xo, alix

alix lynx, unhinged

This is What I Would Tell Any Woman Looking to Get Into Adult Work

 

 

First off, let me preface this by assuming that by reading this, you are at least 18 years old. If you’re not, stop what you’re doing and exit out of this post. And if you are at least 18, keep on reading.

I’ve been in the adult entertainment business since 2012, where I started off as a webcam model and started doing full-on scenes in 2014. Looking back, I was really flying by the seat of my pants and figuring things out along the way, one day and one step at a time. My entire career has been this way, and I’ve not only had a fuckload of real-life, firsthand experience in the ‘biz, but I’ve also been fortunate enough to receive some incredibly kickass advice from industry veterans who believe in paying it forward just as much as I do.

Because when you get into the business (when I say “business” here, I’m primarily speaking to women who want to be an adult film star, and/or want to be an Onlyfans/fan site model producing adult content)…nobody tells you anything. Like, you will learn along the way. If you ask enough of the right people, you’ll gather a ton of valuable wisdom, tools and tips to take with you throughout your career. But it still shocks the hell out of me when I chat with random ladies online and hear stuff like, “I just want to make quick money online and not have anybody find out,” or “Onlyfans is easy money, all I have to do is get naked and people will pay big”…etc. (Neither of these are generally true, P.S.).

Here’s my best advice for women who are seriously considering getting into the adult entertainment industry. I’m neither advocating for it, nor am I telling you not to do it. Take this info and do with it what you will. Because the way I see it? Knowledge is power and it’s always best to be as informed as possible, especially before making such a big life-changing decision. 

  • Everyone you know will find out. Literally everyone. You know why? Because most people watch porn, regardless of how prudish they may seem in real life. Trust me, most people are fucking freaks in one way or another behind closed doors. It’s human nature! In 2020, Pornhub reported the site got 130 million hits PER DAY. Your family. Your friends. Your elementary school teacher. Your old soccer coach. Your coworkers from that fast food place you worked at in high school. In the Information Age, aka the world we’re living in right now where everyone and their great grandmothers are using the internet, it’s never a matter of if these people will find out, but when. Plan accordingly. 

 

  • Your entire life will be affected forever. Now, this isn’t a bad thing or a good thing. It just is. It’s 2022. Lots of people have sex tapes. Lots of people have Onlyfans. I personally think people are more open minded now when it comes to sex than ever before. Like, helloooo…it’s the reason why we all exist. You gotta pause and think about what you want your life to look like in 5, 10, 15 years from now. If you plan on doing porn and then being a school teacher, it’s not going to happen. If, however, you plan on doing adult work, stacking your cash, investing it, opening businesses, having rental properties, etc…basically taking full control over your future, that’s a completely different story.

 

  • There is stigma. The funny thing about this is, people in the adult industry are, for the most part, pretty fucking great. They’re open minded, non judgmental, secure with themselves, and are just overall cool humans. The stigma and weird judgy-ness doesn’t come from this crowd. It comes from other people (“civilians,” as performers call people who aren’t in the industry). People who have weird ass, convoluted views on sex and sexuality. People who grow up in environments that say sex is bad and carry that baggage with them through adulthood. People who are insecure over empowered women making a living off of the body they were born with while they slave away at a shitty desk job they hate. The list goes on. That said, while stigma does exist, it really depends who you’re involved with. Personally, I don’t fuck with anyone who’s weird and judgy like this. And if I happen to encounter it in my life, I don’t take it personally, because I know that other people’s opinions on this matter are not only usually false (so many people think porn sets are coke-fueled orgies when they’re wildly mundane and professional), but also come from their own limiting beliefs they’re projecting outwards that have literally nothing to do with me.

