Tag Archives: fetish model

You Can’t Do It All At Once

A lot of my model and pro domme friends jokingly tell me I do too much, which is probably true, but at the same time it isn’t. I’m one of those girls who not only maintains a full time, 9-5 vanilla day job, gets at least 8 hours of sleep a night and works as a model full time, which involves everything from marketing to booking to shooting to editing. It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally learned how to manage my time to best adapt to my busy lifestyle. So here are a few times for successfully managing your time:

  1. Know Your Limits. I don’t mean what you will and will not do, I mean what you can and cannot do both mentally and physically. I stress out easily if I do not live within my limits, which can be anything from not getting enough sleep to overbooking myself. I make a point of going to bed around the same time each night so that I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. I also make a point of having at least one day a week that is My day; no friends, no modeling work, nothing except what I choose to do. Working outside my limits has caused me to lose jobs because I’m too stressed out to do them.
  2. Keep a written calendar. Sure, your phone and computer have calendars built in, but the physical aspect of writing something down is bound to help you remember. For me, once it is written down, it is committed to memory. If someone asks me if I’m free to work on a specific date, I tend to know without having to look it up whether I’m available or not.
  3. Set a schedule. I work a 9-5 day job, so my day job schedule is set. I also schedule when I shoot and how long I’ll be shooting for. For example, maybe Tuesday is my filming day for myself. I know that every single Tuesday from 7-8 or 7-9, I will be shooting clips. Since I’ve planned that in advance, I come up with ideas in advance. Or maybe as a webcam model, you know your busiest hours are from 7pm-midnight, so that’s when you work. If you keep the same schedule as a cam model, people will know when to expect you, which pays off big time once you have regulars.
  4. Plan things out. Are you a traveling sex worker? Plan in advance to not only save you time but also money. Book work in advance! Don’t wait for the last minute and hope that something comes up. I hate to tell you this, but just because you work on a “I’ll wait until last minute” or a spontaneous schedule, doesn’t mean the rest of the world does too.
  5. Don’t get distracted. If you plan on webcamming from 7-10pm, do it. If you plan on shooting clips for 2 hours, do it. Don’t let emails or the interwebs or tv distract you. I’ll let you in on a secret…They will still be there when you’re done.

There is no easy way to figure out how to best manage your time. I had a huge anxiety attack over how stressed out I was before I really figured out how to manage my time. It paid off though. Since then, I haven’t been stressed out over my time, I get things done and I still have free time for me. Nobody is going to manage their time the same, but once you figure out what works for you, stick to it!

Sydney Screams: Fetish Model, Clip Producer, Adult Actress, Radio Talk Show Host

So You Want to Quit Your Day Job

So you want to quit your day job…

Ok, first thing? Don’t.
Not right away, anyway. You’ve got some serious planning to do first, sugarbritches! It took me nearly a year to get everything ready to go from working in this industry part-time to making it my full-time job and my sole means of income. If this is a choice that you have the luxury of making in advance, make the most of the time you have to make the move as painless as possible.

Are you making at least the same amount of money whoring part-time that you are while working full-time at the day job? If the answer is no, stop reading this article and start honing your skills in your chosen field and come back after the answer is yes. When you’re getting your footing while moving into being your own boss all the time, you’re going to need to take time figuring out a new rhythm, a new schedule, a new well… everything. This could very well eat into your planned “work week” at the beginning and allowing yourself enough time to adjust will save you some serious gray hairs. Especially since there really aren’t any guaranteed paychecks in this biz, bogging yourself down with “holy shit I have to whore for 60 hours to make this week’s bills.” will kill you. KILL YOU. So yes, make sure you are comfortably making your current pay with part-time effort right out of the gate. it will make your transition that much easier. There will be booming times and lean times, be prepared.

Are you prepared to no longer have a mainstream job as an answer when someone asks you what you do for a living? Do you plan on being “out”? To whom? These are questions that you may not have had to think about when this was just a part-time gig but once you are all-in, be prepared to be asked about this “great new job you’ve started” and you should have an answer ready, (whatever it may be) for people that matter to you. Obviously, not everyone needs to know your business but be prepared to be asked, and be asked often. This is also a good time to remind you that at some point in time you could possibly be recognized or god forbid, outted.

Have a hefty amount in savings put away before you give your notice. I hope you’ve been saving your whore money while you’ve been slaving away at your day job because you really never know what adjustments you’re going to need to make once you make your ho job your only job. I saved 6 months worth of expenses because my husband had been laid off the year before and that showed me how important a safety net was, especially with a mortgage.

Let’s talk health insurance. Because let’s be real, this is a giant issue for us all and if you’re leaving a job without health insurance, you better have a plan to replace it. Many of us go without, on a hope and a prayer and lord knows that shit ain’t smart. (I was lucky enough to only have to wait a few months until open enrollment for my husband’s plan through his employer. I know how lucky I was to have had that option.) Paying out of pocket for every last bit of health insurance you’ll need can get CRAZY expensive, and hopefully the Affordable Healthcare Act will help lessen some of the burden in the future. Regardless, it’s always a good idea to do your research and plan for what decisions you’ll need to make.

