You know, there are a lot of things that I love about having a career in the arts. However, the endless need to hustle is not one of them. Just when you feel like you've got things under control a freelance gig evaporates, a new expense materializes, etc. And here you are just wanting to keep doing the thing that made you happy but now you've got to figure out yet another way to monetize it, Or Else. I loathe commodifying art, which is about sharing. And yet you must eat and pay bills.
@AbandonedAmerica yuuuuup, that's where i'm at as well 
@lashman I'm sorry. It is a really scary feeling to live with.
@AbandonedAmerica i've been there for the last 15 years really. i've never been making more than the barest of minimums to get by, with juuuuust barely being able to pay the bills and buy some food (and sometimes not even that)
@lashman I felt a lot more stable prepandemic but it took me forever to get there. In 2019 I was even looking to start expanding my photo workshops abroad. Then I just got wrecked and have been scrambling since
@AbandonedAmerica yeah, that seriously sucks, i'm really sorry to hear that :(
@lashman ah.... you know. It sucks. It sucks that you're in a similar situation with struggling to get by. It sucks that this is what the world is. Gotta just get up the next day and move on with it I guess except sleep isn't happening apparently

@AbandonedAmerica yeah, pretty much :(

and the worst part is that i don't even need much to get by, i would be ABSOLUTELY set if i only somehow managed to get enough work each month to make like $1k consistently, but right now i'm not even remotely close to that