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Sweet Seals For You, Always
izzy's playlists!
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taylor price
macklin celebrini has autism
official daine visual archive
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noise dept.
I'd rather be in outer space šø
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todays bird
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@theredscarfofheros
there is always something to learn in art. today I'd like to share a couple of things that might sound obvious, but to me they pointed out some past mistakes in perspective drawing. hopefully, I won't forget to use this knowledge next time!
music: Elijah Lee - Dreamy
videos mentioned
HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT whats your favorite place to find drawing references?
so far weāve got
senshi stock
croquis cafe
line-of-action.com
quickposes.com
posemaniacs
clip studio paint models
pexels.com
sketchdaily
eggazyoutatsu atarichan drawer
designdoll
if you have any more please reply!
Unsplash: All photos published on Unsplash can be used for free. You can use them for commercial and noncommercial purposes. You do not need to ask permission from or provide credit to the photographer or Unsplash, although it is appreciated when possible. More precisely, Unsplash grants you an irrevocable, nonexclusive copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including for commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer or Unsplash. This license does not include the right to compile photos from Unsplash to replicate a similar or competing service.
Freeimages: You can use the images in digital format on websites, blog posts, social media, advertisements, film and television productions, web and mobile applications. In printed materials such as magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, product packaging for decorative use in your home, office or any public place or personal use. The rights granted to you by FreeImages.com are: Perpetual, meaning there is no expiration or end date on your rights to use the content. Non-exclusive, meaning that you do not have exclusive rights to use the content. FreeImages.com can license the same content to other customers. Unlimited, meaning you can use the content in an unlimited number of projects and in any media. For purposes of this agreement, āuseā means to copy, reproduce, modify, edit, synchronize, perform, display, broadcast, publish, or otherwise make use of.
Stocksnap: Every single image on StockSnap are governed exclusively by the generous terms of the Creative Commons CC0 license. Specifically, that license means you can do any and all of the following: Download the image file.Publish, revise, copy, alter, and share that image. Use the image (as-is or as youāve altered it), in both personal and commercial contexts. Moreover, you can put StockSnap CC0 images to any of these usages without buying the right to do it, acquiring written permission from the imageās creator, or attributing the work to the image creator. In other words, thereās no fee to download or use these StockSnap images in accordance with the CC0 license. Theyāre free to download, free to edit, and free to use - even in a commercial project! You donāt even need to attribute the image to the creator, the way you do with other CC or traditional copyright licensing schemes. (However, even though itās not required, we here at StockSnap do encourage you to include an appropriate attribution. Itās a nice thing to do.)
Burst.Shopify: Burst is a free stock photo platform that is powered by Shopify. Their image library includes thousands of high-resolution, royalty-free images that were shot by their global community of photographers. You can use their pictures for just about anything ā your website, blog or online store, school projects, Instagram ads, facebook posts, desktop backgrounds, client work and more. All of their photos are free for commercial use with no attribution required.
Pixabay: Images and Videos on Pixabay are released under Creative Commons CC0. To the extent possible under law, uploaders of Pixabay have waived their copyright and related or neighboring rights to these Images and Videos. You are free to adapt and use them for commercial purposes without attributing the original author or source. Although not required, a link back to Pixabay is appreciated.
Viintage: All images hosted by Viintage.com are considered to be public domain images, each image is presumed to be in the public domain. It may be distributed or copied as permitted by applicable law. Viintage.com assumes no ownership of the images and they may be downloaded and can be used free of charge for any purpose. They may be downloaded and used for commercial and personal use. Understand āpublic domainā as the permission to freely use an image without asking permission from the photographer or the illustrator. Thus, the creator of the work will not sue you for violating his/her copyrights. It is your responsibility to make sure, displaying the image does not violate any other law. Viintage.com assumes no responsibility for how or where you use the images found on the site.
Gratisography: You may use Gratisography pictures as you please for both personal and commercial projects. You can adapt and modify the images and get paid for work that incorporates the pictures. This includes advertising campaigns, adding your logo or text to an image, printed in any size print runs (e.g., book covers, magazines, posters, etc.), on your website, blog, or other digital mediums, and on merchandise as long as the picture itself is not the merchandise.
As someone who draws a lot of faeries, Faestock is godlike.
A wonderful addition to the list!
Unsplash. Another whopping huge free images site like pixabay: free for commercial and noncommercial use and remixing; just donāt sell the photos unmodified or add them to other photo-sharing sites.
Morguefile. Big old free photo archive from the dawn of the web. āWe are a community-based free photo site, and all photos found in the Morguefile archive are free for you to download and re-use in your work, be it commercial or not. The photos have been contributed by a wide range of creatives from around the world, ranging from amateur photo hobbyists to professionals.ā
Open Access at the Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: āWhether youāre an artist or a designer, an educator or a student, a professional or a hobbyist, you now have more than 406,000 images of artworks from The Met collection to use, share, and remixāwithout restriction.ā
Smithsonian Open Access. Download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonianās images [ā¦] from across the Smithsonianās 19 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
Limited use, if youāre doing a Science and need control panels/rockets/futuristic an image search with qualifier site: nasa.gov You have to double-check a photoās caption itās really a NASA photo, but photos which were taken by NASA spacecraft and astronauts are public domain, since theyāre funded by taxpayer dollars. (This also goes for images of animals archived at the USFWS Digital Library, i.e the US Fish and Wildlife Service, or rocks and landscapes on USGS websites.
Okay updating and consolidating lots of info here; as well as adding links for ease of access. Adding a brief description for some too; as is the case that not all of them have descriptions above. (Warning that some of these links contain nude refs, I will try to mark where possible which ones have more prominent ones.)
Posing Sites and Apps:
Adorkastock. Stock photos for pose refs. DeviantArt gallery started in 2007.
FreePhotoMuscle.com. (translated page link click here) Japanese stock photo pose site that includes buff people, but in funny poses and costumes.
CroquoisCafe. (NSFW, nude model poses warning) A stock photo pose site. You should be aware this org has been linked as pro-Trump. I leave it to yāall to decide if you want to use the resources or not. I highly encourage not financially supporting them and trying to support the individual models if you can.
Line of Action. Fantastic site that includes posing refs, community discussions from other artists, figure study, anatomy, etc. So much stuff in here.
