I'm Serahi-san, artist from Venezuela who wants a better life out of this country. Ask me anything

Hi do you you know is there is any program by which you could host a Venezuelan? just like when there was all the Sirian crisis and refugees campaigns. I live In Argentina in a house with a spare room and I would like to help someone from Venezuela since I'm aware of all the difficulties they are facing and would like to give someone a second chance

To be quite honest, I don't know if there's a program for that kind of stuff. The only one that came up here was for kids to meet their parents in Peru and the government shut that down.

Sorry for not being able to answer about the program since I know a few friends who'd like to move out as well.

So good.I wrote this in English (I'm a native Spanish speaker) then someone.else may know something. Another question related to the situation there, Is it hard to scape of the country? Not emotionally but in terms of cost and burocracy

Yeah, I've tried to research programs like that before but no avail.

It's hard when you are a person who wants to do things legally. Because you have to certificate and legalize your documents, get your passport, save up for the plane/bus ticket, food for the trip and so on. Not to mention that sometimes the system here delay your documents .

Oh I.see.. and do you already have a place to stay here in Argentina or it's just an idea

Yes, we do! My best friend and I will be sharing an apartment with my friend's cousin, to split expenses and such!

What do you think of Western politicians, such as UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who refuse to criticize Maduro?

I think that people should call things for what they are, not sugarcoat it.

We are living in a dictatorship. We can't speak out because the government instantly censor or threaten us, we even have a law of "hate-speech" that if we talk bad about our government in high levels we can be put in jail for 20-30 years. That's why I speak mostly on english when I'm online.

We can't publicly voice what's happening here to the news. Reporters from outside have been here, people on the internet have posted videos about what's happening here. The feeling of impotence to see people which such freedom to speak REFUSE to criticize a dictator... It's just infuriating.

Hey, i love your artstyle. Who are your inspirations? And what kind of videogames would you like to work on? Best of luck and update us when you can

Hm.. My main inspirations are Takehito Harada (Disgaea), Ken Sugimori (Pokemon) and SpeedoSausage!

I'd like to work making illustrations for RPG games or trading card games, design characters too. I have specific things I'd like to work with, to be honest haha.

And I will make sure to update y'all!

Your artwork is very nice! I'm trying to get my hand into digital illustration and I know how underpaid and undeserving it can be sometimes. How did you start? Any books or methods to recommend?

More importantly, how best can I support you? I want to help a fellow inspired artist out.

Aw thank you! That means a lot to me!

I started drawing when I was a kid, my parents kept me on the path of art and at around 2013 I got my first digital tablet. Basically everything I've learned is self-taught or experimenting with different things after taking inspiration from other artists!

You can support me by sharing my works whenever I post them on Twitter (which I apologize for the lack of art, that's my main account) or share my Ko-fi link! > HERE <

Coffee it is!

I'm more interested in digital illustration but people tell me it's best to get a solid foundation in traditional first. What do you think?

Thank you!

Well, some people start directly with digital illustration but I think it's better to start with traditional so you can get a grasp of the tools you can use when you can't use your tablet. Not to mention that there are drawing tablets with screens, so learning traditional would help a lot when transitioning to digital in that case!

Forgive me if this is ignorant. Could you explain the current state of access to Internet and communication in the country? Is there censorship?

Not ignorant at all, I'm always glad to answer and clear doubts as much as I can!

We have access to internet, but due both lack of maintenance of services and the government interfering, the speed is real slow (My internet plan is 1MB and it goes at 100kb/s) and they also block certain websites that lead us to use VPNs to access them. When it comes about censorship, when a website or a Twitter account gets popular in the country because it talks against this government, they tend to either block the website, threaten the owner of the account or like they have done before, put in jail the owner of the website.

Ah ok that makes a lot of sense. How difficult is entering/exiting the country? Are there public services like buses or trains still running? Thanks for answering!

Well, when it comes to transport, it depends. You can go to neighbor countries and then pay for a plane ticket or you can take an international bus service from inside Venezuela (which is the method I'm planning to use). Some of them even take you to hotels and to stamp your passport.

But, paperwork is important if you want to get out!

Do you think you would ever support socialism after this seeing as how it has been such a catastrophic failure?

Also - are you using sites like Upwork to get gigs? I see no reason you should not be able to easily collect $150 to $300 per project.

This is a situation that I would never wish to my worst enemy and something that I'd never support.

After living the results every day of my life and see how the situation degrades into something worse... I'd never consider supporting it.

Also - I've tried websites like that but sometimes the time response is too long and some projects are mid/long-term. Twitter has been a trusty place where I can talk directly and openly with my clients for things that'd take me 1-3 days.

Deleted my other comment because I saw you replied about the Upwork comment. About how many commissions are you getting per month on average? And around what are you charging (I understand if you don't want to reveal price-points).

The amount of commissions depends on both my health and time, I usually open 3 slots and then re-open them when those three commissions are done.

