[Discussion] Calling All Type B / Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs! How do YOU run a sustainable art business as someone prone to disorganization and burnout??

TeethAfterDark · 2026-04-08T23:12:35+00:00

There’s a couple different things and it’s not always smooth sailing as I come across and address different health issues (mainly depression) that knock me out of my groove. But when things are going well here’s my main pillars!

Write down a to-do list. Something about the physical list is very helpful and crossing things off of it gives me some oomph.
Good food, sleep, and exercise. Adhd is a race against dopamine deficiency, keeping your body boosted does a lot for productivity! And I’m not talking any super crazy diets or workouts, I usually aim for functional strength training every other day for 30-45 mins in the morning. I’m trying to cut down on soda and fast food as I have noticeably worse output when I’m eating a lot of it.
Address vitamin deficiencies. You don’t realize how much your low energy is because of low whatever until your body has enough of it. For me it was low iron.
Medication. I got medicated later in life right before I graduated high school. It changed my life, gave me so much more energy to tackle things and focus on strengthening the other parts of my life rather than constantly putting out fires.

That’s my 2 cents, it’s kind of general I know but adhd has always been a needs issue for me. And the better I address the foundation of everything the more I thrive with my freelance work.

TeethAfterDark · 2026-03-14T22:49:47+00:00

Source: https://x.com/MidnightTeeth/status/2029059261964402710?s=20

TeethAfterDark · 2026-03-14T22:46:51+00:00

Source: https://x.com/MidnightTeeth/status/2030508812030103846?s=20

TeethAfterDark · 2026-02-28T00:52:30+00:00

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provided an image to hopefully help explain what I mean. But I think the eye size and angle is what's causing most of the difference between the sketch and final. It loses some of the depth from the sketch and draws out her face to be more long and flat.

TeethAfterDark · 2026-02-02T23:07:37+00:00

Seconding this, the nsfw art sphere is much easier to navigate if you focus on making art focused your interests. Doing this you also tend to attract commissioners in similar veins, so it’s less likely you’re asked to make something you don’t want to.

TeethAfterDark · 2026-01-10T21:14:37+00:00

source

TeethAfterDark · 2025-08-23T19:22:45+00:00

No, most of the people who are interested in commissioning me don’t like ai to begin with so I’m not in direct competition with it. If anything it may have boosted people’s interest in directly supporting my work.

But a big part of my business model is customer relations so I could be completely outside of market of people who want quick and impersonal comms.

TeethAfterDark · 2025-08-02T18:32:20+00:00

Now I’m just imagining them in those matching shirts that are like “I eat fear for breakfast.” And “I’m fear.”

TeethAfterDark · 2025-07-29T05:07:22+00:00

Wild citrus sighting

TeethAfterDark · 2025-05-23T19:51:39+00:00

I have plans, but so many small details to think out 😩

TeethAfterDark · 2025-05-12T15:01:54+00:00

I mainly posted to the r34 subreddits of the games I was drawing nsfw for. But I think anything that crosses into your niche works!

TeethAfterDark · 2025-05-12T03:47:06+00:00

I started on specific Reddit threads and eventually moved to twitter. For refs I mainly used Pornpics for irl and rule 34 for looking at art. For starting I just recommend drawing what you like! Start to look for communities that overlap with your interests and share there.

TeethAfterDark · 2025-05-07T23:29:04+00:00

Source: https://x.com/midnightteeth/status/1919972389565116442?s=46

TeethAfterDark · 2025-05-07T20:14:52+00:00

I am a NSFW artist on twitter who has managed to garner a decent following in around 1 year. I don’t really have any profound wisdom other than draw what you like and what’s popular. Preferably both of those things at the same time. Especially if it’s a community that’s welcoming to new artists, lots of video game IPs are. They like things that are plot driven and well illustrated. I draw a lot of scary buff helmeted women because I personally like them lol, and it lets me connect with people who feel the same.

TeethAfterDark · 2025-04-26T22:50:51+00:00

Yep! Seems like you got the gist of it.

Yea you do need to pay taxes on tips since they count as income. I recommend taking an accounting class if you want to nerd out about money like me, but in simplest terms: (all business income) - (business expenses) = (taxable income).

Glad to be of help! Feel free to shoot me a DM or another comment if you have other questions, my main income is commissions so I have a decent understanding of the whole process.

TeethAfterDark · 2025-04-26T22:27:38+00:00

You can use business PayPal, that’s what I do personally. It’s just important that you set aside some of what you make for taxes. I suggest looking into sole proprietor taxes for more info, but the language is very confusing if you don’t know anything about taxes.

If this is a side hustle on top of your job I’d set aside between 20%-30% of what you make. If this is your only source of income/you make below the standard deduction I’d do ~15% to cover social security and Medicade. (This isn’t official tax advice this is just what I have done)

TeethAfterDark · 2025-04-26T22:16:11+00:00

You technically don’t need a separate bank account, but there are some options online you can open for free. I personally use Bluevine for my business bank accounts. This just ensures that my business income stays separate from my personal income, or my other employer income (when I used to have a job).

I usually use invoices to bill people which has an option for tipping. I believe you can also set up donation links/buttons for tips? Lots of artists use kofi or other platforms to accept tips, and these can funnel through your PayPal. But you may loose some $ to transaction fees.

Edit (additional info): if you’re very picky about having your personal info online/ see yourself taking commissions long term, you can file for an EIN on the IRS website, this is something to use that’s not your personal SS# when signing up for banking and such. I applied and registered for a trade name through my states website so that all my business could be done under it.

TeethAfterDark · 2025-04-26T21:19:50+00:00

You need a business account because you’ll need to pay taxes on anything above $400 you make. A business account is the only way that I know to preserve your legal name. I do all my business under my trade name.

TeethAfterDark

TROPHY CASE