The Summer I turned Poor (First commissions on VGEN, cheap hobbies, and more!)

Welcome back to Co-Work with Cherii! As the weather cools down for most of you, things will get busier heading into the holiday season. I actually have a present for the twitch streamers who are reading! You will be able to find it at the end of the newsletter :)

In my previous issue (Which can be found here), I covered my floundering attempt to advertise myself as a freelancer and it ended with my acceptance into VGEN! This story is still far behind my current situation, but we’ll catch up in a few issues, I swear!

Between November and December of 2024, my monthly freelance earnings jumped from $200 to $800 dollars. At this rate, I’d be a millionaire by July. (And a comedian.)

While $800 still doesn’t seem like much, the difference felt huge and was entirely attributed to being on VGEN. Now, anyone could find me through their search engine and I was finally reaching the pockets of generous strangers. My studio work did eventually run out, and I had the opportunity to simulate freelancing full-time. (After a quick summer Christmas break, of course!) Despite my job insecurity, the New Zealand summer couldn’t have been better. We had recently moved into our dream neighborhood and dream (rental) home, we were hitting the beach, going on hikes, playing badminton, and I was actually building a consistent commission routine. 

January rolled around and while my previous months saw growth, I had a feeling it would take a couple steps back. Due to Adsense on Youtube plummeting after Christmas, most YouTubers tend to take the new year off. My freelance earnings dropped back down to $450 for January 2025, but I wasn’t worried! I had a 16 week part-time contract back at my studio about to start, so I could earn some stable income while continuing to build up my commissions on the side. But, to my surprise, things would soon grow far faster than I could have anticipated…

Next time: The rising tides of commission queues, and balancing multiple commitments!

I don’t know about you, whenever I see people online talking about hobbies it usually comes with an large upfront cost (and coincidentally some amazon affiliate links.)

While jobless, I had to seriously limit any spending. I’d love to cover how I manage finances in a later issue but for now I want to suggest cheap or free hobbies* that I’ve enjoyed! 

*Most of these happen to fit into the “sports and exercise” category, as that’s what I most enjoy doing in my spare time.

1: As previously mentioned, badminton! I’d managed to find a couple of rackets and shuttlecocks at a thrift store for just a few bucks, and then found a sheltered outdoor area to play in for free. (The usual cost to hire a court here is $20.) Badminton is also super easy to play for fun if you or the people you’re with have no upfront skill whatsoever…Speaking from experience!

2: Running, which is free depending on what gear you already have! I used my beat up Sketchers and mismatched workout attire. (Only when I could hit an hour straight of jogging did I upgrade my shoes.) 

3: Walking. Literally what beats a podcast and a walk? Or just silence. Silence can be great too. 

4: DVD collecting! Thrift stores might sell them for as little as 50 cents -$2 (At least here they do!) After cancelling all my streaming subscriptions, it’s nice to have some physical media to fall back on.

5: Going to the Library! We’re now making it a monthly habit to utilize our local library. On my last visit, I found a bunch of language books! Knocking out two hobbies with one stone!

The main theme here is: You would be surprised what you can find at a thrift store. I’ve seen hockey sticks, tennis rackets, gardening supplies, knitting needles, paint, clay, you name it. 

Thrift random stuff and try new things! You don’t need to be in an aesthetic outfit or buy brand new beautiful gear or have a baseline level of skill to be able to enjoy something!

Don’t tell my other services, but drawing Youtube thumbnails have gotta be my favourite type of commission! And you know what’s even better? When my client gives me a charming drawing reference. <3

If you’re a twitch streamer or discord moderator, feel free to save this emote and use it!

((You just might need to run it through a Webp-Gif converter, I don’t know how to let you save a GIF!!))

And if that doesn’t interest you…

For getting this far I’d love to offer you a 10% discount to your next invoice! Simply write “Let’s get Spooky!” In the “Anything else you want to add?” Section of your commission ❤️ (Excludes custom shop requests and experimental commissions, expires 15th of October!)

I hope you have a wonderful month. Keep creating and inspiring! <3 

See ya.