Hey Beats,
So I’ve been trying to make a living off my art in some form for the last decade and nothing’s really changed. I’ve done commissions, catered to fandoms, and even sold some merch. However, it’s nothing that would make doing art full time viable. I have a Patreon, but I’ve never gone past 10 patrons. I’m mostly on Twitter, but have tried other sites with little to no activity.
With Gumroad kicking NSFW off their site, and Twitter engagement down (I’m lucky to get likes, let alone comments or RTs) I’m at a loss as to how to grow. Last year I finally threw in the towel, however getting laid off kind of forced me to try and make my art marketable again. Nothing. So, I don’t know. I’m clearly doing something wrong for the last 10+ years, but at this point I don’t know.
I don’t fit into any niches because my tastes are rather vanilla. I don’t have any fetishes that would make me stand out. So I guess that puts me in a bigger, more saturated pool.
Hey D,
Props to you for sticking to it for the past 10+ years. It sucks that you’re forced back into it by life circumstances instead of by choice.
I invite you to examine your art/business on a spectrum of “like” (art) to “need” (product). Although we can tell ourselves that our art is unique and valuable and much-needed, it still remains entertainment, and thus a luxury. That’s pretty hard to ask people to pay for, considering the competition. Honestly, I’ve decided to jump off the full-time artist train myself—at least when it comes to making art. Artists like Afrobull and Reiq come to mind as such ‘successful’ artists who get to draw fun shit and get paid for it. Where does that leave us, with our Patreons dry (I also only ever hit ten patrons), and our platforms outing us left and right?
I would suggest looking to make things people need, especially if your goal is to make a living (or at least add to it.) See B-Side Poser and my books, which pull on art expertise but not necessarily my art.
That said, I don’t want to discourage you from creating what you like. There just might need to be some flexibility to make money. I certainly wish I could create content like Merryweather, Gats, or Maxine, whose OCs delight people enough to support content (fun fact, I did try with Loveless, but decided it wasn’t worth the time! I earn more teaching than drawing.) Although you say “I’ve clearly doing something wrong for the past 10+ years”, I hesitate to agree. Art careers are fickle—a mishmash of skill, good luck, and whatever other shit goes into the brew.
All that poetic masturbation to say: I don’t know when success will visit you. Hopefully the artists above will inspire you. Studying their technique, how they structure their content, and how they market themselves might help.
Also, I’d shift to think about sustainability over growth/success. As you mentioned, social media engagement is in the trenches. Looking at your content, you have a lot of stuff, though it’s somewhat all over the place. As a potential supporter, it’s not clear to me what the big picture is. Aside from comics and upcoming content (especially saturated if you’re catering to one fandom), what do I get?
After refining what you offer clients and supporters (perhaps interviewing your closest ones and asking them what makes your art worth their cash), consider putting your content in one place—ideally on your own website—and focus on funneling people there and making sales. The Gumroad hit on NSFW hurts for sure; unfortunately, it’s just one of many difficulties NSFW artists face. Lately, I’ve been focusing on building websites instead of on 3rd-party social platforms. Building your own website, growing an email newsletter, and coming up with original content that people come back has been most sustainable in my experience.
Hope that helps.
Cheers, Beats