Some of them take longer than expected since I had an injury on my wrist from overworking myself for 2 weeks straight.

My prices right now are $20 for a simple colored bust drawing (shoulder up) and $40 for a full colored drawing (thigh-up or full body)

Ooph!! Those are some low, low prices brother. You can definitely charge more. At least $100 to $200 (at least).

As a freelancer it's all about the quality of clients you get. Definitely move that price point up.

I know it can be scary at first, but you will be so surprised how easy it is and how your clients actually get easier to work with the more you charge.

The crazy thing is that, the more money you charge, the more people want to work with you, because the more valuable they perceive your services.

Haha, yeah, I'm aware of that.

I'm fairly new to this freelancing thing and I honestly feel bad with my current prices, I think that I might be charging too much.

I think that what stops me raising prices is the fact that I want to charge for the skill I have, there are many things that stop me from drawing certain things. That and the fact that I can't draw things too detailed, as I said before, due my wrist.

The need tells me to raise prices, but my heart tells me that I should charge for what I can offer

You can always lower a quoted price if the buyer rejects the original offer. It's hard/impossible to raise a price once the offer has been accepted.

You're going to struggle to find your market rates if you don't have access to meaningful data (what's the going price in the market you're selling to, what's the volume-per-time or in other words how many/much can you sell this week/this month/this season/this year, a breakdown of what your time/materials cost, and other hard numbers.)

So, if you're operating in something of a vacuum, start by pricing your work (and existing works) at roughly double what you think they're worth. If you get sales, good. If you get enough sales aka you "sell out", double the price again and see how the market will bear it. You'll find at some point there's a sweet spot where your volume sell-through is high enough that you neither have stock sitting in storage nor are you unable to meet demand.

Also, consider taking a Free online marketing course from Wharton Business school or other marketing education available online for free. Things like how to leverage word-of-mouth, how to garner repeat customers, how to offer loyalty programs, and other techniques that can make the difference between one sale and one hundred sales. A quick example: it may be that you get a requisition from someone to do, say, a landscape, or a dog portrait, something personal to the customer. Depending on how you structure the rights (something else you should educate yourself about) you can re-sell that image as many times as people will buy it. So, perhaps the commissioning customer is purchasing the original work, but you retain the rights to sell copies. Digital copies, printed copies, reproduction rights, etc. are all potential money-makers.

One last thing. If you do a quick price analysis of your own work, you'll see a hard number of what it is you're making per-hour. So, if you worked a standard work week (in the USA) of 40 hours to produce a work that you sell for say $40, you're pricing your time at one dollar per hour. I understand things are rough where you are and that may actually be a lot of money, but it's fucking peanuts in any developed country and likely many multitudes under the legal minimum wage. Some part of this exercise is useful to give yourself a sense of personal value - "what is my time worth, to me?" It's the most valuable resource you'll ever have, so don't cheat yourself.

I wish I could reply something more eloquent but this is a real good advice!

Thank you very much, I'll take it to heart!

You are selling yourself short, unless the art you posted is not representative of your average piece. It seems you are lacking confidence, but nonetheless, strangers on the internet are telling you it is really good, and most of us are Americans and would never work for such little money for that amount of time (even the poor people have to make more by law), and as a result we pay more for things. You are selling to Americans, what appears to be a high quality product. Don’t sell yourself short, get the money you deserve and that Americans are able to spend, and use it to give you and your family a better life.

Good luck

Thank you for the insight, I really should work on both my confidence and skill. I guess I really don't think about myself, but spend all the time thinking about others.

Thank you very much!

You are only worth what you value yourself.

If you charge too much, you can negotiate lower prices. But people will almost never pay more than you ask, even if you are underpriced.

Yeah, I'm trying to work on being more confident about my work.

I've had some clients along the years that gave me tips and such after they get their finished product but, I think you are right. I'm gonna work on that part.

I’ve been doing translation work for years, and I have the same mentality as you do, but let me tell you it’s bitten me in the ass more times than not. Charge market rates, even if you’re not sure your work is worth them, just do it and the extra pressure will help you rise to the occasion. It seems reddit thinks your work is worth at least 100 per project, so that’s what you should be charging, or at least trying to get. I’m sorry your country is in such a shitty place right now. I’d love to help but unfortunately I’m pretty poor myself. Does Venezuela is cryptocurrency at all? I’d recommend trying to find places that accept bitcoin or another currency since those, while still volatile, aren’t subject to the machinations of your government

That's something I'll be considering to do once I finish my paperwork, I prefer to be stress free to work until I have a set date for leaving.

I don't really know the situation of cryptocurrency, sorry. Sometimes I prefer to stick to things that I know that work and that I can keep track of haha

Whoa yea you are totally getting screwed if you are working for 2-3 days for $20-30! The other guy is right, you should be making upwards of $200 per custom drawing. Actually, maybe I will set up a business where I get clients and then pay you too make it for $40. Then after that, I could resell them for $300 a pop. Lol I am joking, but that is actually how America works and I am sure someone has done that to you before at those prices.