PoseSpace. Extensive library of poses. Some free resources others are paid. Iāve not fully evaluated both, but you should be able to use this all mostly free and get great use out of it.
SketchDaily. This one is one of the better ones out there. You can time yourself, search by pose, clothing options, body type, perspective, etc. All real models.
JustSketch.me. A pose app for any device. Has apps for most devices and a webapp. Customize and pose models/props/scenes.
Quickposes. Pose site that gives you timed challenges to become more proficient at poses.
POSEMANIACS. Ref site with anatomical poses. All the ref pics are of 3D models with only the bones and muscles. Can be helpful for seeing how muscles behave in certain poses. limited to two body types tho.
MagicPoser. A wonderful app thatās great on mobile. Lets you choose size of models, number of them, style, etc. Significant features are use of snap point with the physics engine, adjustable lighting, multiple perspective, 360 angle, articulated hand posing.
Clip Studio Paint Modeler. Free 3d tool that works with Clip Studio Paint. You can import your own data or other models you find online. Not quite an alternative to Blender, but the integration with CSP is very nice.
Egg a Zyoutatsu Atarichan Drawer. (requires enabling flash player or downloading and using standalone flashplayer) Drawing tool for pose practice. The developer is working on an html5 version.
DesignDoll. One of the best pose tool apps out there. You can customize so many things. They also have an extensive collection of ready made poses here. You can use the free or pay once for life and have the poses integrated into the client as well as the ability to export your obj to other programs like blender or smt.
Stock Photo Sites:
Unsplash. Giant free stock image site.
freeimages.com. Another stock photo site, less features than some others.
StockSnap.io. Stock photos with a creative commons CC0 license, which essentially means you can use the photos however you want and donāt have to attribute to them. (though its nice if you do attribute)
Burst.Shopify. Tons of royalty free high quality images. Similar licensing to StockSnap.
pixabay. I feel like most people know about this one, but it features entirely free CC0 licensed Photos, Videos, and Music. No attribution required, but still nice to support a giant site with all this content.
Viintage. Big collection of public domain vintage photos.
Gratisography. For commercial or personal use. They specialize in odd, quirky, wild stock photos.
pexels. Great free stock photos and videos. Only a few stipulations of what they donāt allow, but their license info can be found here.
Faestock. An artist and model with a huge amount of fantasy and fae and other types of photos available. Their terms for use are here.
MorgueFile. Old stock photo archive thatās been around a long time.
Museum and Institution Open Access sites:
USA National Gallery of Art. Over 50k works available for download.
New York Metropolitan Museum open access. 490k works to browse. Even codes for Animal Crossing New Horizons patterns.
The Smithsonian Institution open access. Probably one of the largest open access collections available online. Around 3.9 million items available to view.
Many More. This article from Apollo magazine has an extensive list of open access museums and institutions from around the world. A brief list of places includes: Art Institute of Chicago,Ā Belvedere, Vienna ,Ā Birmingham Museums Trust , Cleveland Art Museum , Harvard Art Museums , J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles , Kunstmuseum Basel , Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.,Ā Los Angeles County Museum of Art , Mauritshuis, The Hague , Minneapolis Institute of Art , Munch Museet, Norway , Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington , NĆ”rodnĆ galerie Praha , Nationalmuseet Danmark , Nationalmuseum, StockholmĀ , New York Public Library , Paris MusĆ©es ,Ā Pinakotheken, Munich,Ā Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam,Ā StƤdtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich,Ā Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen ,Ā Wellcome Collection, London ,Ā Yale University .
wow its been a while since ive seen this post, im so glad more useful info has been added!
Let me link Yallā to this holy grail. I present to you Character Design Reference on [Pintrest] || [Tumblr] || [Twitter] || [Facebook]Ā || [YouTube]
I couldnāt even include all of the reference boards this blog contains on this photoset. Thatās right! Thereās EVEN MORE! There are pages and pages of them! It is an inspiration treasure trove! Bookmark this link! Fill your life with inspiration!
Me: I donāt know if I ever want to be pregnant, Iād rather adopt a kid or two that are a bit older
Someone: Are you SURE? Older adoptees present UNIQUE CHALLENGES
Me: We are discussing human beings not digital pets
Literally every child every born and/or parented presents unique challenges. Itās like people are unique individualsā¦..or somethingā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.
An amazing and revolutionary concept
When people ask me, āWhy do you want to adopt teenagers?ā I always answer, āBecause you asked like that.ā
Iām real over it. If I become a foster mom to a 17 year old kid and I get the privilege of the option to adopt them? You better believe I am legally making that kid mine.
āTheyāll be a legal adult in no time, why spend the money to adopt? Theyāll be aged out of the system.ā
Thereās no aging out of family, Marvin.
āThey might be rebellious or smoke or do drugs or steal things! What if they wonāt listen to you?ā
Then I guess Iāll have to step up and do some fruxking parenting, Stanley.
āYou want to adopt problem children then?ā
All. Children. Are. Problem. Children. If youāre not prepared to deal with the fact that at some point, any child ever, whether you birthed them yourself or adopted them at any age, could become a problem? Then you are NOT ready to have children, and should really just step off and let the people who actually want to be parents live in peace with their kids.
Hey Iām so glad this post is picking up
SACAI Resort 2023 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways
If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...
Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?
Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?
Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?
Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?
Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?
Thank you so much for this!
Apparently, there are recipes known as āCold Cakesā where you donāt preheat the oven and it changes the texture! B. Dylan Hollis did a video testing it out and comparing it to a cake baked in a preheated oven: https://youtu.be/bcsWFi1c9V0
ayo i found 2 pages with head angles of humans and animals, could be useful to anyone reading this
hoomans
animals
Holy FUCK, this is an amazing tool.
Reblogging for my artist fellows.
Reblog this!
I want to live by myself when I move out of my parent's place but I'm really afraid of money problems? I'm afraid that the only place I can afford will be in the ghetto and it'll all be torn apart and I'll only be allowed to eat one granola bar a week. I'm really stressing out about this. I don't know anything about after school life. I don't know anything about paying bills or how to buy an apartment and it's really scaring me. is there anything you know that can help me?
