I am an American illustrator working in Japan. I have a decent social media following (around 115k organic followers), and I mostly work commercially, but I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a Patreon account to monetize content I don’t get to post to my highly curated social media accounts (full length live stream videos, sketches, wallpapers, and maybe even draw-along and critique sessions). I already have a Japanese PayPal that I am able to withdraw money from into my Japanese bank account.
This is just something I’m starting to research, but I would assume that as long as I report the income I make (with my 青色確定申告) I shouldn’t run into any taxation problems. PayPal’s fees are annoying, but I figure it’s better than making nothing on the content altogether. My Visa is sponsored for graphic design work/commercial illustration, but I think I might need to get special permissions for this type of work so I’ll probably consult with the immigration office/an immigration lawyer just to be safe.
I could only find old threads about Patreon, so I thought I’d make sure I’m not missing anything. If anybody has any insight, I’d love to hear it!
by kailenedanae