>>3134326For about five years I had an international following of my photography and videography work, and a bit of baking. It was mostly landscapes, nature photography, and documentary-style work for both photos and videos. It was all a hobby, and was very fulfilling.
This was years ago. None of it was paid, though some of it was on YouTube. But YouTube was only just starting to pay people, and it was by invitation only. Since I was being Mr. Edgy and didn't want my actual name attached, I declined to add my personal details and to accept pays for video views.
It turned out for the best, really. The reason I initially stopped was that my life fell apart. I was fired from my full-time job, had been applying at other places for a long time because I wanted to quit any way, and I could no longer afford rent. I only had $12k in savings, so I had to make some major changes, and fast.
I ended up moving in with a friend, out of state. But it could only be temporary. I ended up moving several times over the next nine months, which included a basement which flooded twice. That, plus some catastrophic hardware upsets lost all of my prior work. I was left with nothing but a water-damaged camera body, and quickly dwindling savings. Accounts for hosting were expiring and being deleted. Contacts through social media had long lost interest due to inactivity. Forgotten passwords locked me out of what might have remained in any usable quality.
It took me nearly a decade to save up for a new camera, and I am at it again. I am building a portfolio, making contacts, and collecting some necessary gear for branching out into other areas.