So yes, if Sex Work is the job you love (or love to hate) and the career path you’re choosing, please don’t jump in hastily. Plan ahead, save your money and come to terms with whatever social hangups others will have about your profession before making the leap.
It’ll serve you well in the long run.

 

Savannah Darling: Fetish Specialist, Webcam Mistress, Phone Sex Operator, Professional Domina

Consistency is Key

So, you recently opened your very own clips store and you’re wondering “why isn’t the money pouring in?” Maybe you had heard from other girls or producers that they make enough money off their one or two clip stores to make a living. Sounds easy, right? WRONG! There are few key components that you need to consider in your path to success. Sure, putting up a few videos here and there doesn’t sound hard, but let me break this down for you, consumer style: You’re out of your favorite cereal, so you go down the cereal isle at the market and find that the brand you usually buy has changed their product’s ingredients, you’re bummed but you pick it up hoping that it’s still the same. Well, you get home and it’s not. It doesn’t taste the same at all! So what do you do? You switch brands. Or, you’re out of your favorite cereal, so you go down the cereal isle and they are out of that kind. What do you do? Try something new.

This is the way the mind of buyers work, and not just when buying cereal. Your overall brand consistency is the key to your success when it comes to clips. You may be asking yourself “well how do I develop that?” It isn’t the easiest thing on the planet, but success doesn’t come without work!

Time Consistency

The major clip sites out there give you an option to schedule clips for future posting. Utilize the hell out of this!! If your customers know that you have a new clip posted every day at 11am, with a different format following at 3-4 hour intervals the rest of the day, they’re going to check your clip store every day. If they know that you only post a new clip once or twice a week, they’re going to check just those days. How do you let them know? Easily! Tell them! Most clip stores allow you to have a description, so simply spell out “New clips posted daily at 11am!” and then stick to that. You don’t want to rush each day uploading a new clip to meet the deadline, so schedule clips a week, month or several months in advance to avoid stressing yourself out. In addition to your current fans knowing when to find you, having your store on the “recently updated” list on the front page consistently will bring new fans to you!

Quality Consistency

You don’t like the new ingredients used in your favorite cereal, so why would you expect your buyers to like it if you are constantly switching between poor quality and HD quality videos? Now, I should be a bit more specific here. When you post clips, you can post the same clip in various formats/qualities, but specify that in the description! And do not post one clip in one poor quality and the next clip in excellent HD quality. Be consistent! If your videos are always well lit with very little grain, keep that up. Make sure you’re always using the best lighting possible and the same camera. The only time you want to break consistency is when you’re improving your quality by adding better lighting or upgrading to a better camera.

Content Consistency

Ok, so you’re still a newbie and you don’t know what to post. Cool! That’s fine. You’re learning, but if something sells really well for you DO IT AGAIN! Don’t skip over it and never do it again. Sure, selling clips is a trial and error process, but if something works  for you, continue it. You don’t want to wear the exact same outfit or speak the exact same lines, but the general idea/theme of the clip can remain constant without there being an issue. The best part about this is that when you have several clips of a specific category up in your store, often times new fans will go through and buy all of them, rather than just one!

What does this all mean when you put it together? It means you’re going to need to film a lot, in advance. You’re going to need to maintain the quality of your camera work, lighting, and editing, and only ever move up in quality. And you’re going to need to shoot the same things over and over and over again. Best way to do this? Pick a day and shoot as much in that day as you can. If you manage your time well, you can knock out anywhere from 6-10 clips in an hour. That’s about a week’s worth of content! Plan ahead and know what you’re going to shoot, and you can get shooting clips down to an art that works for you. Your fans will see the hard work you put in and it will pay off.

Sydney Screams: Fetish Model, Clip Producer, Adult Actress, Radio Talk Show Host

Camera-Ready: Makeup Tips

I thought having a series of posts on how to get yourself ready to film clips or for camming would be fun since these are things I’m always thinking about. What to wear, how to do my makeup, props, etc. I think I may have tried it all so hopefully the shortcuts I’ve learned can make your day a little easier!

So let’s talk Whore Paint, shall we?

Makeup for the camera can be quite different than your everyday routine. I know for me, when I do my regular makeup where I’ll be seeing people face-to-face, I aim for subtle and try to go for the fresh-faced look. But when I’m filming or going on cam? Completely different. The main reason is, no matter how good of a camera you have or how fantastic your HD recording is, it takes SO much more for your makeup look to “pop” and translate to video. BUT just because it takes a little more effort to look “made up” on camera, doesn’t necessarily mean you need to actually *apply* more. Through trial and error (LOTS of error) I’ve figured out how to look done up without completely covering myself head to toe in face paint by utilizing a few tricks.

Don’t pile it on. Use the least amount of product with the most amount of impact. This means using better quality, higher pigmented products so you can use less of it and be less susceptible to having it run or smear while you work. Plus, less makeup = less clogged pores and easier to remove at the end of the night. Higher quality doesn’t need to mean expensive though (stay tuned for a post on some awesome products for less!) and you can find most of the good stuff right at your drug store. Seriously!

