#but it turns out small ponds don't pay a living wage

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

I've received some criticism for accepting commissioned posts, so I want to clarify

this blog & the content I produce is currently my only means of income

I'm saving to escape a toxic household

tumblr is notoriously difficult for content-creators to monetize

I accept ko-fi / paypal / commissions instead of reblogging 'sponsored' content (ads from fashion retailers or Adam & Eve) the way most blogs my size do. I don't want this space to feel impersonal; reader support allows me to avoid commercial advertising.

I'm doing my best. I've spent years putting in full-time hours on a blog that has only just started paying part-time wages. eventually I would like to make a living writing traditionally published content, but that's a long ways off. for now I'm just trying to get by, and trying to write fun and weird and (hopefully) surprisingly helpful content on the platform I have. please bear with me. I'm simply trying to turn an obsessive passionate hobby into something I can live (frugally) on.

#I'm a big fish in a small pond #but it turns out small ponds don't pay a living wage #which many of my fellow fish are unaware of #also...i reblog very few posts on my main #almost all the content you'll see on my blog is original #and there is a LOT of it #I enjoy this but I do bring a professional mindset to it #I work hard to stay organized. I have drafts folders and a regular schedule to help me keep on top of that and the inbox #I spend anywhere from 2 to 6 hours a day on this blog #back when the inbox was open and I was constantly answering messages I averaged about 7 hours a day #it was INSANE #as my audience grows i am trying to find ways to interact in an authentic way while still maintaining a balance #and it's frustrating how much resentment i get for trying to make a living off of this #i see other larger blogs built on reposting other people's content that are thriving on sponsored posts #*side eyes certain best of twitter accounts* #and i just...i try to put in the hours and do original content and interact with people in a way that feels honest and meaningful to me #and then i receive backlash from people willing to ignore that there are plenty of larger blogs on the site #that were built specifically to be monetized and have successfully done so. and I just #sometimes it is so hard to be a person on this site #easy to be a meme account. but not a person #'you're just doing something anyone can do and most people do for free' #I'm doing something I enjoy that started as a hobby and that I am now trying to turn into something resembling a career #I don't think that is automatically unethical