A Helpful List
I started off in the industry as a modest camgirl on MyFreeCams streaming out of a shared room that was essentially a closet. I had little resources and little knowledge. Quickly, things changed the more I began to fall in love with live streaming. I knew I wanted to do this for as long as I could.
There are so many things I know now that I wish I could tell myself back then. The landscape of online sex work has changed rapidly in the last few years, as it tends to do. However, there are a few things that stay relevant. I’ve created a short but helpful list of things that would have helped me years ago.
1. Taxes and Finances
It goes without saying. Do your taxes! And if you can afford to invest the money, find a certified public accountant (CPA). There are some CPA’s that work specifically with people in the adult industry. I have never used one but I’d love to hear about another person’s experience using one.
Budgeting my finances is another thing I wish I had known more before starting online sex work. Most sex workers don’t have a reliable income, like hourly pay. Financial security can sometimes be difficult to achieve. If you are able to budget and save, it can alleviate so much stress. I use a spreadsheet to track my monthly expenses and from there I can determine how much to budget and save. There are a lot of free resources to learn more about financial wellness basics, if you have the time to research.
Some organizations offer free workshops and individual mentorship for sex worker financial literacy. Cupcake Girls is a nonprofit that offers such service for their clients. I’ve actually taken advantage and had a wonderful one-on-one with someone who helped me learn the basics. I can’t stress how important managing finances are to your overall wellbeing in the industry.
2. Hygiene & Mental Health
It’s kind of silly to admit but… I wish I could teach 18 year old Zoey how to properly wash a dildo. Growing up in rural Texas with no sex education left me an ignorant young adult, and my body suffered the consequences! If you are going to be touching your bits for a living, you need to make sure your hands are washed and your toys are clean. The soap you use is important! Invest in a non-scented body safe toy cleaner. I know a lot of people use liquid dish or hand soap, but I did that and I was experiencing chronic yeast infections and UTIs. Getting a dedicated toy cleaner intended for toys helped limit that.
Now that I’ve covered the bits, it’s time to cover the brains. I would have really benefitted from a trauma informed approached to my mental health as a new sex worker. Pineapple Support is a nonprofit that offers subsidized mental health services for sex workers. Therapy is expensive and while there are some more affordable options like Open Path Collective, it’s not always accessible to folks. There are some things I do that help ground me mentally. Tonglen meditation and body scans are two things that have helped me maintain my mental health hygiene and are absolutely FREE to do on your own at home.
3. Administrative Work
Did you think that making porn would mean that you spent 80% of your time in sweatpants hunched over your laptop? Because I sure didn’t! There’s SO much admin work that goes within online sex work. Creating content implies content managing, uploading, and marketing. It’s not all sexy times and buttplugs unfortunately. But sometimes I do keep a buttplug in while editing videos!
4. 9-5 for 24/7
There’s a joke I heard somewhere. It goes:
“I quit my job and decided to do what I love. Now I don’t work 9-5. I work 24/7.”
When I first started sex work I was in survival mode and it was hard for me to get offline. Relaxing or doing things for fun didn’t make sense when I could be working. Plus, I enjoyed the money and the attention. But as many of us know, that approach leads to hardcore burnout. I’ve gotten better at my balancing work and life. As a self employed person, it’s important to give yourself a realistic schedule with lots of breaks so you can relax. The more you schedule breaks, the better your performance can be overtime.
try scheduling a 5 minute break after every 25 minutes of work
zoey’s unsolicited advice
5. Paperwork
When people think of porn, paperwork is the farthest thing from their mind. However, proper paperwork is one of the pillars of the adult industry. You’ll need to have one of each of these for every 18+ performer in your scene:
- Two Forms of Valid Identification
- 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record
- Appearance Release
- Model Release and Consent Agreement
No matter what country you are in, you will need these documents if you are producing adult content, because a majority of adult companies and buyers are based in the United States. Being caught without the proper paperwork can lead to serious consequences! It’s within your best interest to have your documents ready prior to every scene you shoot.
What do you wish you had known before joining the adult industry? Is there anything else you wish you had more knowledge about? Leave a comment below if you want to share your experience!
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