HI darling,
Iāve actually got a super wonderful masterpost for you to check out:
Home
what the hell is a mortgage?
first apartment essentials checklist
how to care for cacti and succulents
the care and keeping of plants
Getting an apartment
Money
earn rewards by taking polls
how to coupon
what to do when you canāt pay your bills
see if youāre paying too much for your cell phone bill
how to save money
How to Balance a Check Book
How to do Your Own Taxes
Health
how to take care of yourself when youāre sick
things to bring to a doctorās appointment
how to get free therapy
what to expect from your first gynecologist appointment
how to make a doctorās appointment
how to pick a health insurance plan
how to avoid a hangover
a list of stress relievers
how to remove a splinter
Emergency
what to do if you get pulled over by a cop
a list of hotlines in a crisis
things to keep in your car in case of an emergency
how to do the heimlich maneuver
Job
time management
create a resume
find the right career
how to pick a major
how to avoid a hangover
how to interview for a job
how to stop procrastinating
How to write cover letters
Travel
ULTIMATE PACKING LIST
Traveling for Cheap
Travel Accessories
The Best Way to Pack a Suitcase
How To Read A Map
How to Apply For A Passport
How to Make A Travel Budget
Better You
read the news
leave your childhood traumas behind
how to quit smoking
how to knit
how to stop biting your nails
how to stop procrastinating
how to stop skipping breakfast
how to stop micromanaging
how to stop avoiding asking for help
how to stop swearing constantly
how to stop being a pushover
learn another language
how to improve your self-esteem
how to sew
learn how to embroider
how to love yourself
100 tips for life
Apartments/Houses/Moving
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 1: Are You Sure? (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 2: Finding the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 3: Questions to Ask about the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 4: Packing and Moving All of Your Shit (The Responsible One)
How to Protect Your Home Against Break-Ins (The Responsible One)
Education
How to Find a Fucking College (The Sudden Adult)
How to Find Some Fucking Money for College (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do When You Canāt Afford Your #1 Post-Secondary School (The Sudden Adult)
Stop Shitting on Community College Kids (Why Community College is Fucking Awesome) (The Responsible One)
How to Ask for a Recommendation Letter (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a College Major (The Sudden Adult)
Finances
How to Write a Goddamn Check (The Responsible One)
How to Convince Credit Companies Youāre Not a Worthless Bag of Shit (The Responsible One)
Debit vs Credit (The Responsible One)
What to Do if Your Wallet is Stolen/Lost (The Sudden Adult)
Budgeting 101 (The Responsible One)
Important Tax Links to Know (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a Bank Without Screwing Yourself (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting
How to Write a Resume Like a Boss (The Responsible One)
How to Write a Cover Letter Someone Will Actually Read (The Responsible One)
How to Handle a Phone Interview without Fucking Up (The Responsible One)
10 Sites to Start Your Job Search (The Responsible One)
Life Skills
Staying in Touch with Friends/Family (The Sudden Adult)
Bar Etiquette (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do After a Car Accident (The Sudden Adult)
Grow Up and Buy Your Own Groceries (The Responsible One)
How to Survive Plane Trips (The Sudden Adult)
How to Make a List of Goals (The Responsible One)
How to Stop Whining and Make a Damn Appointment (The Responsible One)
Miscellaneous
What to Expect from the Hell that is Jury Duty (The Responsible One)
Relationships
Marriage: What the Fuck Does It Mean and How the Hell Do I Know When Iām Ready? (Guest post - The Northwest Adult)
How Fucked Are You for Moving In with Your Significant Other: An Interview with an Actual Real-Life Couple Living Togetherā¢ (mintypineapple Ā and catastrofries)
Travel & Vehicles
How to Winterize Your Piece of Shit Vehicle (The Responsible One)
How to Make Public Transportation Your Bitch (The Responsible One)
Other Blog Features
Apps for Asshats
Harsh Truths & Bitter Reminders
Asks Iāll Probably Need to Refer People to Later
Apartments (or Life Skills) - How Not to Live in Filth (The Sudden Adult)
Finances - Tax Basics (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Replacement ID (The Responsible One)
Health - How to Deal with a Chemical Burn (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - List of Jobs Based on Social Interaction Levels (The Sudden Adult)
Job Hunting - How to Avoid Falling into a Pit of Despair While Job Hunting (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - Questions to Ask in an Interview (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - First-Time Flying Tips (The Sudden Adult)
Life Skills - How to Ask a Good Question (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Reasons to Take a Foreign Language (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Opening a Bar Tab (The Sudden Adult)
Relationships - Long Distance Relationships: How to Stay in Contact (The Responsible One)
Adult Cheat Sheet:
what to do if your pet gets lost
removing stains from your carpet
how to know if youāre eligible for food stamps
throwing a dinner party
iām pregnant, now what?
first aid tools to keep in your house
how to keep a clean kitchen
learning how to become independent from your parents
job interview tips
opening your first bank account
what to do if you lose your wallet
tips for cheap furniture
easy ways to cut your spending
selecting the right tires for your car
taking out your first loan
picking out the right credit card
how to get out of parking tickets
how to fix a leaky faucet
get all of your news in one place
getting rid of mice & rats in your house
when to go to the e.r.
buying your first home
how to buy your first stocks
guide to brewing coffee
first apartment essentials checklist
coping with a job you hate
30 books to read before youāre 30
whatās the deal with retirement?
difference between insurances
Once youāve looked over all those cool links, I have some general advice for you on how you can have some sort of support system going for you:
Reasons to move out of home
You may decide to leave home for many different reasons, including:
wishing to live independently
location difficulties ā for example, the need to move closer to university
conflict with your parents
being asked to leave by your parents.
Issues to consider when moving out of home
Itās common to be a little unsure when you make a decision like leaving home. You may choose to move, but find that you face problems you didnāt anticipate, such as:
Unreadiness ā you may find you are not quite ready to handle all the responsibilities.
Money worries ā bills including rent, utilities like gas and electricity and the cost of groceries may catch you by surprise, especially if you are used to your parents providing for everything. Debt may become an issue.
Flatmate problems ā issues such as paying bills on time, sharing housework equally, friends who never pay board, but stay anyway, and lifestyle incompatibilities (such as a non-drug-user flatting with a drug user) may result in hostilities and arguments.
Your parents may be worried
Think about how your parents may be feeling and talk with them if they are worried about you. Most parents want their children to be happy and independent, but they might be concerned about a lot of different things. For example:
They may worry that you are not ready.
They may be sad because they will miss you.
They may think you shouldnāt leave home until you are married or have bought a house.
