One thing would be creating a community around yourself that are of similiar thinking to yours, despite getting mostly horny consumers, I think you made a community around your account.

If you were gonna go all paid content, you'd need to pump out your art constantly and (personally) I think in larger numbers, which might take all the fun out of it for you.

(Of course I am talking purely out of my ass, so all of this might not apply at all, in that case, I am sorry ^^')

That is why I've avoided commissions. I consider it off and on, but it always comes back to the artwork being a relief from my paying job and typical responsibilities.

And when it comes to community: I really do try to make sure I show love to everyone that takes the time to communicate with me. I'm working on being better at starting conversations and approaching people; usually one has to approach me and start talking because I certainly lose the courage.

If its worth anything, I think you're nailing the community part, as far as I've seen, you usually go out of your way to respond to each and every comment left on your pieces!

I like talking to people, but I'm entirely incapable of starting a conversation on my own XD

why would that defeat the purpose? folks obviously like the work you're doing for your own edification, that's what attracted them in the first place. if you don't need to charge, don't charge! i wouldn't if i could afford to live without having to!

I guess the only thing that crossed my mind this morning was being taken seriously by viewers by proving that what I make is "worth it". Upon being awake for a few more minutes, I now see that this is a bit silly.

its silly, but its also something that many of us artists struggle with. it's kind of the fault of the way our societies apply human worthiness only to how much money we make. it takes a strong will to repeatedly be like 'my art is worth more than dollar signs, people get joy out of it' especially on days when idk, you otherwise might feel kind of low and self-critical.

but honestly unless youre literally out there going "neener neener my art is FREE/CHEAP so dont buy from EXPENSIVE artists!!" there's literally zero harm in giving people art in return for the joy of creating for them.

That's the way I usually see it when my mind is in the right place. My gyroscope is all outta whack today, however.

Usually it doesn't matter. For me, it's not that something I put a lot of effort and thought into getting no feedback, but that something I did with no thought or effort got such a strong response. Worse yet, I would never know why it did.

Hard to say for sure...I've struggled with the question too where I at once need to make a living off my creative endeavours to feel any kind of happiness or satisfaction and at the same time worry that doing that will just turn it into another job

I think I do want to have my cake and eat it too when it comes to content creation. I want the feeling of creative satisfaction without the conviction to a medium.

I definitely appreciate that, it's a difficult thing to satisfy especially if you're like me and dabble all across the creative spectrum

It's entirely up to you whether you want to open commissions. I think you'd get a lot of buyers if you did. But as someone who's been doing commissions for years, I can tell you now there are stresses that come with it just like any other job. You need to set out prices and rules first and foremost, and over time you'll probably need to update both of those (especially when people inevitably start demanding you draw things you don't want to or insisting you give them free art because they feel entitled.)

Also make sure to verify whomever is commissioning you actually has PayPal or another method for payment and that they don't have a history of ripping people off. I got burned by that once.

Also keep in mind...it is very, VERY difficult to turn art commissions into a full-time job. I've been doing this for close to a decade and I've never once made more than $200 in a month. Most months I make less than $50.

Yep. Stressful af. I don't want that. I did feel kind of guilty about basically doing stuff without asking for compensation. I don't know what my logic was this morning. Maybe it's because people like you try pretty hard to make something that matters to someone else.

Well for me, since I can't hold a "real job" (chronic insomnia and anxiety make setting an alarm a no-go), art and content creating is the ONLY thing that makes me feel like I "matter." As annoying as all those above things I mentioned can be, there's nothing quite like the freedom of setting one's own rules, deadlines and prices and the satisfaction of finishing a polished piece of art and getting paid for it, even if it is only pocket change. Like all things in life it's a give-and-take. Every job has its ups and downs, it's just a matter of finding something where for us the ups outweigh the downs.

I don’t think so

I don't think so now, either. But it's been bugging me off and on for a while now.

Maybe this is me over-simplifying things, but what this sounds like to me is that you're letting your insecurities get the better of you (which is nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to the best of us) and you should remember that insecurities are, definitionally, irrational.

It happens to me a lot. It's what makes it impossible for me to make certain moves on my own without a lot of outside force.

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