 

  • You have to treat it like a business. Assuming you’re going into this to be a model and earn a living vs. exploring your exhibitionist side as a fun hobby, it’s crucial that you treat it as a business. That means that not only are you a model, but you’re also a business owner. That means you have to learn the ins and outs of what it means to own and operate your own business. Everything from creating a corporation to keeping your financials organized to filing your taxes to marketing…it’s on you. I strongly suggest you put in the work early on and learn the ins and outs of each aspect of your business before hiring people to help you (aside from an accountant, and even then, you still need to pay attention to what they’re doing) so you’re not blindly trusting other people with your livelihood. This is also a good idea so that you can eventually train people in the systems you like best, because when you get busy with stuff like creating content and engaging with fans on fan sites, it’s nearly impossible to do everything yourself…and is also a recipe for burnout. For example, I have a virtual assistant who helps me keep track of my clothing auction site to make sure items are always being relisted, new items are being uploaded, letting me know when an order has been placed that I need to ship out, etc.

 

  • It’s work. Just like literally any other job, no matter how much you love it, there will absolutely be some days where you just don’t feel like getting up and filming. You have to be disciplined enough to be able to keep promises to yourself and show up for yourself (and your fans) every single day, and do what needs to be done…whether that’s custom content, filming new content, engaging with fans, etc. I still create and follow my own schedule years later, and always will. Holding yourself accountable will always be crucial.

 

  • It can get expensive. While there is good money to be made, it takes time to get there when you’re in the building process. You’ll need money for stuff like the fees to create a corporation, have cash flow so you can pay yourself – and your taxes – properly, wardrobe, testing (if you’re working with other talent), lighting, travel (if you’re collaborating with other talent who don’t live in your area), etc.

 

  • Create as many streams of income for yourself as possible. Whether you want to be an adult entertainer for your entire life, or have a plan to get in and get out in 3 years…whatever…it’s really fucking smart to take advantage of any and all money-making opportunities that align with you that you can create for yourself (literally just like any other business) so that you’re not just relying on one stream of income. This could include stuff like creating clip stores on sites like Manyvids ,  I Want Clips, and/or Modelhub. It could include offering your fans the option to purchase custom content from you on the above sites, or by sending you a tip on Onlyfans. It could include selling your special lingerie you wear in your scenes on a site like My Sexy Auctions. It could mean offering your fans to chat with you via phone or video call on Sext Panther.  It could mean creating a merch store. The sky is truly the limit here, but my point in all of this is that you absofuckinglutely need to have more than just one source of income coming in if you want to be able to make money off of your name while you sleep.

 

  • Mindset is everything. As an adult entertainer, you’re not only a business woman, but you’re also an artist. The lifestyle can be weird, especially if it’s not something you’re used to. It can also be incredibly lonely if you’re not living in a place like LA which is a super artist-friendly city. Stay in touch with your friends. Make new connections with other ladies in the industry and make a space for yourself in the community. Don’t compare yourself to other women in the industry. Ignore trolls and block them, letting their comments slide right off of you. Don’t let the weird opinions of other people on your life and your work get to you, because remember, they’re based off of their own world views and life experiences and have little to do with you. Live your life in real life, not just online. Practice self care.

 

  • Stack your fucking cash. Most women I know in the industry who are still around today have gone through this phase. I sure did! You’re suddenly making more money than you’ve ever seen in your life. It can be really fucking tempting to go spend it all in one fell swoop. While I am fully on board with treating yourself (Lord KNOWS I am extra as they come)…it’s all about balance, baby! I’ve been aggressively saving and investing the past few years and let me tell you, nothing is more satisfying, empowering, and SEX to me than logging on to my bank account and investment accounts and seeing those numbers grow and grow and grow. There are few greater feelings to me than being able to pay hefty bills without getting anxiety over not having enough money left until the next pay day. BIG BANK ACCOUNTS ARE FUCKING HOT. So is learning how to properly manage your money. Put in the work. Read financial books (I HIGHLY recommend anything by Robert Kiyosaki). Read magazines like Kiplingers. Listen to financial podcasts. I took a life-changing money course that completely changed my beliefs and views on money, taught by a super cool chick who just gets my vibe. This seems super boring at first, but remember…I’m a fake titty blonde chick who loves Sephora, Starbucks, spray tans, false lashes and pink. If I can fucking handle it, so can you. The worst thing you can do is blindly give your money to someone else to manage. That’s the lazy way out. Boss ass bitches do the work and stack their cash.

