(Picture of Graffiti, D3OL 2023)

On the 3rd of April, I made my first story post on the D3ol Instagram. I then reposted it on my main instagram just saying that I made the cover art. Throughout the entire time the post was up, I gained a better understanding on why some people are against the notion of posting on a public platform “for oneself.” When someone creates a work of art, only the creator of the work is aware of its existence. They can appreciate what they have made and subjugate it to criticism privately. However, when one decides to post their work publicly, they are doing it for the likes of society; whether consciously or subconsciously. 

Checking to see how their posts are doing, how many likes it is getting, or if their friends are sharing the post. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with generating content for money, but the issue is when one does not want to be honest with themselves about it. I can understand why people who post their work online would not want to do this. More than likely, they don’t want to seem as though their work isn’t “genuine” or that they are doing this for the wrong reasons. 

With all things in life, one can certainly attain balance in both: authentically creating work that fulfills them and getting paid to do it. Wouldn’t that be nice? Being able to live off your work, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want it to become something I end up hating. You often hear about musicians or streamers talking about how they regret turning their hobby into a job because now the fun in it has gone away.

The way I hope to avoid this is by working an occupation that can support my cost of living and do creative works that generate income. One would potentially find more success if they prioritized working with B2B (Business to Business) rather than B2C (Business to Consumer). I say this because in my experience, there is more money, and less headache associated with working for businesses.

I want to share some of the ideas that stuck with me when I watched a video called “Is it too late to become a YouTuber?” by Creator Support, specifically, in the section called “Is YouTube a Waste of Time?” The first idea they spoke about was one being fulfilled from the work they create. It’s easy for one to get knocked off course when they are not fully into their endeavor or if they are not gaining fulfillment from it.

For example, if someone begins to create music for the sole purpose of making money, they may not stick around too long if they don’t get a lot of traction. On the other hand, if the person is creating music for their love of it, then they will naturally have more longevity in that path and it may lead to positive growth in the future.

Another point they shared was the idea that one should take time to define their definition of “making it.” This way, they do not end up in a crisis because they do not know what they’re working towards. When one does this, they must also be sure that the cost to produce stays constant. The time and resources it takes for one to produce work the first time does not increase the longer they do it. In Naval Ravikant’s “How to Get Rich” podcast episode, he gives a great example supporting this sentiment.

“Joe Rogan is working no harder on his current podcast than he was on Podcast number 1, but on Podcast number 1,100 he’s making a million dollars from the podcast whereas for the previous one he probably lost money; for the first one. That’s an example of zero marginal cost.

Naval Ravikant

It’s interesting to see how I thought I was going to be writing about things going on with me creatively, but now I have just been writing short essays. I’ll give some updates though. First, I have been playing around with Blender some more, hoping to finish my first 3D model this week.

Also, when I was watching @intranetgirl on YouTube, she introduced to me the concept of photogrammetry so I may experiment with that at some point. I appreciate you for taking the time to read this essay (Idk why I always make these endings sound like I’m writing an email). I found this house song when I was scrolling through TikTok so that will be the song of the essay. Please enjoy Da Fonk by Mochakk and Joni.