BUN★XL彡

Hi! I'm Niya, i'm an artist.

For almost 10 years now i've been working as a full-time self-employed creator, and before that, part-time art commissions has put me through college. I offer a variety of services that range from 2D characters illustrations to 3D models to video editing and graphic design; this variety of skills have developed as a response to the ever changing market and the need to support my living through art alone.

I've been working my tail off all this time, as we all do, while making peace with my CPTSD, autism, depression & anxiety disorders. In fact, i worked so hard, i'm currently at a stage of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) where on some days i'm bedbound and only able to perform basic tasks. Going outside for long periods of time has almost immediate lasting consequences. CFS is often compared to Long Covid - there's no cure for it and it leaves your body unable to ever feel rested, no matter how long you sleep or rest, with muscle weakness, post-exertional malaise (going out for 3-4 hours = a week of being bedbound) and brain fog.

I'm sure you know how bad the inflation and job crisis has been hitting us regular workers, so by all means i'm far from being the only one in an almost oxymoronic position of both overworking and struggling to find work. The less money people make, the less disposable income they have to spend on luxury services like custom made art.

So where does all this leave me?

- Despite working regularly, i'm about 3 months behind on my work. Meaning if anyone were to hire me, they would have to wait 3 months for me to even start working, and then some to see it completed. I do my best to communicate the situation with my health and work schedule to clients, any serious disagreements are few and far between, i'm very fortunate to work with kind and understanding people, who give me extra time and sometimes even tips.

- By the time I actually start working on the projects I'm already behind on - the ones whose payment I spent on rent, groceries, or medication 3 months ago - my mind can only think about how to cover this month's bills, instead of how to create something beautiful for the sake of my client. Creativity is no longer on the front of my mind, even if i want it to be.

- Besides art, i receive payouts through various active and passive incomes like Twitch, Redbubble and Fansly. It's never enough to cover even basic necessities.

- I have very little time for personal art projects, which are one of the only things keeping me sane in this backwards world that values output and profit above individual's well-being.

- I moved countries 2 times in past 3 years (Russia > Georgia > Mexico) for safety reasons. Needless to say, it's expensive to move and have to buy most of bare minimum household staples again.