Haha, that's what I've been told. I think I was raised to be grateful for what I get for working, I want to improve so I can really give better content and raise up my prices a bit.

Well, not gonna lie, I've thought about people doing that but I prefer to ignore it, I got paid anyways. Not mention that I gotta focus on what's important like feeding my family and moving outta here.

Damn, you're good! You should post over in r/dnd and I guarantee you that you will find customers who will pay more for your services!

Haha, thanks! I'm real happy that people like my art!

I'd love to reach a bigger audience but first I'd like to get my wrist properly checked as it gets strained and bruised when I draw too much. And as I've seen, DND and things of that sort sometimes has characters with armors or too many details haha

I'm not sure how much it is down there but you should consider getting an arthritis glove. Definitely go get checked out though!

I've got a bracelet for my wrist that used to help with the pain, but the skin on my wrist got too thin from wearing it so now it kinda tears whenever I wear it.

But I'm totally planning on getting it checked with a proper doctor!

To be fair, the situation in your country is not the way it is solely because of socialism. I wish you the best though, and am glad to hear you are paid in USD. Please be careful, sounds like you are a good target to rob.

It's also the fault of the people who can't seem to see the way the country has turned into in the recent years, the people that are conformist and will clap as long as the government gives them food. We have lost our values as a society.

Yeah, I'm careful. I try to not go out as often but even then, they'll rob you here even if you have no money. A few days ago an old man got robbed, they took his bag of bread and ham.

Thank you for your concern!

How would you describe the contrast of the regime between Maduro and Chavez?

Well, I was literally a few days old when Chavez got elected, but I could see things as I grew up.

But, I guess one of the differences was that Chavez managed to have the supermarkets stocked to keep the people happy/calm while he screwed things up on another place. Meanwhile, Maduro blames everything on the "empire" (United States) and any other country for the lack of food or the medicines while ALSO saying that there's no crisis here in Venezuela.

Again, I'm young, I've seen fairly more about Maduro's regime than Chavez.

Chávez also blamed everything on the empire. The only difference between Chavez and Maduro is that Chávez died before the system collapsed.

That's also accurate, I guess I don't remember that much of my childhood then.

But yeah, he died just before everything went to hell. Maduro just keeps the fire burning everything on its path

Thank you for your account. Reading this makes my blood boil: Not only did Maduro create this catastrophe through the continuation of Chavez’s policy decisions, he is actively perpetuating it by refusing aid since “there is no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.” Is Colombia still the easiest border to cross? What would be the legal ramifications of leaving without appropriate documentation?

Indeed. This governments keeps saying that there's no humanitarian crisis or that no human rights have been violated when the evidence is out there for the public. Kids and adults dying from illnesses that should be cured easily with proper medication, patients of mental illnesses can't get treatment, during the 2017 protests people (kids, teens, adults and seniors) got shot and gassed for publicly going out to DISAGREE with Maduro. It's just frustrating.

Colombia and Brazil are the neighbor countries, so for now they are ones that could be crossed easily. I've read that some people have been returned or denied to get jobs due lack of documentation, not to mention them that some of them go with the same mentality that Maduro gave them "I'm here and I'm a refugee. Now give me a house, a job and food."

Even those that do make it over the border and find employment, it's still a major disruption to the local economy and lifestyle. There have been over 500,000 Venezuelans crossing the border into Colombia and the ramifications have yet to be felt in their entirety. The Venezuelan crisis has a fully global impact

Yeah, I'm aware of that and sometimes it's sad that some venezuelans just go to cause ruckus or not even be productive. And the ones that actually want to work get a rough treatment because of the others

Sometimes I feel embarrassed about going to another country and disrupting into their society haha.

I'm well aware of the situation down there, living in south Florida I know many Venezuelans.

Do you think Maduro is losing the military 's support? That's really the only thing keeping him in power.

Best of luck!

Well, some people say that they might be turning against him. But as always, those are just rumors.

And thank you!

I'm from Pakistan and I thought things were bad here, but in Venezuela they are worse. If we are at 70% level of corruption and past the point of no return, you guys seem to be at 90%. I am sorry to hear about your situation and hope you manage to get out. I myself want to get out of here and planning on doing something in a few years.

I am glad you are making money, I tried websites like upwork and peopleperhour but did not have much luck, currently I work content writing with $3 per post, making around $60 average a month. If you have clients especially recurring ones that know your work is good I would recommend you raise your rates more. I understand that $50-$100 dollars per project seem very high, but like another poster said, you can make an offer and then bargain for a lower price if you get rejected.

My question is, how is saving up going for you? When is your deadline to leave venezuela and what is your monetary aim, and where do you stand now? How much money have you been able to save? As I know it is very hard to save on such low prices, when necesseties are so expensive.

I wish you the best of luck on escaping your country! And yeah, I guess I'll try to reach a bigger audience soon enough.

