Look, everyone. I know you’re probably tired of how indecisive I can be or my lack of confidence in myself. You’re probably thinking, Why is this guy complaining about something again? I don’t have a public relations agent telling me what to post—I’m just trying to be as transparent as possible. Just because I have 900K followers doesn’t mean I’m some successful corporate guy with a whole team backing me. I’m just a dude. I manage myself, and I’m not perfect. You all are my community, and I want to make you happy while also being financially stable—without becoming some greedy businessman. The people who truly know me understand that this has never been about money for me. This whole TikTok thing has been about finding a way to do what I love, be happy with myself, and still make ends meet without being a burden to my family. When I first started TikTok livestreams in 2019, there were no battles, no co-hosting—just the creator and their audience. I trained myself to entertain my people and stay busy without worrying about ranking leagues or achieving livestream goals just to avoid losing a percentage of daily revenue. (Please reference the photos above for what I mean regarding TikTok’s goals.) So I need advice. How do I keep doing TikTok livestreams without feeling like a burden to people? In your opinion, how do I participate in TikTok battles and keep up with its goals while still enjoying what I do? For those who think I should quit TikTok and just get a “real” job—this is a job. I am a 1099 independent contractor under TikTok, and I pay taxes. I make a living and support my family through this platform. This is a business I’ve spent five years building—something I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and tears into to make sustainable. But now, its new demands are affecting my mental health and the progress I’ve made in becoming a better person. I designed my livestream characters to make people feel happy, stress-free, and enjoy a late-night stream while interacting with fellow community members. But now, I feel like people are more focused on whether we’re winning battles or how much they need to reload for TikTok coins. I worry that when my followers see my livestream battles, they avoid them because they expect stress or pressure to spend money. I’ve even received messages from viewers saying they feel like they’re just watching my characters stress over battles and feeling bad when we lose. This is not what I originally designed my characters for. In my opinion, the revenue we make on this platform should come from generosity and people’s genuine support and belief in what we do as performers—not from fulfilling TikTok’s daily creator quotas or competing with other creators. Some of my peers have told me that I should know my worth and not worry about how much people spend on my livestream battles, but that makes me feel egotistical and entitled—something I try hard to avoid. Do I think my characters and “talent” are worth something? Sure. But for a creator whose revenue is based on generosity and not ticket sales, the value of my characters should be based on the viewer’s personal opinion when they choose to gift—not what I or TikTok dictates. So please, if you have any advice or possible solutions on how I should handle this situation, comment below or message me. You guys are my community and the ones who keep these livestreams going. Without you all, I’m just a dude being dressed up on camera. I just want to do the right thing. - @infernumasylum