We are in the great depression. We are the bootleggers.

There are always ways to sell porn without "the industry", same as anything.

Create communities and relationships with your valued clients now. Outside of the perimeters of the system. It is vital to your future in pornographic art.

These policies are driving us to direct sales of the consenual products we produce. Direct sales always have been, and always will be, less secure. They do sites, the public, and the government 0 good.

Any study will show you that this is always the end result of restrictions placed on adults.

Because ultimately, my desire and need to make a living this way, shouldn't prey on the empathy of fellow struggling minorities. It would be better for me to give up my art than continue to do that.

Instead I know where my bread comes from, and where I can get more, so I don't have to go hungry.

I still lose my shit now and then over on my free Snapchat 😅, demanding tips etc. But I also just don't post there when I feel like it's not bringing revenue (or when I'm sick etc.). Instead I turn my focus to my paid platforms and paying clients, where money is gaurenteed for my work.

It's taken me 6 years to realize this truth about people and money and build these kinds of client relationships. Where we can trust each other. That I won't ask for too much, or will give them the work they're expecting in return, and that they will come through for me when I need them.

Sometimes in trade for services or content later, sometimes it's just a gift, but when I ask the people I've built an artist/patron relationship with, who have money, directly for money, they generally give it to me.

And it's not $20 here or there. It's hundreds or sometimes thousands.

Once I had done that, I started "targeting" those clients. Not in a demanding way, but just making myself more available to them, and gaining more trust through my ability to give them an experience worth paying for.

Now when I -need- money? I go to them directly and ask for it.

Some people miss out of course, but now freeloaders aren't as interested, and real clients and customers can still get what they want by paying for it first. Not after they've seen the art.

Secondly I sorted my clients, getting to know them better and who actually has money "to spare" on porn.

Don't get me wrong, I still ask for tips on the timeline now and then. It's still good to remind people that they CAN tip if they're enjoying your free work, but I knew overall I had to change tactics.

First I stopped posting explicit art on my social media, instead putting it all behind a paywall.

The problem is though that freeloaders will always be freeloaders, and your empathetic followers will be triggered into action, by seeing your struggle and relating to you... until they've burned themselves out. They can't give anymore, they can't take the demands and rants, and you will lose them.

I was abusing that empathy. By demanding money for objectively free art, that I was choosing to post publicly, I was emotionally abusing my fans, clients, and friends into supporting me.

I was horrified of course. That wasn't my intent, I wasn't yelling at them, I was yelling at "freeloaders".

It turns out, my poorest and struggling followers were the ones giving in to my demands.

Those who only had $10 extra that week were giving it to me. Thinking they owed it to me, or that supporting me was more important than their needs.

Because they had empathy due to their own circumstances.

It would work to an extent, especially when I would get angry and rant about it NOT working. Money would come in from here and there, but overall it wasn't very much.

Then I made a very important and disturbing discovery. To this day I'm greatful some of my followers felt like they could speak up.

Exactly! The majority of my photoshotos from my earlier modeling days were with photographers I DO NOT RECOMMEND NOW. But I'm not about to get rid of 10+ years of work because those guys were assholes.

If you want to know who I endorse? TALK. TO ME. 💙

It will never BE how you make money. It is impossible to work professionally, make a profit, and stay in your bubble. That's not how business works. That's not how art works. That's not how humanity works.

You're endorsing what you produced together. Not the people involved.

Thank you! 💙