They may be concerned about the people you have chosen to live with.
Reassure your parents that you will keep in touch and visit regularly. Try to leave on a positive note. Hopefully, they are happy about your plans and support your decision.
Tips for a successful move
Tips include:
Donāt make a rash decision ā consider the situation carefully. Are you ready to live independently? Do you make enough money to support yourself? Are you moving out for the right reasons?
Draw up a realistic budget ā donāt forget to include āhiddenā expenses such as the propertyās security deposit or bond (usually four weeksā rent), connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Communicate ā avoid misunderstandings, hostilities and arguments by talking openly and respectfully about your concerns with flatmates and parents. Make sure youāre open to their point of view too ā getting along is a two-way street.
Keep in touch ā talk to your parents about regular home visits: for example, having Sunday night dinner together every week.
Work out acceptable behaviour ā if your parents donāt like your flatmate(s), find out why. It is usually the behaviour rather than the person that causes offence (for example, swearing or smoking). Out of respect for your parents, ask your flatmate(s) to be on their best behaviour when your parents visit and do the same for them.
Ask for help ā if things are becoming difficult, donāt be too proud to ask your parents for help. They have a lot of life experience.
If your family home does not provide support
Not everyone who leaves home can return home or ask their parents for help in times of trouble. If you have been thrown out of home or left home to escape abuse or conflict, you may be too young or unprepared to cope.
If you are a fostered child, you will have to leave the state-care system when you turn 18, but you may not be ready to make the sudden transition to independence.
If you need support, help is available from a range of community and government organisations. Assistance includes emergency accommodation and food vouchers. If you canāt call your parents or foster parents, call one of the associations below for information, advice and assistance.
Where to get help
Your doctor
Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
Lifeline Tel. 13 11 44
Home Ground Services Tel. 1800 048 325
Relationships Australia Tel. 1300 364 277
Centrelink Crisis or Special Help Tel. 13 28 50
Tenants Union of Victoria Tel. (03) 9416 2577
Things to remember
Try to solve any problems before you leave home. Donāt leave because of a fight or other family difficulty if you can possibly avoid it.
Draw up a realistic budget that includes āhiddenā expenses, such as bond, connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Remember that you can get help from a range of community and government organizations.Ā
(source)
Keep me updated? xx
Reblogging for myself
If there was a way to run SUPER MEGA AD BLOCKER on this website I fucking would
āPlease oh please open up your computer to a porn virus! If you donāt youāre evil!ā
Freeloader Cominā through!
We didnāt start this war internet users have with ads - We might have moaned about banner ads, but it was only when they started making noises when we might be listening to music or a podcast or whatever, causing two sound sorces at once, that we started trying to block ads universally rather than just a specific type of ad (pop ups).
And since then ads have gotten worse - Actual malware rather than merely breaking one of the fundamental sins of web design - though shalt not autoplay anything with sound. And the more aggressive a website is with āplease turn off adblockā the less I trust it to bother to vet ads and advertisers to make sure theyāre not installing malware.
Not to mention that the idea that avoiding ads is āfreeloadingā is hilariously backward. Advertisement is a transaction between the platform and the advertiser, the user has no obligation to provide the views/clicks the platform has promised. Using an adblocker isnāt freeloading in the same way that leaving the room to get a snack during a commercial break isnāt cheating the tv network.
Ok yāall, I work as a web developer and Iām here to tell you that you are 100% right and that itās shit. SO Iām going to tell you how to get around websites that block you from using their website if youāre using an adblocker.Ā
Every website uses a language called JavaScript; long story short itās a website language that allows developers to do the crazy shit you see on websites. Now the easiest thing to do is to disable JavaScript to stop them from knowing you have an adblocker:
Oh no! Iām blocked from viewing the website. It would be a terrible shame if I were able to right click and select theĀ āinspectā feature
Click the three dots in the top right and open theĀ āSettingsā Menu
And then scrolled down toĀ āDebuggerā and checked theĀ āDisable Javascript Optionā
And then just refreshed the page
Reblogging to save my life
saving a life
I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?
a pallet of ramen noodles
I hate ramen noodles tho
hmmmmm bees?
Are you suggesting that I eat bees for a week
This is roughly what I make sure I have in my kitchen all the time along with rough estimates of local prices (MN). I buy a lot of things when theyāre on sale and stockpile them.Ā
instant oatmeal packets with fruit in them - $3 probably and this can be breakfast all week and maybe even a lunch or dinner too since you usually get 10 packets
bag of rice - $2-3 depending on size. 1 cup dry rice makes enough for about two meals depending on what you add in. if you get cheap rice, rinse it before cooking
canned beans - usually under $1 per can - mix the can with your rice and you have a meal. chili-spiced beans will make bean tacos. Rinse non-spiced beans before adding to anything.
Tortilla - usually around $3 but you get like 8-10 of them. Tacos, wraps, and quesadillas are all fair game here
lettuce - $2 max around here, either a head of something or bagged precut depending on preference, use as a salad or on tacos
protein other than beans of some sort - probably $5-7 for meat, $2-3 for eggs. sometimes I can get bags of frozen chicken breasts in this price range and each is usually 2 meals if I add in a bunch of veggies. fry/scramble eggs and add to any of the options.Ā
your favorite stir fry sauce - $3ish
vegetables - $5ish. literally anything that you can 1. fry in a pan and 2. youāll eat. fresh carrots are usually pretty cheap. get frozen if itās cheaper and youāre strapped for cash/prep time on this part.Ā
alternative to stir fry: Ā pasta (~$2), fresh tomatoes (~$2), cheese (~$3).Ā
cheese and fruit if you have extra - look if your store has loyalty cards for free that you can load coupons on for cheese thereās always one it seems like.
ahh thank you!!!
Reblogging because thereās never knowing whoāll need it.
Adding also: the single most nutritious food on earth is potatoes in their peel. Potatoes + some milk and butter = everything you need. They donāt last all that long, but theyāre fairly cheap and the quickest cheat to āHow do I not fuck my body up.ā
(Cooked potatoesāll last a while in the fridge. Potatoes nearing the end of their useful lives? Cook them to half-done first, figure out what to do with them later.)
