An adult content creator has revealed how burning out as a touring jazz musician led her to swap the stage for OnlyFans – a move that now allows her to travel the world full-time while earning far more than she ever did performing.
Sarothica, 35, spent six years touring Europe as a professional jazz and blues musician before exhaustion forced her to rethink her future. After unexpectedly finding success on Twitch, she eventually launched an OnlyFans account, where she says years of hard work have given her the freedom to become a digital nomad.
Despite her success, @Sarothica insists the industry isn’t the “easy money” many people believe it to be, warning aspiring creators that building a career online takes years of relentless work, marketing and sacrifice.
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“I’ve burned out twice,” Sarothica told Nudenewz.
“First as a musician and then again on Twitch.
“When I do something, I go all in.
“I used to practise the saxophone until my fingers were bleeding.
“I’d stream for 16 hours a day, sometimes for two or three months without a single day off.
“I only stopped when I was completely exhausted.”
Before becoming an online creator, Sarothica had little interest in social media.
The professional tenor saxophonist toured across Europe for six years, with performances in the US, before stumbling across Twitch by chance.
She said: “I didn’t even think you could make money online.
“My only references were huge gaming streamers, so I thought there was no way someone like me could make a living from it.
“I started streaming music and comedy, and it took off really quickly.”
Within just a few months, Sarothica says she was able to support herself through streaming alone.
But while Twitch gave her a new career, she realised it came with one major flaw.
She said: “If you’re not live, you’re not earning.
“You can’t really build passive income.
“I realised I couldn’t keep working those hours forever.”
After years of streaming, she decided to launch an OnlyFans account – something many of her audience had been encouraging her to do for years.
Today, she says the platform has transformed her lifestyle.
“It’s really awesome,” she said.
“I get to be creative, meet interesting people and make a lot more money than I ever did before.
“Obviously every job has difficult people, but overall I genuinely enjoy what I do.”
Despite earning significantly more than she did in previous careers, Sarothica says she rarely splashes out on luxury items.
Instead, she prefers investing in experiences and helping others.
“I spend far more money on other people than myself,” she said.
“I love buying my parents groceries or flying friends over so we can create content together.
“I’d rather invest in businesses or stocks than buy expensive handbags.
“I’ve travelled full-time for the last five years and that’s probably where most of my money goes.”
Growing up in a tiny Portuguese village with around 30 residents shaped her attitude towards money.
She said: “I was always taught to give more than you take.
“If I cook, I always make enough food for extra people because you never know who might knock on the door.
“I’ve actually had backpackers turn up before needing somewhere to stay and dinner was already cooking.”
While her career choice often attracts criticism online, Sarothica says she’s been fortunate to receive overwhelming support from those closest to her.
“My parents have always said, ‘Whatever makes you happy, we’ll support you,'” she said.
“My mum was actually my biggest Twitch moderator.
“She follows everything I do.
“I actually had to block her from X because she’d started liking my spicier posts.
“I was like, ‘Mum, what are you doing?'”
Although her siblings were initially less enthusiastic, Sarothica says she’s never experienced the family breakdown that many creators fear.
She believes staying constantly on the move has also helped her avoid much of the stigma associated with adult content.
“I’ve been very lucky,” she said.
“I know a lot of people lose family or friendships over this.
“I haven’t really experienced that.
“When people ask what I do, I usually don’t say OnlyFans straight away.
“It’s not because I’m ashamed.
“It’s more of a safety precaution because you don’t know how some people will react.”
Despite her success, Sarothica has one piece of advice for anyone considering following in her footsteps.
“Don’t do it just for the money,” she said.
“People think it’s easy, but it’s years of work.
“You have to become a marketer, a creator, an entertainer and a business owner all at once.
“If you’re only doing it because you think you’ll get rich, you’ll burn out.
“You have to genuinely enjoy creating content.”
Now travelling the world full-time, Sarothica hopes to expand beyond adult content by documenting her adventures through YouTube and OFTV travel series.
She added: “Travel is my biggest passion now.
“It feels like the perfect next step.”