Moisturize and prime! A good moisturizer will change your life, followed by a good face primer. Together, they’ll give you an awesome canvas to work with as well as help keep what you put on, where you put it. Just please remember to give both of these products time to set up in between applications. Wait at least 5 minutes after applying moisturizer (longer if you can stand it) before applying primer and then wait again at least 5 minutes after applying primer before starting your make up. I usually do these steps while I’m doing my hair so it doesn’t feel like forever while I’m waiting. That and because I have no patience whatsoever.

Foundation or no? I personally do NOT wear foundation when I work because I have really sensitive skin (read: break-out prone) and I want to minimize the layers of products on my face. I prefer to use a really good concealer to highlight areas that need it and a matter bronzer powder to shade or contour other areas. A good concealer that matches your skin tone can help hide any imperfections without covering your entire face with it like you normally would with foundation.

Waterproof and Long-wearing? YES! I know it’s a no-brainer but raccoon-eyes are not the business so invest in a good, waterproof set of products. Waterproof mascara, eyeliner and lipstick will make your life so much easier. I mean, who wants to re-do their whole face halfway through their cam shift? Not this girl. Plus, there’s nothing worse than getting red lipstick all over yourself after a particularly hot scene. I once filmed a breast worship video in a bright yellow bathing suit and in playback I realized that I must have touched my lips at some point and got red smudges all over my tits and bikini top. Definitely changed the marketing description for that video, that’s for sure.

Lashes. Like everything else, this is a personal choice. I really love to wear them if I have the time to apply them. I feel like if I wear lashes, I don’t have to wear a ton of mascara to get the look I want especially since many times, too much mascara = flaking, which sucks. Plus, on cam, with the right pair, it just looks like you have really lovely eyes. It’s not super obvious that you’re wearing false eyelashes like it tends to be when in-person. So like I said, personal choice on whether to wear them or not but I think they look lovely when done right and if you have the time for them.

I hope some of these tips help you with a place to start or maybe build on the routines you already have in place. I know that makeup and skincare go hand in hand so next time I’ll be talking about how to keep your skin looking fantastic after all these days of wearing makeup! (Lord knows I’ve done it wrong enough times to write a book! ha!)

What kinds of makeup tricks have made your life easier when you’re in from of the camera? We’d love to hear all about them in the comments!

Savannah Darling: Fetish Specialist, Webcam Mistress, Phone Sex Operator, Professional Domina

DMCA Do It!

We all hate it when people steal from us. Make your living on the internet or advertise your sex work business on it and you can bet at some point someone will share your files or  steal your photos. It’s depressing and it can seem overwhelming to stay of top of the details of protecting your content but its worth the effort. This is how you make a living and I know it feels like  you’re playing whack-a-mole and you are. It’s a never ending process protecting your content but its part of doing business. Protecting your cash flow matters. I put together a little introduction to protecting your work, I hope you find it helpful.

Send out DMCA take down notices

This is the best thing you do. Send out a DMCA take down notice. Send them out and send them out as soon as you find out your file is being shared on some dirt bag file sharing site or as soon as you find out some body is pretending to be you by using your photos online.  My pal Johnathan over at Plagiarism Today has some stock letters you can use when sending out your notices. In fact read his whole site, there is a lot of great info there.  Remember every site has their own special requirements for a DMCA notice and if you don’t meet them they will ignore your notice. Read their policy and give them the info they want, in the way they want it. Be it email, fax or snail mail. Make sure to include your name address and phone number (I use my Google voice number and my working address) Tell them you are the copyright holder and give them the links they need to remove the content. It’s tedious and annoying but stay on it and send them out, it works. Don’t forget to follow up and send them a second or third or 50th notice if they don’t take action.

Monitor your content

Goggle yourself, set up alerts for your name (remember to include misspellings of your name) and check it all the time. A lot of the time I find out a file is being shared because a fan tells me. I always reward them with a little something for looking out for me, they can be your best resource for finding out your files are being shared. You can also hire a company to monitor your content for you, but that can be expensive. I would do a cost benefit analysis before I went that route, make sure its worth the money you are spending on it. Sometime it is, sometimes its better to do it yourself.

Watermark your content and embed your copyright

I admit it, I’m guilty of not always doing this, especially when I first started out. But don’t make the same mistake I made in the beginning and watermark your shit! It’s important. You can also embed your copyright when creating a Mp3 and add it to the hidden data on your photos. Again it’s time consuming and annoying but make it part of your habit, when you are creating content. Watermark like it’s second nature. Not only is having your watermark good for driving people who might see your stuff somewhere and drive them back to your site to find out more about you, but you can use that in case you get into a fight with some turd site who doesn’t want to remove your content from their site.

People stealing is always going to be a problem but its worth the time and effort to stay on top of your content. I wouldn’t suggest getting into a pissing match with any of these file sharing sites or boards, just do what you need to do behind the scenes. It’s not worth a loud messy frustrating fight or possibly putting a troll target on your back, but it it worth the effort. Make it.

Jenny DeMilo: Dominatrix, GFE Escort, Fetish Clip Producer, Phone Sex Operator and Hypno-Domme.