Easiest baked potatoes: slice thinly but not paper-like, spread like cards, brush with oil (a silicone baking brush is totes worth the little it costs), spread salt and pepper (a little less than you think youād like), cover with foil, stick in oven or toaster-oven at 150C for 40min. (If you have the patience, at that point click up to 180C, remove the cover and add 10-20min.) Reheats well, lasts in the fridge longer than itāll take you to nom.
Dead-Animal-Free Whole Protein: some legumes + some grain. AKA rice and lentils, or rice and beans. (Maybe some fried onion for flavor; onionās cheap and stays good a descent while. Fried onion makes everything taste better and keeps forever in the freezer, so frying up a bunch and keeping portions is not a half-bad idea.) (If going for the beans option - lentils are cheaper around here but fuck if I know what itās like in your area - dump some tomato sauce and oil in; canola or soy are best health-wise, and far cheaper than olive; avoid corn.) Oh, what does instant couscous go for in your area? It keeps for fucking ever, itās usually cheap, and it takes well to any and all added taste.
If you get to choose, black lentils taste the best and need the least soak-time (0-20min), green lentils are best for cooked stuff and red lentils are best in soups. (Red lentils + potatoes + root vegetables of choice + spices; cut into small pieces, cook, run through the blender if you wanna [stick blenderās awesome], freeze in portions.)
When possible, get instant soup mix. Get the good instant soup mix. (The kind thatās not made primarily of sugar, yeast or both. The rest is optional.) Dump 1/2tsp (or more, but start on the low end) into couscous, or chicken, or sprinkle over potatoes being stuck in the oven. Whatever. Itāll make most cooked-food-type things taste better. And again, lasts forever on the shelf.
IfĀ you can have eggs (goodness knows theyāre sometimes expensive), dump some tomato sauce in a pan (tomato sauce lasts forever on the shelf), add some oil, onion/beans to cook in it, hot peppers if you wanna, then when itās nearly ready crack an egg or two in. Hard-boiled eggs last a remarkably while in the fridge, so when eggs reach near the end of their usable lives, just hard-boil and stick in the fridge. (Have eggs as often as you can, particularly as you have brain-shit going on. You need all the eggs, salt, and 60%-or-more chocolate you can get. Brains are made of cholesterol and salt, so folks with neuro or other brain shit need more of both. Potassium is also aces. You know what has the most potassium? Tomato paste.) Grated cheese keeps in the freezer for ever. Grated cheese will make a lot of things taste nicer. Preserved lemon juice keeps forever in the fridge. Grated cheese + oil + lemon = instant and awesome pasta sauce thatāll liven up the weeks-old dry pasta in the fridge. Slices bread also keeps well in the freezer. Try to have half a loaf or a loaf. Dry bread gets cut in cubes, mixed with oil and the aforementioned instant soup, stuck in oven at lowest until properly dry, then kept in an airtight jar to add to soups. (Over-ripe tomatoes come cheaper. They get turned into soup or sauce, then frozen in portions.)
this is a very good post but why are we glossing over the fact that the alternative to ramen is bees
i have it on pretty good authority that bees are notĀ an affordable eating alternative to ramen.
Seriously, bees are expensive
Trufax.Ā
And speaking as someone who is also living off oatmeal, beans, and brown rice, if you need recipes, I have them!Ā
Today I made 16 bean soup with chicken sausage and it was crazy good and I got 8 servings out of the one batch (froze half). I usually get the cheapest beans I can find, and GOYA bags of beans are usually $1-2. I soaked them overnight,rinsed them, and threw them in a gallon lidded saucepan with 2 boxes of chicken stock (also on sale for $2), two bay leaves, sauteed green pepper, onion, and celery, some garlic from a jar, about two tablespoons of dried herbs de provence,and theĀ āfancyā bit was adding $6 bourbon and apple chicken sausages. You can actually sub veg stock for chicken and skip the sausage and make it vegan and it would still taste great.
Oh and Iāve been doing steel-cut oats. I donāt buy the name brand ones, I just pick whatever store brand/generic I can get for less than $4. They take about Ā½ an hour to make, but theyāre super tasty and I make 2 cups of dried oats at a time with dried cranberries and thatās breakfast for 4 days at least.Ā
Iāve also been making black bean soup, red beans and rice, and curried potatoes and chick peas. I got 100 quart and pint take-away containers from Amazon for $20 and they all stack neatly and are perf for one serving of whatever.
Additionally, depending on where you live, whole rotisserie chickens are something like $4-$7 and are easily 4 - 6 servings of protein and on TOP of that, if you stick the carcass in a ziplock bag and then the freezer you have excellent soup makings. Using bones in soup literally squeezes all viable vitamins and minerals out of the suckers. Soup made from lots of bones is great to keep around if you get sick, itāll feed and sooth you relatively easily and as you get better you can add noodles. ON TOP OF THAT, a quarter to a half cup of soup broth added to a lot of dishes also adds those nutrients PLUS flavor.
Hereās my āHow to eat for a week on $30ā³ post.
donāt forget Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4 A Day
Yall are clutch for this lmao cuz ima need this for about the first month after I move
Reblogging cause who knows what your followers are going through rn
Fuck Iām at a fencing tournament and literally a minute after I reblogged this my dad told me that he talked to the point people and Iām probably going to win a medal.
BURN BAGEL BURN
OH WHY NOT?
I need to follow up to say I reblogged this last night, and this morning I got some of the best news of my life, like, a life dream come true news thing.
Bagel what are your powers
FUCK, I though it was just another lucky meme but LISTEN. Since a week ago I was waiting a phone call to confirm me if I got a job or not in my university. I reblogged this yesterdayās night ājust for fun and because I donāt want any bagel to be mad with meā, and todayās afternoon, while I was losing my time as always, the professor I was supposed to work with called me and asked me for my personal information to start working with her.
THE BAGEL POWERS ARE WAY TOO MUCH FOR THIS WORLD
I GOT A JOB THE DAY AFTER MY QUEUE POSTED THIS THE FIRST TIME AND I JUST REALIZED IT WHEN I SAW IT AGAIN HOLY GOD
The bagel hasnāt let me down yet!
I got a job offer after reblogging the bagel. Believe in the bagel!
šš¼
Worth a try lol
i could use some good news or even a good girlĀ
Go lil bagle! Show me your power!
Okii then!
