Last year, I shared my income from 4 months of NSFW art freelancing. I wasn’t very optimistic about the future.

So, have my views changed since then? Here’s a breakdown of my freelance art earnings, and some insights to boot. Hope they help you!

How much can you earn freelancing as an NSFW artist 🤔? Here's a breakdown of my income the past 4 months.. And lessons you can apply to your own freelance business. Click To Tweet

Show Me the Money 2021 Edition

Revenue (Pre-tax and pre-fees)

	Comms	Patreon	Products	Total
Sept	290	110	0	+400
Oct	280	120	5	+405
Nov	460	Paused	235	+695
				= 1500

Expenses

	Comms	Voice Acting	Donations	Total
Sept	-15	0	0	-15
Oct	-140	-35	-215	-390
Nov	-150	-62	-40	-252
				= -657

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Insight #1: Keep your strategy updated

In last year’s article, I talked about how I spent the most time in the early stages of an artwork: figuring out composition, proportions, and narrative details.

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So, it made sense to remove my lineart tiers, given I’d earn less per piece.

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In your own freelance decisions, try not to default to the norm too quickly. Instead, spend some time thinking about how your strengths can factor into your business decisions.

Insight #2: Figure out what client problem you solve

I realized through 2021 as I built the NSFW Artists Guild Server, developed my OC stories, and grinded through art school, that my time was very limited. And thus very valuable. I couldn’t draw as much, nor did I want to.

As you improve your art and solve your target audience’s problems, you realize that you do deserve to price high. In my case, what makes my service unique is that I listen to clients and learn about their OCs in order to make better artwork for them.

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Once I understood what made my services unique, it was much easier to raise my prices. Dollars were a thank-you for doing great work, rather than something to feel guilty about.

Can you tell me what problem your services solve?

Handpicked for you: When should you increase your price? For me, I raise when I feel like I’m providing more value than before. Here are some questions to ask yourself if you want to raise your prices, too.

Insight #3: Diversify your income sources

As freelancers, we are service providers. In exchange for our time, we earn money. However, this is a problem for slow artists (like yours truly). For example, in August 2020 I made $366… From 6 commissions.

It sounds like a lot, but I was actually earning less than minimum wage. Not all work is productive work.

Not all work is productive work.. Here are some insights from how much I made the past 3 months as an NSFW artist Click To Tweet

Knowing I could only draw so much, I shifted my focus to brand-building. My goal was to monetize through products.

Products are more time-consuming than commissions, but they can continuously pull in income. For example, my revenue for November 2021 jumped up, with $235 coming from products like the Pose Pack and the Red Pencil Art Book.

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Creating products is a challenge of its own, but the approach is the same as commissions: make sure you solve a problem, or people won’t buy. We’ll talk about this more in future articles.

Have you ever thought of making any yourself? Let me know in the comments 👇

Insight #4: Know your ideal future

You might have noticed the expenses table. And how much I’ve been spending on commissioning others.

As I got busier, I started leveraging money to reach my long-term goals. I asked questions like “what is my ideal future?”, “what do I want to achieve?” and “why work so hard?”

Personally, I want to earn without actively drawing hour by hour. So, I’m investing time and money in things that will pay off long-term:

• Email list: I truly own it, softens blow of being banned. People sign up to hear from me, making it easier to connect and sell.
• Discord server: Help other artists, lets me understand their problems so I can make products that solve their needs.
• Website: Essential branding tool, differentiates me in the sea of artists. Also generates organic traffic and connects me to wider audience.
• Content: Hire other artists to make art of my characters. This familiarizes people with my stories, and taps into the audience of commissioned artist.
• Donating: I want NSFW artists to succeed. Donating feels good and keeps me working hard.

As Em adjust to living with roommates, she desperately needs alone time… What's the oddest place your OCs have done the deed?

Amazing work made possible by @YirusannArt
and @OpaluVA 💛

Find more NSFW stories at https://t.co/uG4XE8VoUq pic.twitter.com/oafWE8dQnF

— Steady Beat 🎶 (@steadybeat_en) December 6, 2021

In the end, not all progress is equal, similar to how I had 6 commissions last year but only made $366. Now, I make more than that from just one commission.

The lesson? Don’t fall trap to tasks that feel productive, but actually keep you stuck in the same place.

Are you making the best use of your time (and money)? Hit me up and let’s talk about what you can do to improve your freelancing and reach your goals.

Hope the article helps. Let me know what your favorite insight was, or if you have any questions in the comments.

Cheers, Beats.