 

I LOVE sharing my own insight and resources for other ladies in the business to use. Was this helpful for you? What more do you want to learn from me? Comment this post with your questions, suggestions, etc.

 

xo, alix

 

I’m Uncomfortable Daily

 

 

Real talk: I’ve been uncomfortable pretty much every single day since July of 2020, when I moved out of my bubble in LA to New York, to live in nature and unplug from the daily grind of city life.

Why? Well, from spring of 2014 up until March of 2020 when COVID flipped the world upside down, I had a lot of structure. For someone who enjoys her freedom more than anything, you would think I would run for the hills at the sound of the word “structure.” But actually, it’s structure that helps me continue to build my life on my own terms and allows me the freedom I seek. So while I still have structure now (I live and breathe by my planner), it’s a lot different than what I had in the past, and I’m still getting used to it.

See, when I lived in LA, all I did was shoot. Like, every day. If I wasn’t shooting for a company, I was spending my time shooting my own scenes, whether on a set or at home. This is why I literally own like, 1000 scenes. Creating in the form of filming was just what I did. So I would wake up every single day and might not know what I was going to film, but I knew that I was going to film something, which gave me a peace of mind.

But since COVID life, that all changed. Shoots were cancelled and the world went on pause. This gave me, much like so many other people, a lot of time to reflect on the life I was living. And in that reflecting, I realized that I was simply not the happiest I could be. I knew that there was a life out there for me that I would find drastically more fulfilling. I knew this because a. I’m extremely self-aware and I can just tell b. The last time I made a big decision in my life of that caliber was when I decided to move out to LA to pursue my career, and that same exact “it’s time for a change” feeling was back. I recognized it. So even though part of me was like, “God damn it, not again,” (because let’s face it, the process of moving fucking sucks, especially across the country, not to mention this would be another large lifestyle change for me) there was a bigger part of me that was excited at the prospect of switching gears.

So, as I do, I chose to be excited rather than anxious because my happiness and peace of mind is my priority, so as comfortable as I was in my current situation, I knew deep down that it was not my long-term solution. And once I knew that, I couldn’t un-know that.

I also knew that in deciding to move, that life as I knew it would change. At that point, I had drastically cut back on filming for companies and had been hyper focused on filming my own scenes (I personally love to have full creative control over what I’m filming, who I’m filming with, as well as have the ability to collect residuals from my scenes forever which is something that filming for companies does not offer) so there wouldn’t be much of a lifestyle change for me other than having to travel to film scenes. Which was fine by me.

My decision to move was also based on my desire to live a more calm, “normal” life in the sense that I wanted to be and do more than just adult film. I didn’t want to quit,  but I did want to expand more into different interests and passions of mine, and incorporate them into the world I’m building. Stuff like this blog, my merch, brand collaborations, music and more. I also wanted to be a normal human on the day to day, which was not the vibe I had in LA, where all I was doing on the daily was getting up and being an adult actress. There was a part of me deep down that craved more. More connections with more people that were beyond surface-level. More nature. More fun adventures with friends for no reason other than “just because.”

Needless to say, just as I knew, my decision to move was the right one. I can truly say that I have never felt more at peace with myself and my life the way I do now.

Which is in a way funny, because I can also truly say that I have never felt more anxiety or emotional ups and downs the way I do now. Why? Because since I moved, I have been 100% reliant on myself and my team to continue creating, expanding, and elevating. This is opposed to how I used to be, which was me living and working in a tight-knit community of fellow adult entertainers on the daily. Moving away took me out of the thick of all of that.

It forced me, in a good way, to get really crystal clear on exactly what I wanted out of life, and how I wanted it to look and feel. This is a tricky place to be because I’m the boss. I’m not following any sort of person, blueprint or trail. I’m clearing and creating my own. Which is equal parts bliss and absolutely maddening, depending on the day 😉

Ultimately, the way I feel is that me moving was me being ready to truly grow up and take full responsibility for my life and making it into exactly what I wanted. Since I decided not to follow the typical blue print of a successful adult film star (rather than just going all in on only porn porn porn, it’s just a really fun part of my world), I decided to surrender once and for all to the fact that if I want something, it’s on me (and my team) to figure out how to bring it to life. Which, ultimately, means that almost every single day is unknown.

