Stop Telling Creators Not to Create For Money.
I’ve made a whopping 9 cents from this blog.
But
I guess I’m supposed to be grateful for that because I am doing something I love doing. Ironically when I was working a steady job that I hated I was still told “be grateful that you have a job.” I am very grateful that I’m doing something that I love. I’m am very grateful that I’m a writer, content creator and podcaster, so yes, speakers of silly sayings, I am grateful for both, but this IS my job. Same for many other writers and content creators out there. What we do isn’t just some hobby anymore, it is our lively-hood.
Creators are not “greedy” or “ungrateful” when we ask for donations or put a price tag on what we do. You might as well say what’s really on your mind. Tell us to go and get “real jobs.” Tell us to service you for free with our talents and then go out into the “real world” to get a “real job” that’ll pay us shit for servicing you and all the other assholes out there. Shit, you might as well tell us to do everything for you for free because we’re blessed to be able to have “supporters” and to have time to do things that we like to do.
Supporters.
Supporters come in many different forms. You have those who actually tune into whatever a creator does. Whether that is someone who watches videos, read blogs, books, listen to podcast or music, ect. You have supporters who donate to their favorite creators from time to time to vocalize their support. You have those who share everything or just about everything their favorite creators create, as a form of promotion/word of mouth. You have the supporters who actually buy what their favorite creators are selling, whether that be merchandise, music, other content and materials. I can’t speak for all creators, but I’m grateful of every bit of support I’ve gotten on here, for my writing in general, for my podcast and my content created on Rizzle. With that being said, don’t you dare tell me and other creators NOT to monetize what we do. Chefs and bakers are really good at what they do, should they not get paid for creating the delectable desserts and dishes they’ve created? Your favorite clothing brands have designers who you think are really good at what they do, do you think they shouldn’t get paid for their hard work and creations? Your barber/hair stylist is good at doing what they do, correct? If not, you wouldn’t have stayed loyal to them and, you guessed it, you wouldn’t pay them.
Dear “Supporters”
I ask why is it okay for everybody else who services you in some way to get paid, but not the creatives? This is mainly for the supporters who call themselves “supporters” when they really are jealous leeches who watch what creators do because of a number of reasons. Obviously, not all supporters are bad, but you know the little Ernie in me has to address the bad, so here he goes! You only “support” because you see a number of other people doing so and you don’t want to miss out on the “hype.” Speaking of FOMO, another reason why you “support” is because you don’t want to miss out on the possibilities of reaping the benefits of someone else’s bright future. You do this to the creatives that you know personally, whether they’d be family, people you grew up with, went to school with, worked with or maybe have dated in the past. Your “support” for them is not coming from the same mindset as the other supporters, the REAL supporters. They actually care about the creations and creator. You only care about what you could gain from the creator. You and them are not the same.
A Creator Who Understands.
As a creator I understand money isn’t just something that can easily be given away if you’re not of the 1%. I’m the type of supporter who prefers to share the content of my favorite creators and give them free promotion (Shout outs). I truly believe in the power of word of mouth, which is why I don’t lock ANY of my content behind a paywall unless it’s patreon, which is the entire point of having a patreon and as a supporter if you are going to subscribe to someone’s patreon, you do so with the understanding that whatever service they are offering you must pay first before viewing/receiving said service. I monetize my work so there are ways I can still make money doing what I love to do without having to rely on donations or paywall methods. I would make more money with the paywall method, but that is very restricting to the audience so keep that in mind the next time you think about calling me greedy or ungrateful simply because I believe I deserve money for the great job that I do as a writer, podcaster and content creator. And no, I WILL NOT get a “regular” or “real job” unless I think the money is too easy to pass up. Still won’t demonetize what I do as a creative if that were the case.
At the end of the day, this IS my job and fuck you if you think I and other workers like myself should not get paid for our work. You’re willing to risk your health and pay for a haircut just to look good for no one but you don’t think the creators who’ve been creating and helping you out through these “trying times” deserve to get paid for their hard work? Again, this isn’t me begging for money or trying to guilt trip you into giving me money, I just want the mindsets people have about creators and what we do to change. Think of us the same way you view your barber/hair stylist. Unless you’re someone who isn’t loyal to either. That explains why your hairline is jacked up and you’re edgeless.
