Dear Steemit is a weekly contest in search of the best advise on a given situation.
A call for help from a fellow steemian was received this week. A troubled artist is struggling to decide on which to prioritize- immediate needs or investment?
Read on and help out 'Never Thought I Could Be An Artist.'
Dear Steemit,
My spouse and I are in dire financial straights, and have been for several years now. I'm disabled and unable to work, and unable to collect disability due to things not relevant right now. Thanks to Steemit, I've been able to make a little money. We really need all the money we can get, but I think I should buy a drawing tablet as soon as I make enough money for it.
My reasoning is this: I've been trying to draw for most of my life. For a brief period as a teenager, I was kinda halfway alright at it. But that quickly went away for whatever reason. I've desperately wanted to be able to draw the beautiful images in my head, as well as the characters I write. I always wondered if digital art would be easier for me than using analog materials. Since coming to Steemit, I've been using a poorly-functioning Samsung Galaxy Note II to draw digitally. My art has drastically improved in just a couple months. At this point, I'm mostly held back by the limitations of my device. I'm still learning, still getting better, but the device I have to use to do it is starting to really hold me back.
I feel like, if I can get a decent drawing tablet, that I can make more money overall, and probably at a decent rate.
But we have things we need to get taken care of as soon as we can.
So, Steemit, I leave this question with you: Should I buy a drawing tablet as soon as I possibly can, or should I spend my SBD on things that we need really badly but haven't been able to take care of for months on end anyways?
It'll be a risk, but I feel in my gut that this risk may just be worth it and could pay off well.
Sincerely,
Never Thought I Could Be An Artist
EDIT: Additional info from the letter sender.
Hello again.
I feel the need to explain a little more.
I’m not asking about getting an expensive tablet. Or an expensive computer to go with it or anything. I’m just fine using my obsolete laptop and free art software. I’m asking about buying a $44 monoprice tablet. (Finances are tough enough that that’s a big investment for us.) I have spoken with my spouse. My spouse thinks we should do it. They have watched me try to draw for almost thirteen years, and they are amazed by how quickly I’m improving. But I’m still very unsure and want to do the right thing. I do not want to buy a used tablet because I have had terrible luck with used electronics, and that’s not a risk I want to take because I need it to make money.
Some of our needs are very necessary, but we’re unable to save up enough for them in a reasonable amount of time. (Repairing our only vehicle, as buying another -- even used vehicle -- is not a reasonable option at this point in time.) My spouse thinks that we can repair the vehicle sooner if we put the money into a drawing tablet first.
I have been practicing drawing by hand since I was a child. I do not improve. I stopped improving a long time ago. To the point that my heart has been aching for what I’m not able to put on paper that’s in my head. But with digital art, I’ve been improving by leaps and bounds, and I’m starting to be able to put the images in my head on a computer screen.
My device is very limited. It’s very old, and it doesn’t work well. There’s no fixing it. It’s just old technology and the hardware has died twice. Technically my phone consists of two dead phones that were scrapped and combined to make a single almost-working phone. The screen sensitivity is starting to give out, making drawing become more difficult. I’m afraid that this phone is not going to last much longer, especially if I keep using it so much like this.
As for my disabilities, I’m chronically ill and I suffer from constant agonizing pain throughout my body. Because I’m under forty years old, it’s damn near impossible to get any medical help with my pain. (Pot is illegal where I live. I don’t want to completely screw over my chances with doctors yet.) I can’t go out and work, and not for lack of trying. I’ve tried working at home, but I’ve had no luck with that, either. Steemit is the best thing that’s happened to me.
As a roleplayer (on hiatus due to a lack of decent roleplay partners) I know how much people are willing to pay to have others draw their characters. So I feel like I could very well start making a living that way if I can continue to improve.
While I love my spouse and respect their opinion on this matter, I’m afraid that they might be trying to encourage me and help ease my severe depression, as being useless and not contributing weighs heavily on me. I want to make sure that if we buy this tablet, we buy it for the right reasons. Not because my spouse trying to make me feel better.
As for the person suggesting my spouse joins Steemit…yeah, that’s not going to happen. My spouse is very antisocial, even on social media. They make maybe three Facebook posts a year. My spouse just isn’t the type of person that can easily do something like Steemit.
Sincerely,
Never Thought I Could Be An Artist
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- A sticky situation will be posted once a week (Sunday/Monday) and contest will run for 7 days from posting.
- To enter the contest, simply COMMENT YOUR ADVISE or
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- An UPVOTE is a MUST to qualify.
- A RESTEEM is highly appreciated, but not a requirement. This will also help increase the reward pool for the succeeding weeks.
- PRIZES totals to 10 SBD, broken down as follows:
- 1st Place- 5 SBD
- 2nd Place- 3 SBD
- 3rd Place- 2 SBD
- Winners will be announced on the 8th day from contest posting.
- 1st place will be chosen by this week's letter-sender and judge!
- 2nd and 3rd will be chosen via MOST UPVOTE COUNT.
If you find this worthwhile and would wish to support the project, please let me know, this is ALWAYS welcome!
Comment your thoughts on this and upvote! Resteem would be much appreciated to help increase the prize pool for the succeeding weeks.
True to the spirit of the Steemit community, I am excited to see finally, Dear Steemit is starting to be a venue to positively discuss possible solutions to a given challenging situation. Steemit's very own advise column, where all of us take part in counseling!
Most of us may have found ourselves in a position where we have to make tough decisions, and we seek other's counsel to help us in our decision-making. Dear Steemit aims to be a venue for this- the scenarios may be real-life experiences, or theoretical, that most people may relate to. If you have a challenging situation to share and would wish for the Steemit community's advise, feel free to message me via discord or steemit chat, username dreamiely.
Need advise? Most of us do.
Share some insights? Most of us can!