THIS IS THE FIRST THING ON MY BLOG
I GOT ASKED OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER I REBLOGGED IT
wait but whats happening with the bagel tho
Itās burning, as is everything Iāve hoped for whenever Iāve reblogged a post like this
I just kinda wanna watch something burn?
Mood
You guys didnāt listen when I said Bagels hold an ancient and wonderous power.
Why the fuck not
mr bagel do your thing
I HOPE THEY TELL ME IāM GONNA BE BURNED AT THE STAKE
Alrighty then- bagel donāt let me down!
Titty
Luv u bagel
I really do need some luck smh
Please, bless me, oh mighty bagel
Bless thy
I had some problems with my Collegeās administration,reblogged this earlier this morning,now my problems are solved.
Bless the burning bagel
The sign of high quality is the fact the book was banned by the government. Trash literature NEVER EVER had any troubles with the law.
FARENHEIT 451 IS ON THE BANNED BOOKS LIST??? ITāS LITERALLY ABOUT THE SOCIETAL DANGERS OF BANNING/OUTLAWING/BURNING BOOKS ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME
Thatās the reason itās on the bloody list.
BECAUSE ITāS ABOUT HOW BANNING AND BURNING BOOKS IS WRONG.
HEREāS ALL THE PDF VERSIONS I COULD FIND SINCE WEāRE ALL IN QUARANTINE AND WE CANāT PHYSICALLY GET THE BOOKS WE DONāT HAVE
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Beloved
Bury My Heart at Wounded KneeĀ (this was the only free version I could find, and itās a downloadable thing, so do so with caution)
The Call of the Wild
Catch-22Ā (it was either this version or one where the entire thing was in comic sans font)
The Catcher in the Rye
Fahrenheit 451
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Gone With the Wind
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Gatsby
Howl
In Cold Blood
Invisible Man
The JungleĀ (personally I donāt like this formatting, but the site doesnāt look sketchy soā¦) - thereās also thisĀ which is the proper book format in a pdf, but itās directly photocopied so it might be hard to read some of the print
Leaves of Grass
Moby Dick
Native Son
Our Bodies, OurselvesĀ (we learned about this one in APUSH!)
The Red Badge of Courage
The Scarlet Letter
COULD NOT FIND Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (the ebook is 47 fucking dollars??? and i canāt even find sketchy websites thatāll let me download a pdf. if anyone manages to find a link, lmk please)
Stranger in a Strange Land
A Streetcar Named Desire
Their Eyes Were Watching God
To Kill a Mockingbird
Uncle Tomās Cabin
Where the Wild Things AreĀ (this is a slideshow!!!! how fun)
COULD NOT FIND The Words of Cesar Chavez (however I did manage to download the first 71 pages of the book from EBSCO and I put itĀ hereĀ but I couldnāt get the rest. sorry yāall)
Hi Chekhov! Really enjoying your white diamond au! I had a quick art question: How do you start comissions? I've been improving my drawing skills and thinking about drawing for others after having fun in artfight, but I don't know where to start? How much to charge, how to get paid, etc. Do you have any tips? Hope you're doing well! :)
Alright, since a few people have asked, Iāve decided to put together a few things about how to get started on commissions - what you need, what you should make, and how to keep things organized.Ā
This will get a little long, so Iāll divide it into 4 main sections:
1) Draw Art - Getting started
2) Get Commissioned - Making a commission sheet, Advertising
3) ??? -Ā Communicating, Setting Limits, Running the Business
4) Profit - Pricing Yourself and Getting Paid
* Disclaimer: Iām an artist, so this How-To will be illustration-focused. Iām sure many of these tips can apply to ANY types of commissions, but I will be focusing on the type I know best. If you are proficient in other types of commissions for other types of art - music commissions, photography, etc - feel free to chime in and leave a comment or make your own tutorial!
1) Draw Art
I think this is probably the most obvious part, but it needs to be said:
Before you start making art for other people, you must first be comfortable making art in general.
Iām not saying your art has to be Disney-quality, or industry-level! Not at all.Ā
BUT! You must be comfortable creating what you sell. If you try to sell something you have little confidence in, you will stress yourself out and possibly end up losing time AND money.
Donāt shoot for the moon if you havenāt landed on it even once. Sell what you know youāre good at. Your commissions donāt HAVE to include full-body illustrations if you donāt know how to draw feet/solid stances. Limit yourself to what you can do.
Things you need to should probably have before starting commissions:
1. Access to art materials or a fully downloaded art program
DO NOT - Use a free tutorial version that will expire in a month and leave you without a way to draw! If you are having trouble finding a program, try free ones like MediBang Paint Pro.Ā
2. Free time to complete the amount of commissions you want to take.
DO NOT - Take on or offer commissions if you KNOW youāre going to be overwhelmed with school or personal life for the next 2+ months. Pace yourself, otherwise youāll burn out, get stressed, and get discouraged.
3. A reliable way to communicate with your customers like a commissions-only emailĀ
DO NOT - Use your friend/family/college email. Itās hard to keep track of things as it is, and creating new emails is easy and free. And keep it professional if you can! Not many people will reach out to dong-wiggles20434 to ask for a design. Ideally, your email should be close to your brand - however you want to brand yourself. Usernames are fine!)
DO NOT - Use Instagram/Twitter/Tumblr to collect commission info unless you are ready to do the organizing yourself. Some people make it work, but in my experience, if you use these SNS sites to communicate with friends and network... youāre going to be losing commission inquiries right and left and accidentally ignoring people. Email is much easier to organize and sort into folders.
4. A portfolio or at least 2-3 pieces of each type of art youāre planning to sell.Ā
DO NOT - Advertise commissions without having any examples of the art you plan to sell. People will find it difficult to trust you if you canāt even give them a vague idea of what sort of drawing theyāll be getting.Ā
Disclaimer: These are not hardĀ ādo notās. If you have had a different experience, I respect that. Iām simplifying for the sake of streamlining this advice.Ā
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2) Get Commissioned
So - you have your art, you have your art program, and youāve got all the time in the world. That means.... thatās right! Itās time to let the world know youāre taking commissions.
One of the most common ways artists signal to their audience that they can do commissions is by creating a commissions sheet. There are MANY ways to make this - and they range from simple and doodly ones to VERY complex designs. For example, hereās mine!Ā
There are many ways to organize a commission sheet. At its core, a commission sheet should display the types of art you WANT to be commissioned to make. Letās go over a few ways they can be done!