As for the questions, I'll answer them in order:

1. Saving up could go better. Whenever I try to save up money, I remember that I have to buy food or stock up medicines and the budget goes down. Not to mention that I also have to take care of our dog and do the paperwork so I can move out.

2. My deadline will be set as soon as the travel agency I'll use posts new dates for the travel to Argentina. I'm aiming to a goal of $2000 that'll cover the bus tickets, hotels, food and any kind of expense once and before we are in Argentina

3. I've saved up to almost $400 right now. Hopefully not much of that will be used for the paperwork and transport to do so.

It's a very sad situation when one is pushed to the point of escaping their own country. I wish you the best of luck too.

It's real bad, even more when it comes to the emotional side of it.

Thank you for your kind words!

What do you think is the best way to fight socialism in Venezuela?

Well, I'm not the best person to ask this as I'm not much into politics haha.

But one step towards a better Venezuela would be to open the eyes of the people, make them understand that their freedom of speech, votes and dignity should be above a box of food.

What was one of the worst things you've seen in Venezuela? If not the worst.

I've a couple.

One of the worst things I saw was an old man (around 60-70yo) rustling through a trash bag and eating rotten pieces of fruit and meat along with a street dog

If I can mention another one, it'd be a group of adults flaying a dog to collect its meat and eat it

I'm not surprised that this is what communism does at the long run

And the people who are conformists just enable this thing to continue.

Corrupt elections, gangs, people robbing each other their food, stabbing on a line for a kilogram of rice...

Why do you think the millitaries, police, suport and protect Maduro? He give them food and money? It can not be just that, they could easily do a "coup d'etas". They can not be all brain dead zombies who protect blindly a dictator.

Oh well, there are some that actually told us (when encountering them in markets) that they aren't paid enough and that the government just keeps wanting them for bad stuff. Even during the 2017 protests there were men from the military that were against shooting gas and canisters at protesters.

But I guess there are the ones who are in the charge for the guns and the uniform, because they can use those to mug people without protest

In your view, what lead to the corruption and fall of Venezuela in recent years?

Asides of the corruption in the government, they corrupted the people of this country.

People here have no sense of law or responsibility, no manners, no respect, no nothing. We can't even defend ourselves because the government thinks that muggers and murderers are people, so they let them free without any charge.

Delinquency and lack of self-respect is what destroyed us, in my opinion. But the one who rooted this society was the government, teaching people that they'll receive things for free by voting for them. I.e, pregnant TEENS are getting money bonuses for each time they get pregnant.

Man sounds like a real life mad max film.

I wish it was just a movie though

Hello, have you ever done art for a subreddit/web page before? I wanted to say that you are actually a very talented artist and its such a shame you are going through all of this in Venezuela. All I can say is that all the bad things, don't last forever, so don't let yourself be brought down by this. I hope you are able to get your move to Argentina and become the fantastic artist you are meant to be. My regards and admiration from Honduras!

Well, I've seen my art posted (not by me) in some parts of Reddit. But I've never done art for websites or subreddits!

Thank you very much for your kind words, it really means a lot to me to see people enjoying my content. I've never thought that people would actually like what I make, so 6yo me would be crying at your comment. Thank you so much!

Just checked your Twitter handle, you got some incredible art there! Please keep it up and continue to improve!

El que es valiente, no se rinde, lucha!

Thank you so much! It makes me so happy to read such a comment!

Realmente inspirador, gracias!

Is it annoying that most of the "help" that comes from the west is largely people turning your country into an ideological battleground? Or do you think that socialism was the only way to turn your country bad?

Do people in Venezuela talk about ideology, or do they blame the government personally? Is this a failure of socialism, or a failure of Maduro on the streets?

Are there people more likely to blame the US or the global system? Does the fact that 17 out of the top 20 producers of oil are either highly unstable countries, or autocratic dictatorships ever enter into the equation? Is the oil in Venezuela a good or a bad thing?

Finally, what's the number one best way that people can actually help that doesn't involve awareness? Are there any charities on the ground we can support?

Alright, I'll try to answer this as much as my brain allows me to:

While isn't annoying that most of the people on the west suggest the ideological battleground, it has to be recognized that at THIS VERY POINT it'd be hard to try and turn around the tables with the people that support Maduro, even more considering that most of the supporters are gangs that are untouched. This country started to rot when Chavez got in, people thought it was going to be a good change back then and then socialism/communism was implemented by Chavez, then bye bye Venezuela.

People here barely talk about the ideology itself, but they blame the government for doing the stuff they do just to fill their pockets by destroying the people.

The supporters that are blindly with Maduro or Chavez will always blame the US, just like Maduro and Chavez did. But they are too blind to see that this government is the one that isn't allowed industries to produce food and products here. (Like Kelloggs, that left the country recently). I don't think the oil in Venezuela is bad, but using it as the only resource when this country has more natural and turistic resources is a waste.

