How to survive as an obscure creator?

DO SOMETHING ELSE FOR MONEY.

That's it ^_^

If you are in it to make uncompromising personal work that does not arrange itself to fit trends or the market you are in for a world of HURT if you also try to make a living from your obscure creative works.

I tried to do it for some time and it was destroying me. So I just flipped a switch and separated things. My creative work is my therapy, my calling in life, my passion BUT it's not going to make me a living.

So I do other things for money. Luckily those other things don't require much of my time so my lifestyle didn't change very much except that it removed the CRUSHING pressure, anxiety and self immolating internal conflict when it came to my creative works and making money with them.

So if you're struggling trying to make money with your creative works and are an uncompromising creator like me then just switch gears. Find or create a new thing that is designed for making money and leave your creative work to be pure.

If you can find/create something that creates a passive income that's always the best because it gives you the most free time. I know in writing that I make it sound like its easy but look at it from my perspective...

I was making 2 hour animated feature films by myself. That's 1,500 - 2,000 individual shots consisting of multiple animated characters, voices, sets, sound fx, modeling, animating, music etc etc... and I stayed on schedule and shipped every time.

I was doing all that myself + everything else I do with virtually no budget. Those things are traditionally done by 50 + people.

Doing that stuff was REALLY REALLY difficult. Compared to THAT "making money" is not difficult.

I didn't always think like that though... from failing to make substantial amounts of money so many times with my works I had convinced myself that I was retarded in some way when it came to money. I had mentally locked myself out of being "successful" in that sense.

As dumb as it sounds... Then I started to realize that no one else was doing the things I was doing... and I realized it was because the things were really difficult... they required tons of discipline, dedication and focus... as well as skills and knowledge...

I looked around and saw people lacking those qualities/abilities making tons of money... so I said to myself... "If they can do it, of course I can too"

So I bought and read a bunch of business books, attended free seminars/talks on related things... and yeah, it is NOT as difficult as making a 2000 shot animated film by yourself... it just takes time and dedication like anything else.

So if you are an independent creator and have a similar mental block when it comes to money... just reframe and separate things and maybe that will help you too.