#1.... Body Portion Dividers!
This sheet is most common with those who want to capitalize on drawing people and characters. If you want to draw lots of characters, this is a great way to offer several tiers of pricing based on how much of their character your customers want to see.Ā
#2... Complexity Scale
If youāre open to drawing many things but want to base your pricing off of how complex something is, you can split your tiers into done-ness. This type of commission is popular with those that draw characters AND animals, furries, etc.
#3....Ā Style and Type
If youāre more on the design side of things, or if you have various niche art styles that you canāt quite lump together, display a variety of your skills alongside each other! It helps if all the ones you have can be organized under a common customer - like those looking to advance their own business and get logos, websites, or mascots made for them!
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3) ???
You got your first commission... what happens now???
Well, ideally you have the time, tools and motivation to make things happen! Now all you have to do is... sit down and... draw.......
Iām going to say something that may be a little controversial:Ā
Commissions arenāt fun.Ā
No, no, hear me out: I have fun doing commissions!Ā I genuinely enjoy drawing characters and coming up with designs. But even with all that said, commissions are, first and foremost: WORK
Iām not saying this to discourage you, Iām saying this to keep things realistic. When I first began commissions, I thought it would be just like any other type of drawing. I would sit down, imagine a thing, draw it... it would be fun!Ā
But then I realized that I couldnāt just draw what I wanted - another person had an idea in mind and had asked me to do it. I stressed over getting the design correct from descriptions. I stressed over not having the right reference for the pose the commissioner wanted. I stressed over not being able to draw the leg right in the way I had promised I would do. I stressed about billing. I stressed about digital money transfers. It was difficult, and time-consuming, and I did not enjoy it. At all.Ā
And a part of that is definitely on the commissioner - we, as artists, NEED to demand proper references or descriptions. We, as artists, NEED to limit the amount of changes weāre going to make at the flick of a finger. We NEED to demand clear instructions and set boundaries. Thatās also super important.Ā
But also - donāt be discouraged if you find yourself exhausted drawing your first commission. MANY artists go through this. Adjust your rules, fix up your limits, practice putting your foot down on finicky commissioners who expect you to read their mind! It does get easier, but you have to communicate and put in the effort and act as your own manager AND your own customer service AND your own accountant. Thatās what youāre looking at.Ā
Good limits and boundaries to set:Ā
Limit the amount of changes a person can ask to make.Ā āI want blue hair.ā Next email:Ā āNo wait, yeah, make it red.ā Next email:Ā āActually I changed my mind, can I get the blue but like, lighter?ā Next email:Ā āNo, not that light.ā ... At some point, we have to stop. I personally allow 2-3 changes on the final stages of a commission before I start refusing or start asking for extra money.
Demand clear instructions and/or references. If something isnāt described, you have to take artistic liberty and design it, but thatās difficult! And if the customer is not happy with it but canāt tell you more? Thatās not your problem - the burden of reference is on THEM. You cannot read their mind, and thatās not your fault.
Get at least half the payment up front! This is a good balance between the āpay before artā and theĀ āpay after artā conundrum that will limit the amount of woes between artist and customer. (Iāll touch upon this a little more in the Profit section.)
Organization:
Where possible, create good habits! Tag your emails and organize your folders. I have a tag on my emails for active and finished commissions. I also keep my emails on Unread until I have time to sit down and properly look at/reply to them.
My Commissions in the folder are also organized chronologically and I mark down which ones are paid and which ones are not.
(I understand not everyone can do this, but if you want to give it a try, it does make things easier in the long run. Again, this advice is just what I have found personally helps.)
One last thing - I do not want to shame ANYONE for taking their time with commissions!Ā Commissions are complex, and they take time and work. You can draw in 8 hours, but some things take research, materials, etc. Some illustrations realistically take up to half a year, or, depending on whatās involved, several years!!
THAT BEING SAID - itās good manners to be upfront with your customers about how long you expect the commission to take. If you think youāre busy, just say that! Explain that you have a lot going on, and you will probably take (insert time period here).
And if your commissioners are worried, work out a system to keep them updated! I send my commissioners updates when I finish the lineart/flat colors/etc and I try to be clear about how long everything will take. I try to estimate with a +3-5 days buffer to give myself extra time... and recently Iāve been using it. Always say a bigger number than you think youāll need.Ā
If someone wants a rushed commission... make them pay more. If ANYONE wants a commission doneĀ āby the end of the weekā - thatās an automatic rush-job for me because Iām juggling an irl job and several commissions at once. I WILL charge a rush fee and I wonāt feel bad about it.Ā
If someone wants a commission within 24 hours...... Well, they better be paying you 3x your normal amount, or more. And remember - you CAN refuse! Itās perfectly reasonable to sayĀ āNo, sorry, that sort of turnaround time is not realistic for me.ā
Food For Thought - Invoicing
Many artists Iāve commissioned in the past have not used Invoicing, but Iāve recently begun to fill out invoices and file them in my Commissions folder just to keep track of things. Itās not necessary until you start getting into the Small Business side of Freelancing, but itās not a bad idea to get into the habit early in case you might need to do it later for tax purposes.Ā
Hereās what my Invoice looks like, for example.Ā
Iāve optimized it to help me remember who, what, and how much is involved! It also contains important info for my customers like where to send the money.
Which brings us to...
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4) Profit
One of the hardest things for artists is pricing themselves. Iām not going to tell you which way is BEST - there is no BEST way, only the best way for YOU.Ā
One of the options available to you is pricing by the hour. It includes averaging out how long it takes you to draw a specific type of art (whatever youāre offering as a commission) and multiplying that by an hourly wage youāve decided on.
When you do this, I stress - do NOT price yourself below minimum wage if you can help it. When you first start out, aim for the $15/hour mark and adjust accordingly.Ā
Other ways to price your art:
- Per complexity: Portraits vs full body should be scaled based on how difficult you find one vs. the other. You can also easily decide on a price for a sketch and double it for lineart, triple it for full color, etc.
- Per type: Look up for industry prices for website design and logo design. They may surprise you! You donāt have to charge that much, but it helps to keep things in perspective.Ā
Itās okay to change your prices! Keep your commission sheet image handy so you can update the amounts as you grow. :)
Payment up front or after completion?