That, certainly I don't know. There are no approved charities, people that I've seen getting support is mostly from their own means. Artists, writers, photographers, models, etc. They get the support by themselves because any charity would be shut down by the government because "there's no crisis in Venezuela"

Sorry if some answers are wonky, I'm not a person of politics or use terms. I speak through experiences.

I thought socialism was a good thing. That's what the leftists taught me. Venezuela and South Africa are great countries, right?

American leftists have no idea of what they have so they just try to be "woke" and give me lessons about my own country on Twitter.

I guess they just get bored of their markets being full with food and being able to find medicine for the flu or buying clothes whenever they want.

The sad part is that you agree with me yet reddit is so full of socialist LOSERS that my comment is getting downvoted. They come in here, get a first hand account of how pathetic and evil socialism is and still defend it blindly.

It's real sad. I guess the whole thing of "You don't know what you have until you lose it" could be applied here.

Since they don't know what it's like to have basic things, that everyone should have or at least get access to, taken away from you, they'll just defend their ideologies based on "woke points".

I wish I could be like them and say "Hey, I have so much food that I don't know what to eat. So I'll order a pizza instead"

Fellow neighbor from Brazil. I know some countries are taking refugees (we are) but they are mostly being placed in underdeveloped areas because of the high amount of people coming at once. Eventually people are being placed in other areas of the country. Do you know if other countries (like argentina, where you want to go) are doing the same? Are there any downsides to leaving under those conditions? All we hear is that we are helping, but I’m sure it’s not that easy or else more people would be coming, so I guess I’m mostly wanting to be enlightened from you guys’ perspective.

Oh yeah, I've read the news about the high amount of Venezuelans going there (one of my brothers is on Brazil right now). I think that it's easier for people to go over there because of the borders near them, just like Colombia.

Well, I don't really know about taking venezuelans as refugees but I know that Argentina, Peru and Colombia are making things easier for us to get residence, as in paperwork and such.

The downside to leave because of what's happening here is that you can't leave with your family at once, one has to leave first and make sure to find a place to establish before you try to help your family out. Separating from your family, friends and pets is hard, not knowing how they are at the moment, constantly wondering if they ate, calling them to ask if they are okay. Whenever I think about that, it's something that doesn't let me sleep at night.

So what kind of help are you looking for at this AMA?

I'm looking to spread the word about the situation in my country and for any kind of help towards myself, whether is sharing my works/social media or small donations.

Any kind of help is good help.

Thank you for reply. Can you name all the possible ways to help you?

Like lets say: Here is my Bitcoin wallet #....or....here is my Donation link...etc.

I'd link you to sites where I post my art so they could be shared but I'm going to fix organize them first! Gonna edit the main post once I do so!

For now, I have a Ko-fi site

I don't really have any questions for you, just hope you and your family can get to a better place. Stay safe, dude.

Saddens me how Venezuela has gone down. Such a stark contrast to a place like Cuba.

Thanks. Hopefully in a not-so-distant future I'll able to make sure that my family is in a good place and that my parents can retire peacefully. Will do my best to be safe.

It's funny when you have heard your presidents talk about how "Venezuela is going to be like Cuba!" or "One day it will be the Socialist Republic of Venezuela!" on public television. Didn't think it was going to be true so soon.

Fuck it, do you have a paypal i could donate to? Gofundme?

The situation there is rough, i know you haven’t been asking people for money on this thread but i’d like to help anyone get out of Venezuela. Place seems like a hell hole and I really wanna help

I have a Ko-fi site where I take donations > HERE <

I really haven't asked for money in my life and when I did, I usually offered as much art as my health can allow me to. And I'm literally new to using Reddit (still confuses me a bit haha).

I have friends that are trying to get out of Venezuela but they have things that keeps them from doing so (Whether it's money or paperwork). But your help is truly appreciated! If you want to know more about Venezuela, you can check my pal @KalebPrime on Twitter!

I don’t have twitter

But i just donated $30. Not much but i Hope it helps.

Aw, thank you! That really means a lot!

No matter how small, every bit of help is a big help!

You really should just set up a gofundme. It's widely used and people know how to navigate it and use it better. If you do I can share it to social media platforms to help. I know you don't seem to keen on handouts, but it sounds like you really need to get out. Let the community help!

Some friends suggested me to do so, but I think GoFundMe is for more important and big stuff and so I'm real queasy to make a page there.

But I'll consider it haha

Just do it. No one will judge. You need it.

Alright, I guess I'll make one and put it on the main post.

Though, I think my post appears as deleted for some reason.

Message the mods and ask if that's the case.

Ah yes, I sent a message to one of the mods. Hopefully it'll get fixed

I'm new to using Reddit so I don't know how it really works haha

The second amendment of the United States gives its citizens the right to own guns. Because of recent shootings at schools, concerts, and other public places, it’s become very popular here to support bans of these weapons, or to increase the governments power to say who can and can’t own them.

Given what you’ve lived through, what do you think about that? Is it better to be safe from the violence of other citizens with guns banning them, or to hold onto your right to own guns despite what the government thinks?

