Trying out a New Creative Direction for Paper Thin Personas in 2026

I had decided that I wasn’t going to set a posting or productivity goal for Paper Thin Personas in 2026. This is very unlike me (I am a goal-setting kind of gal) but I’ve been investing more time in another creative passion of mine: writing.

If I wanted to take that seriously, I needed to make some room in my schedule. I knew I probably wouldn’t be producing paper dolls at quite the same pace I had in previous years, so I thought giving myself flexibility would let me keep creating here while also making time for my other passion.

This was great in theory, but “I’ll post as much as I can” turned out to be its own kind of trap.

I thought that if I created even one new paper doll set in 2026, I would have met my goal. No pressure, no number hanging over my head, no chance of failing.

Except that’s not how it felt.

Instead, I was constantly wondering if I had the balance right. Was I spending too much time drawing and not enough time writing? Was I creating enough for the wonderful people who have supported Paper Thin Personas for so many years? Was I giving this project the attention it deserved while still allowing myself room to grow?

It turns out that “as much as I can” wasn’t actually the right goal for me. There was no way to fail, but there also wasn’t really a way to succeed. It never felt like enough.

So, for the rest of 2026, I’m taking a different approach.

My goal is:

• One new paper doll set on the Paper Thin Personas website each month.
• One new paper doll set for paying Patrons each month.

In between, I’ll continue sharing behind-the-scenes content on Patreon, including works in progress, creative updates, and the little pieces of the process that don’t always make it onto the website.

I expect there will be months where I create more than this, but I want to set a goal that feels sustainable and lets me focus on making each release something I’m proud to share.

Because that’s really the larger shift happening here at Paper Thin Personas.

When I started blogging back in 2008, regular posting was considered essential. Daily updates were the gold standard. The more often you published, the better your chances of building an audience.

And honestly, that made sense for the internet of 2008.

But the internet has changed.

The way people discover content has changed. The way people follow creators has changed. A constant stream of updates isn’t the only way to build a connection anymore.

What matters more to me now is creating things that are thoughtful, complete, and worth spending time with.

I’m still drawing. A lot.

Paper dolls are always going to be one of my great creative loves. I love researching a theme, designing the clothing, creating the characters, and watching an idea become a finished collection.

But my process has changed.

Since moving to digital art, I’ve found myself wanting to explore ideas more deeply. Instead of creating one page and moving on, I want to keep building—adding more outfits, more details, and more possibilities until I feel like I’ve truly explored the idea.

My Patrons have probably already noticed this shift. Recently, I’ve been creating more multi-page sets, and I think that direction feels like a natural fit for where Paper Thin Personas is going.

So, rather than focusing on producing as many individual releases as possible, I want to create more complete collections. Sets that allow me to explore a historical moment, a character, or a theme in greater depth. Collections that feel like a whole experience rather than just a single printable page.

For Patrons, this also means more opportunities to see the process behind these collections with early ideas and sketches to works in progress and the decisions that shape the final result. Those behind-the-scenes moments have always been one of my favorite parts of sharing this work.

This doesn’t mean every release will be a large collection. I still have plenty of one-page Ensemble Eclectica sets waiting to be colored, and I love those smaller projects too.

But I do think the future of Paper Thin Personas will involve fewer separate posts and more thoughtful, larger multi-page creations. I also hope this makes the site easier to explore for new visitors who can easily get lost in the jungle of thousands of printable paper dolls.

And if you enjoy Paper Thin Personas but don’t want to miss new releases, you can now sign up to have new posts delivered directly to your inbox. That way, you don’t have to remember to check the site or rely on social media algorithms to find new paper dolls. There’s a signup box at the bottom of this post.

If you think you signed up a long time ago, I recommend signing up again. This is a completely new system.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Paper Thin Personas over the years. Whether you’ve downloaded a paper doll, shared my work, followed along with the process, signed up for updates, or become a Patron. This project has continued because of the people who care about it.

I’m excited to keep building it with you and creating more paper dolls.