While I am still structured and have a set schedule of to-do’s on the daily, it’s a whole lot more of putting out small fires throughout the day, waiting on deliverables from people I’ve hired to help me do things like editing, a lot more back-and-forth phone calls with my team, etc. A far cry from my LA self, which was….go to set, come home, sleep, go to set…you get it.

Nowadays, each day is a blank canvas where it’s up to me to decide what I’ll fill it with. Not my agent. Not the circumstances of my schedule lining up with another talent. And while I am wired for this and couldn’t imagine living any other way, that doesn’t mean that I’m not freaked the fuck out sometimes, or that I don’t catch myself in a spiral of “I hope this works,” and/or wondering if I am indeed certifiably insane.

I find that most people greatly fear exactly this. This, being uncertainty. Not knowing exactly what tomorrow will bring. I’m certainly not immune to it. But what I am certain of is that I have grown more as a person and into adulthood more in the past two years than ever before. I am certain that all of the uncertainty that I experience on the day to day has created anxiety up the ying yang for me, but that it’s also made me stronger, more resilient and more trusting of myself than ever. I’m happier than ever before. I’m more fulfilled than ever before. I’m more confident than ever before.

So instead of holing back up in my comfort bubble, I choose to embrace the uncertainty, no matter how comfortable the former may be. Because from what I’ve lived, it’s in the places of uncertainty that I’ve experienced the most expansion into the next-level, best version of myself. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything. 

ASK AL: ONLYFANS AND HOW IT’S CHANGED THE ADULT INDUSTRY

 

 

 

You asked, I answered! 

 

HAS ONLYFANS CHANGED THE ADULT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?

Dear Alix, 

Onlyfans is EVERYWHERE. Has the adult entertainment industry changed because of it? Is it changed FOREVER?

Yes.

Onlyfans has been around for a handful of years now, but it’s popped OFF especially in the past year. And yes, it has changed the entire industry, but in a GOOD WAY.

For performers, Onlyfans has been a MASSIVE game changer. It’s shown adult performers that THEY are the ones with the power, NOT the production companies. As in, it’s shown adult performers that THEY can go and produce their own scenes for their fan club members, as well as earn a living, just from providing that incredibly special and intimate experience for their fans.

When I first got into the business, the number of women I knew who were focused mostly on producing their own content (I was one of them, still am) vs. the ones who were just going full force filming for companies was a small percentage compared to a massive one. The way things were then was that your agent would book you for a scene with a studio. You were paid a flat rate for that one scene for the day and that was that. Just like going to the office and working your desk job for the day.

Onlyfans has opened up a LOT of performers’ eyes to the fact that they can produce their OWN scenes (and collaborate with other performers of choice to do so) for their fans. In addition, they can make residual income from those scenes for literally EVER. It’s short-sighted vs. long-term. For me, personally, I’m a big picture person. So I would much rather spend my time producing my own scenes that I can share with my fans however and whenever I want, FOREVER.

For example, I can share a scene on Onlyfans, then post it on a site like Manyvids a year down the road, then post a preview of it onto Pornhub…vs. if I go work for a company, I’m paid a flat rate for that scene and I have zero residuals or ownership of that scene. So a company can pay me $1,500 for a scene and then make $20,000+ off of it (this is common, BTW).

This is why it’s annoying for performers to hear from fans that they’ve “retired” just because they’re no longer going to set and instead are producing their own scenes. From a business perspective, it’s smarter to produce your own scenes. BUT…it’s also fun to collaborate with companies for cool passion projects! And some performers just fucking LOVE being on set.

It’s ALL OK. 

In addition, Onlyfans is the shit because it allows performers to give their fans intimate access to their worlds…whether that’s in the form of professionally-produced, high-end scenes, or just pulling out the camera during an intimate moment at home in the bedroom and hitting the record button. It gives fans DIRECT access to their favorite performers. Like, I LOVE more than anything the fact that I can DM directly with my fans and cater to each one’s specific desires. It’s like a combination of a virtual strip club and a Starbucks (lol). Fans can order stuff like custom videos, voice notes, photo sets, etc. all custom-tailored to their personal desires and fantasies.  