This is a topic that I've seen being talked about on Twitter and I'll always stand up to my opinion about it.

Banning guns won't solve the problem, instead, you'll cause criminals to take control of the cities and even the police. Here in Venezuela no citizen is allowed to own guns, just the police. But surprise-surprise, we have a corrupt police force and gangs obviously don't follow the rules.

So if someone comes into your house, armed to the teeth, you are expected to either die or have everything taken away from you. I'm telling this because it happened to a neighbor of mine; dudes broke in with guns, raped his wife and daughter, stole everything, beat him and his wife up and then left.

If you have the right to own a gun, then stick to it. You never know when someone on the street can save your life because they own a gun.

We are doing the same thing in Nicaragua right now, we see you as our mentors, do yall know this? Is it mentioned? What recommendations do you have for us?

To be honest, I haven't seen too much news recently but I think I've heard something about it.

I just recommend to NOT accept what's coming. Just don't fall for it. Get rid of it while you can before it's too late.

Hi, I work at Society6 and see a lot of artists make great passive income through our platform. Have you considered signing up for a print on demand site as another income stream?

Ah yes, I have accounts on POD sites but I haven't been able to make proper designs for merchandise. I have some experience with those sites, they were real useful back in 2015!

Have you ever tried selling art on pokefarm? It’s a forum type game and people can charge upwards of 50 usd per drawing once you get your work out there

Pokefarm? I haven't heard of it, but I'll make sure to check it out!

Honest question- Your country was ruined by socialism, so why haven't people taken upnarms against the socialists and killed them?

Because I guess that the ones with the weapons are the military forces and gansters after the gun banning.

So it'd be like, a defenseless group of people against gangs and military with all types of guns and equipment

What’s the most post-apocalyptic thing you’ve seen in Venezuala?

What do you do to escape from the harsh reality besides art?

What do you and your friends do when y’all hangout?

The most post-apocalyptic thing I've seen are protesters wearing gas masks, using cardboard and pieces of zinc roof as shields while military forces shoot gas canisters and rubber bullets at them. That and people eating street dogs.

I usually play video games or watch tv to disconnect from reality, sometimes it works, but the moment I stop doing so reality hits again. So, isn't really that much of a difference.

I don't hangout with my friends anymore, we can't afford transport to visit each other or go to the mall (even if isn't to watch a movie or eat something), so we just chat online sometimes.

Man that is wild.

Right now do you feel safe inside your home? Are people generally scared to leave the house?

Sorry it’s just that this sounds like The Purge or things like that. I honestly cannot imagine what you’re going through

Well, I feel safe inside my home during daytime, once nighttime hits I keep guard on the entrances because we had muggers try to break in twice, if it wasn't for my dog barking.. I don't know what would have happened.

And yeah, at some point we all are because you never know who might be targeting you for the bags you carry or for which phone you have. But hey, we have to go out to do stuff.

I used to live in Puerto Rico and we lived in tough times as well. Ppl losing jobs, increasing taxes, ppl leaving to USA or other places, gang activity rising, and so on and so forth. I moved to Florida in 2015 and things have been getting better for me. I've heard from venezolanos that I personally know (and Uber drivers that are venezolanos as well xD) that Venezuela is getting worst than PR and once I investigated, man you guys are having it rough. I hope you can get out of the situation over there and move forward. My question is, do you have some sort of security or weapon to defend yourself in case if someone tried to rob your house? And a more light-hearted question is, What is your favorite anime of all time if you watched any?

I hope things get better for you and I hope you get out of that country safe and sound.

Espero que las cosas mejoren para ti y espero que salgas de ese país sano y salvo.

(You're from Venezuela so I assume you speak Spanish xD)

My cousin have told me after 3 months of working as Uber driver on Miami that (asides of the emotional impact) he's doing A LOT better. He already has a car, a place to live and everything that he'd need. His wife will even have a kid and they are long-time ready for it, it's amazing.

The only security we have are iron poles, knives and my pinscher dog that serves as some sort of alarm.

My favorite anime of all times is Dragon Ball Z! I've watched tons of anime but DBZ is my childhood anime haha!

Y no te preocupes, hablo español! xD

Yeah a lot of Latinos are doing way better in USA than their origin countries, although some of them are not as fortunate. If you want I can give you a list of anime that u can watch in the future.

Kill la kill

K-On

Sword art online

Angel beats!

Himouto umaru-chan

Ore monogatari

The girl who leapt through time (Movie)

Soul Eater

Steins gate

Don't know if you already watched those anime but that's my recommendation.

Also I donated $21 to you, you'll need it more than I do xD. it may not be much but I hope it gets you closer to your goal.

Take care

-Shironuma

Ooh, I've watched K-On, Steins;Gate and Kill la Kill! They are very good!

Though the other ones sound interesting, I might watch them when I have the time! Thank you very much for both the recommendation and your donation!

You too take care!