Some artist take full payment up front. Some only demand payment after theyāve finished and sent out the piece. I personally think these are both risky for everyone involved.Ā
I recommend doing at least HALF of the payment BEFORE you start the commission. Calculate your full price and ask for half before you start working on it in earnest, to make sure the person can actually pay you. Then, when they receive the full piece and are satisfied, they can complete the payment.Ā
I personally work in this structure:
> Someone emails me with their idea/reference
> I send back a rough draft sketch that shows the idea/pose (only takes me 10-20 minutes so not a huge loss if they ghost) and quote them a price
> They can pay the full thing upfront OR pay half
> I finish the commission and send updates when I do the lineart/colors to double check anything so they have multiple chances to spot any errors
> If the person paid only half on completion, I send them a low-res version of the finished thing, they finish up their payment and THEN I send them the full-res version plus any other filetypes/CYMK proofs, etc.Ā
Many of the people who commission me pay me up front even though I offer they pay half - and Iām really flattered that they trust me that much! Because of that, I feel encouraged to update them frequently and ask for their input as I work, so they have the peace of mind knowing Iām actually doing their commission.Ā
Great, but how do I get PAID????
There are NUMEROUS ways - these days money is relatively easy to transfer over digital means, and you have a few options.Ā
Paypal is perhaps one of the oldest digital wallets and is geared towards businesses. By setting up a PayPal and connecting it to your debit card of bank account, you can tunnel a pathway from your online business directly into your hands in a matter of days.Ā
Paypal also offers Invoicing - you make an invoice, price it and send it to the personās email and they can pay whatever way they need! (It also allows partial payments.)
Pros: transfers from PayPal to bank account are free, and take a couple of business days. It also has no upper limit to the amount of money you can move in/out each month. It can force refunds due to the nature of its business-oriented payment system.
Cons: Because itās used by businesses for larger transactions, PayPal may demand a more rigorous proof of your identity. It may also take longer to set up and be harder to get used to. Iāve also heard that they can be a hassle when it comes to closing your account.Ā
Venmo is another type of digital wallet that acts much like paypal, except for a few key differences - it is NOT made for businesses (so depending on whether youāre officially registered as a freelancer, you may not be able to use it). I personally donāt use venmo, so I cannot speak to its usefulness, but I know a few people that use it for casual transactions. Itās easy and quick! :)Ā
Keep in mind that you cannot force a refund over venmo! The transactions are final.
Thereās also CashApp, GooglePay (which could load gift cards but also allows peer-to-peer transactions) and Iāve heard good things about Due, though Iāve never personally used it.
Other ways to pay: Iāve had people pay me over Patreon by upping their pledge, and Iāve had people pay me over Ko-Fi by donating a specific amount.Ā
Many people even use Etsy - the website specialized for independent small businesses selling art - by listing their commission sheet and offering up severalĀ āslotsā of commissions, which allows you to track taxes AND allows your clients to pay using whatever they feel comfortable with.
If youāre in Canada, you can even pay by emailing money directly from bank account to bank account - check whether your country offers this type of service! Thereās no shortage of ways to move money in the digital world.
Just like everything else, thereās no singularĀ āBestā way. It just depends on what works for you.
I think that just about wraps it up! I canāt quite think of what else to put here - but Iām sure other artists will chime in with their own advice. :) Iām very sorry this became so long but I hope it was helpful!Ā
Obligatory Disclaimer: Iām not qualified to give legal or accounting counsel. Please double-check the laws in your own country/state in regards to taxation of freelancing work and do your own research. If you are underage, DEFINITELY get an adultās permission before you start doing commissions, and have the adult help you through the process.Ā Ā
. . . . . . . . . . . .Ā
OTHER POSTS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL:
An Extended Post on Pricing Yourself for Commissions
Dealing with Imposter Syndrome/FeelingĀ āNot Good Enoughā
Growing Your Audience
Advice for Starting Digital Art
Art by Sasha Vinogradova
Okay there is so much to unpack with the Ao3 financial drama and I am going to do my absolute best to keep this as direct and jargon free as possible.
Up front: I have an MBA with a concentration in compliance operations. I have extensive experience reading and evaluating financial statements. I have worked with non-profit financial statements previously and am familiar with non-profit financial restrictions.
The Organization of Transformative Works (OTW) is Archive of Our Ownās parent company. They also have other interests, and all of them are collected under the single non-profit organization that is OTW. They are a 501C 3 type non-profit organization with 7 part time employees that do not receive compensation for their work. They qualify as a 501C3 because they receive more than 1/3 of their funding from charitable donations. In the case of OTW, almost 100% of their funding is from charitable donations.
The most recent tax form available on the OTW website is from 2018 which is not surprising as most non-profits get extensions on filing tax documents bc non-profit tax reporting is heavily scrutinized and four months is a quick turnaround for it. So Iāll be referencing the 2018 tax documents and a 2018 financial statement that was audited by a independent third party auditing company.
Here are the links:
* 2018 Form 990 Tax Reporting * 2018 Financial Statement Audit Report
In 2018, OTW reported $477,746 in total revenue before expenses, $476,902 of which came from gifts, grants, etc (aka charitable sources). Expenses came to $232,349. For a breakdown of what those expenses are you can check out page 10 of the Form 990. So net revenue after expenses is $245,397.
So there is a myth that OTW pockets buckets of money above their donation goals, but they consistently reinvest that money into the organization. That is the entire purpose of a 501C3. They are required to put their revenue back into the organization, the programs that they operate, and other overhead and operating costs (which are not insubstantial). Under a 501C3, no one is allowed to āunfairly profitā, aka no investors that pocket revenue, no salaries that are outrageous, etc. The employees of OTW are unpaid. There are no investors. No one is pocketing money.
501C3 are permitted to set up investment portfolios to further benefit the organization. This is within their legal rights and is not only a right, it is a good idea. They *should* be seeking to be better able to support the organization through things such as low-risk investments. That is good business practice.
You can, and should, review the audit report. Read over the analyses from the audit team. The sole finding they had was that the OTWās bank might exceed their federally insured dollar amount which is not a significant finding and not something they are required to change.
There is no conspiracy. The OTW is extremely transparent with their financial reports. Even if they werenāt, Form 990s are publicly available. I get that reading tax forms and financial statements is pretty tedious, but justā¦ stop spreading ridiculous information.
You can like or not like Ao3 for whatever reason, just at least be honest about it. :/