The sky is literally the limit. 

Having that extra income from Onlyfans every month, simply put, gives performers OPTIONS. If you don’t feel like going to film for a studio, you don’t have to. Some performers are strictly producing their own scenes for Onlyfans now and not going to studios anymore because they make way more money from working less (which isn’t a BAD thing. It’s working SMARTER).

PLUS, producing your own content, as a performer, gives you complete control over who you collaborate with, the kind of scene you film, and literally every single detail in between. Which, in my opinion, just makes for a BETTER, more organic and HOT AF scene. It’s that vs. just going to set to work for a company where you’re told who you’re working with, given a script and a scenario to act out, and are paid a flat for the day, zero residuals.

Onlyfans also gives performers freedom to work from wherever the hell they want. In theory, I can literally go anywhere in the world whenever I feel like and still be able to film and take hot pics and vids. 🙂

All in all, Onlyfans just gives performers more options and also allows them to further monetize and expand their businesses. And, even if Onlyfans were to suddenly disappear tomorrow, there are other fan club sites out there, like Fancentro, so this business model is never going to completely go away. That said, yes, I do believe that the adult entertainment industry is forever changed because of it.

 

IS ONLYFANS AN EASY WAY TO MAKE MONEY?

Dear Alix, 

Is it easy for someone to hop on Onlyfans and make a ton of money? It seems like anyone can do it.

This is a wildly common belief but is also absofuckinglutely not true. Let me explain. 

IF you are, say, an Instagram model, adult actress, or hell, any sort of person who has a presence on social media and a fuckload of followers ALREADY, then yes, you can do very well on Onlyfans because you’ve already got the audience for it AND you already know that producing content for Onlyfans is a must if you want to do well with it.

For someone who falls into these categories, it’s going to be easier for you than, say, someone who’s starting with a blank slate with no presence or followers because you’re starting from scratch, so you have to build all of that, too.

But even if you DO fall into any of the above-mentioned categories, it’s still a lot of fucking work. In my world what that looks like is DMing with my fans twice daily, taking new photos and vids, filming new scenes, organizing them, sending them out, etc. PLUS filming custom content on an as-needed basis…and it’s doing that every single day. Literally. I don’t think I’ve NOT posted on Onlyfans in like two years. That’s just me. I’m super structured and this is how I run mine. Some people I know are way more chill with it, but I believe in consistency AND delivering for my fans daily. It’s a personal preference.

If, on the other hand, you’re JUST starting off with a blank slate, it’s also going to be a lot of work for you because you’re not only doing stuff like interacting with fans on Onlyfans, taking new pics, vids, filming new scenes..you’re also doing stuff like growing your fan base on social media and promoting your content (which you STILL need to do even if you have a fuckload of followers from my first example) but when you’re first starting off, for a lot of people, it’s challenging because you’re fresh to the scene so you’re trying to find your vibe and figure out what kind of scenes to film, what kind of stuff your fans are into, what YOU’RE into, that kinda thing.

(^^^^I know this was an entirely run on sentence but I don’t care because this is my site, my rules. heh heh.)

All in all, regardless, Onlyfans is a lot of fucking work, but it’s also a LOT of fun! Just like any other business, it’s easy when you love the work you’re doing because it doesn’t feel like work. I can easily go 12 hours of filming back to back to back to back photo sets because I’m having a blast playing dress up knowing that my fans will love what they see.

If you’re thinking about starting an Onlyfans for yourself…or perhaps you’re just curious, and want to learn more about how it all works, I also wrote a FREE e-book that shares how I make 5 figures a month on Onlyfans (which anyone can do if you follow my guidelines).

You can download the ebook HERE. 

If you’d like your questions answered, you can email my team (and it’s totally anonymous, P.S.) at teamfantasyfactory@gmail.com, and I’ll be answering away right here as well as in my “Ask AL” series on Instagram Live.

 

xo, alix