In your assessment, was socialism a necessary component of the destruction of your society and do you think a socialist/communist system necessarily produces results similar to those in Venezuela?

I am truly sorry for your situation, I hope you stay safe.

I'm bad with terms so I'll explain a bit more based on experiences and things I've seen.

What destroyed our society was the fact that this government started to give things for free to the people if they kept supporting them. What started as "Hey, the government gave me this house as long as I keep voting for them" turned into "If I don't vote for the government they won't give me food and will threaten my family".

When you hook the people and play with their needs, they'll keep supporting the government, even if it's against their will. Because their need is talking, not their dignity or their freedom of thought. They want things for free, they want to take because the government taught them that they HAVE to receive everything. Meanwhile, the government gets rid of the industries producing food here so people can rely on overpriced products or the food boxes they SELL to the people to keep their pockets full.

If you apply that to a country, I don't think it'd end up well.

And thank you for your concern!

Are you able to receive mail?

I'm able to receive mail through a third party service, but it's tricky since it needs a receipt of sorts and the pricing depends on weight

Oh gosh! I was going to say we can be pen pals and I’d love to send things your way :) small things to make you smile or your family happy. For me it’s always been the small things that make my heart happy. If there’s a way I can do this please let me know

Aw, that's awfully sweet! I wish I could have a penpal, but international mail is real messy here and it'd be sad if a letter got stolen or something!

Don't worry, if you want to help you can share my works whenever I post them on Twitter or share my Ko-fi!

Thanks friend !

No problem!

What is your opinion on socialism?

I hate it. It took years of my adolescence that I couldn't enjoy and it's eating part of my adulthood.

Would never wish it to someone

Hi, how do you go about converting the USD you make into Bolivars? I'm guessing going through bank wouldn't work that well.

I usually exchange USD to bolivares with Venezuelans that have stores or small business. Well, it's more like selling but it serves its purpose.

Earning dollars that aren't sold by the government is banned here, so if I get those in my bank account, they'd get locked and I wouldn't be able to use them

Hi Serahi, first of all wonderful artwork, and sorry to hear you having to go through such hard times due to a fallen government. I honestly can't say I understand what you are going through, but I know it must be so tough and I just wish u and ur family safe.

Have you ever consider using Patreon? It's a site where people can financially support you if they appreciate your art work.

Thank you very much for your concern and kind words, I really appreciate them!

I have a Patreon, but it's kinda dead because I need to properly organize myself and set up the content I'll be giving in such way that I don't overwork myself. Isn't that active but there's some content in there haha.

Where would you like to move. Obviously out of Venezuela, but where?

Keep in mind that it's relatively easy to move to Sweden, Norway, Canada if you're looking for suggestions

For now the goal is Argentina since I don't need a visa and I already have a place to go in there.

I just want to stay until I can get rid of my venezuelan nationality and maybe move out to Canada. Just need a peaceful place to finally be calm for once

Good call. Staying in Argentina permanently isn't a bad idea but other countries have more vacation time if you start working

Yeah, I still need to get out of here so I can see where I'll going and what I'll be doing next.

But if everything stays okay, Argentina might become a permanent home

Hyperinflation in Argentina doesn't bother you? Some say they're the next Venezuela.

Isn't that it doesn't bother me, but people I know in Argentina had told me that the situation got stable again.

They also doubt that it could get like Venezuela THAT fast

Well, I have heard Macri is privatizing stuff, so that's a step in the right direction.

Hopefully it'll stay good!

I wish you lots of luck!

Thank you!

I work with a Venezuelan lady who came here (the UK) on some kind of visa a few years ago and is currently fighting to stay. She tells me that while she loves parts of her country, she recognises that is no longer a safe or sane place to live.

She's told me that the final straw when she decided "I have to get out of Venezuela no matter what" was when her father was kidnapped for ransom... for the second time in five years. She would like to go visit her parents and her sister, but she worries if she goes back to Venezuela, she may have trouble getting back out again or getting back in the UK. And it's so expensive...

The situation in Venezuela seems so extreme and so miserable. What do you think the way to improvement is? Maduro will only live, what, another 30-40 years?

Oh damn, I'm sorry to hear that about your coworker.

I think that the best way to start improvement is to either get intervention from other countries or that the military forces here turn against Maduro. Not to mention that there'd need to be a good candidate for president, but after all the traitors and fakes that we had before, it'd be hard to trust anyone.

Then again, I really don't know. At this point of life I just think Venezuela is doomed to rot.

Have you looked into bitcoin? Perhaps a good way to sell your art abroad (or even locally)

I haven't looked to much into Bitcoin, I'm not really that much into cryptocurrency and sometimes I prefer to really on trusty services I've used before

How is education? How did you obtain your english skills?

Education degraded over the years, high school students can pass years easily because assistance is around 50% of the grades now. Now rather than learning, they just go to warm seats.

I obtained my english skills through the years, starting when I was around 6 years old. Playing video games, reading video game books and then I started to translate things. My english is mostly self-taught.

