. So, if you are curious what I had to say in response, let me know, I have the whole conversation cataloged. You didn't waste your time writing to me, I value your input.

That brings me to my actual point.

Suggestibility.


Very few items make it through the crucible of suggestibility.

Let's play a game.

Is it hot in here?
I guess it is a little warm.
Yeah, it is hot in here.
The temperature is 70.2 degrees F

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.

The first three statements are subjective observation, and look as if they are part of conversation, maybe between three people. At least I wrote it to look that way.

The last is a boring objective statement.

As a fursuit maker, or an artist in general, you run into this from time to time.

When something overall looks pretty good, but once the ball gets rolling, something that otherwise was not noticed, or even a problem.. like a personal preference of color, for instance. One persona says they don't like blue.. then out of the blue, everyone after that stops liking blue... I am not gong to strain too hard to explain this, as if you have ever posted art, or a fursuit on FA you know this too well.

You know, something like.

Wolfasdfghjkl says, "I think it looks a little short,"

catasdfghjkl, then says, "oh yeah, it is a little short"

In reality it is a hypothetical fursuit that is 7 feet tall, but itn the court of suggestible public opinion it has become "a little short"

Now, this is really not about me. or the last journal. This is about you. This topic has been a "stitch and bitch" topic of my fursuit making friends for all of known history.

So, I wanted to hold sort of a public "stitch and bitch".

When it comes to the phenomenon of suggestibility in criticism, If you would, I would like you to share your own personal experiences. If you posted a tail, and it became "too stubby", or if you worked for 5 weeks on a single commissions that ended up being "the wrong color", I would love to hear about it.

This journal is now your journal to add to. Please feel free.

My joke was on every bad prankster that thought they could just fool folks who don't own a calender.

I sure showed you *shakes fist*...

but no... I did scare the crap out of my roommate.. but really that is fairly normal. I tend to hide in the house, and jump out at him a lot. I would say at least 3 times a week.

Really, that is my point though.. this is something I do all the time. I do not need a special day.

I really do hate this holiday,and not because I dislike pranks.. no, I hate the obligation for non-pranksters.

Let's face it, some of you are too nice, kindhearted, cute, or... okay.. a few of you are just kinda not good at it.. for reasons there is no need to get into.

So, it's amateur hour for pranks up and here.

That means millions of people the world over who don't know how to even cover a toilet bowl in plastic wrap, or replace toothpaste with mayonnaise are trying way too hard.. and it's just annoying.

So, when it comes to pranks, you gotta' leave it to the professionals.

Don't try to be a person you are not, or force it.. you ether end up embarrassing yourself, or even hurting people.

I say we start phasing out this ridiculously annoying, and unfunny holiday. I like people for who they are, I really hate when people feel unnecessarily obligated to do something "funny" all for a holiday that more and more, every year, we hate.

Be real, if you didn't want to prank anyone the other 364 days of the year, why is today different?
Don't let some arbitrary sense of tradition make you feel like you are missing out.

I, for one, love you just the way you are.

Sorry to be "that guy"

But I felt compelled to remind you that everything from "i'm leaving the fandom" to "I am pregnant" all the way up to very serious things cannot be taken seriously for the next 24 hours.

I feel bad for people that have actual bad news today.

Sorry to be "that guy"

But I felt compelled to remind you that everything from "i'm leaving the fandom" to "I am pregnant" all the way up to very serious things cannot be taken seriously for the next 24 hours.

I feel bad for people that have actual bad news today.

Sorry to be "that guy"

But I felt compelled to remind you that everything from "i'm leaving the fandom" to "I am pregnant" all the way up to very serious things cannot be taken seriously for the next 24 hours.

I feel bad for people that have actual bad news today.

You heard it.

Yiffcast is returning this week, and we have the exact same topics as last time.. sortof!!!!

http://www.livestream.com/fursuitmaking

Go to there at 8:30 to listen.

Hello all.



We decided to drop our headkit prices to $150.00 a kit for an FWA pickup.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12898356/ <if you where wondering what a "headkit" is.

Any headkits left on Sunday will be discounted to as much as 50% off during the last hour the dealers den is open, as I do not fee like bringing any back. However, we have no idea what the demand will be, and will only be bringing a limited amount to be sold.

So, this is a journal to pre-order if you want to reserve a headkit at this lower price, and you want t guarantee nobody else will buy it.


If you think you may be interested, but want to see the kit in person, leave a comment of what you would like. I will see if we can cast that for you. Really, it's just to give us a vague idea of how many we should bring.

If you would like to order a kit right now for FWA pickup, please email meat TCFqutes[at]gmail.com

This lower price is only for pickup at FWA.

Hello!

This is really a journal for artist that have a dealers table at FWA, and would like the opportunity to make some extra cash.

I will be bringing up some head kits to sell at FWA. As I really don't have too much to offer, or sell, the need for a full table while at FWA is teetering on unnecessary, or wasteful.

So, if you do have a table, and think you would have the space, I will pay you to sell my head kits.
20 bucks a kit, and all you have to do is to display the kits, answer a few questions, and collect funds.

It may also draw additional traffic to your table.

So, there is the proposition. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks!

-Jeff