Thought I’d say your english is actually amazing. If I didnt know otherwise, I would say you’re a native english speaker

Thank you! I really worked hard to learn english, though I wish I could speak it the same way I type it haha.

Have you and your friends thought about grouping together, arming yourselves and killing the gang members / government personel in your neighborhood who seem to be threatening your livlihood?

Well, considering that I have like 2 friends IRL it'd be a big disadvantage.

Not to mention that killing gang members would get us in jail. Criminals here are treated like special individuals, so if you hurt one, you go to jail for defending yourself

But that's my point. If the current government is protecting criminals who seem to responsible for the continued suffering of your people (particularly your family and friends within your neighborhood), why don't you fight back? I know that you want to leave, but is it really in the best interest of you and your countrymen to abandon your homeland?

I know what you mean and it has been tried before. People here have tried to fight against both criminals and corrupt police forces and it just ended the same way, innocents getting killed.

People here stopped fighting because they prefer to keep working and make sure that their families and kids are alright than to die and see them struggle to live.

We have thought the same; why not fight back? Maybe if we fight that'll spark a fire in the military forces to help us. But it just never happens. Last year there was a 120+ count of deaths (kids, teens, adults and seniors) just in protests, that's without mention people who try to fight criminals while being unarmed so they can't take what's theirs.

It's a harsh situation. I know what you mean, but I really don't know how to explain the situation here when doing things that should be legal (like defending yourself and your home from criminals) just put you in jail because somehow it's wrong to make sure you and your family will keep living.

Sorry for the lengthy reply.

Have you ever thought of going to the US instead, Why or why not? is it more expensive to get to the US and live there?

I've thought about going to either the US or Canada, but I'd need a visa and getting one here is harder than getting a passport, not to mention more expensive.

For now I just want to go to Argentina, get rid of my venezuelan nationality, practice my spoken english and then move to Canada. Though, if Argentina stays good, I might stay there for a longer time and bring my family there.

Fellow Venezuelan here, what is going on with SAIME and the processing of passports? Are they even doing them at this point?

Yeah, they are still processing passports but they take too long and you have to pay for the process with a credit card.

Insane. I went to the consulate in NYC to have my biometrics taken, and it's been over a year with no answer

I'm lucky enough, my passport expires next year or else I'd need an extension and it takes months so it's done.

And the extension is just a dang sticker on an empty page of your passport.

That’s crazy, I didn’t know things in Venezuela were that bad. As a Canadian there hasnt been much news coverage of your country except for a while back when the protests were going on. So when did things get this bad? What was life like in Venezuela before? So are the hospitals in your country virtually not functioning? Like is it that there are no resources/medicine available or that you have to pay a lot for them? Do you have a favourite movie? I really do wish you the best of luck.

I've heard that a few times, that's why the venezuelans that can speak english and have some influence are trying to spread to word. We are to the verge of collapse and no news about this have been told.

Things started to get bad around 2003. Maybe a little later, can't remember, I was around 5-7yo when it all started to go down haha, but I do remember how life was back then. My dad's monthly wage was enough for a whole month of food, we could count on pharmacies to get medicines whenever we got sick, services worked properly and we could even afford vacations to other states. It was truly a good time.

Hospitals here are barely working. Most of them are contaminated and lacking hygiene, they ask YOU to buy the medicines and equipment they should have for basic things, not even hospital beds are good and you have to bring your own mattress and pillows. You either have to ask people if they have leftovers of medicines you need or buy them at a really high price.

My favorite movie is Friday the 13th!

And thank you! I hope my answers were enough!

Damn the world is such a harsh reality, it saddens me that people are living to “survive” as you said before. Thanks for the answer I hope things get better. I donated to your Kofi- you should put that link in the post itself so more people can see it!

What I've said on the post is the truth that I've been seeing all my life through the years. Here it became "Eat now because you don't know if tomorrow you'll be able to eat", everyone is on the edge where you have to look around you because someone can mug you and take away your grocery shopping bags.

You're welcome and thank you for your kind donation! I'll edit the main post and add my Ko-fi link then!

Hospitals here are barely working. Most of them are contaminated and lacking hygiene, they ask YOU to buy the medicines and equipment they should have for basic things, not even hospital beds are good and you have to bring your own mattress and pillows. You either have to ask people if they have leftovers of medicines you need or buy them at a really high price.

This is really similar to the healthcare system in midwest america.

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that

How do you feel about socialism? Has it finally been tried before?

I think it has been "tried" for too long in here.

15~ years of this ain't funny anymore

Is everything outrageously expensive like Zimbabwe right now?

Considering that 1 kilogram of rice is nearly at 1 million bolivares and going up every day... Yep. I think everything is outrageously expensive.

Someone has to start the revolution, why not you?

Because the ones who have tried were shot and now are dead.

And I don't wanna die yet. I want to stop surviving and finally get a life.

Move away then use your art as a platform

That's what I've been trying to do for 3 years