Does your kink life ever overlap with your real life?

[quinn65]

I think in 22 years on TMF this might be my first post to the general discussion forum.

In real life I work with companies going through changes. New strategies, new systems, new product lines, new markets, all that. Once things are sketched out, what I do involves a lot of workshop planning and large group facilitation. Basically herding butterflies.

Six weeks ago someone I've known since college asked if I'd host a bondage demo at a regular gathering of her friends. It looks like maybe a dozen will attend, and based on the conversation that triggered the whole idea, she wants the demo to involve hogties and some tickling games.

I've done a lot of video shoots and know how complicated it can be to keep things moving while running even three or four people through a tickle session. And this party seems like such a great opportunity, the last thing I want is for things to get bogged down.

So here I am, on my 18th version of the "bondage demo session flow," working out timelines and alternate plans and fallbacks and contingencies so everything goes smoothly.

And it just hit me, my kink life has now almost fully overlapped with my real life.

Ever happen to anyone else?

 

[Comfort Eagle]

Most of my irl friends know I shoot tickle videos. Some have done some, others will recommend it to their friends. It's significantly less exciting than you'd think in the OnlyFans era. More of a fun novelty than anything anyone's particularly fascinated about.

Which is pretty cool in it's own right, no fear of being "outed" over it.

 

[BlueLine7045]

Most of my irl friends know I shoot tickle videos. Some have done some, others will recommend it to their friends. It's significantly less exciting than you'd think in the OnlyFans era. More of a fun novelty than anything anyone's particularly fascinated about.

Which is pretty cool in it's own right, no fear of being "outed" over it.

On the one hand, I am jealous of you. I think it would be awesome having some of my friends coming to me offering to let me tickle them for money as a business opportunity (at the same time, the very, VERY few female friends I do have, most of them aren't ticklish so its pointless anyway). On the other hand, I am not another one of those people who believes starting your own tickling video production company/business is easy or even fun. Maybe it can be fun, but it is also work. A lot of work. And you are sinking tons of money into it as well. Equipment, paying the models, spending hours of your life recording and shooting, editing, preparing, etc. Sure, tickling beautiful women and models is really fun, but the rest of it is less fun. Not to mention the fact that I feel like the tickling industry is over-saturated today and there is a lot of competition. Even as a buyer myself, there are so many studios, videos, beautiful ticklish girls, etc. out there, I am overwhelmed with what to buy and who to buy from. Sometimes having too many options can be as bad as having too few options.

I'm no fool. I really give you guys kudos for all you do. Not just anyone can just up and start their own business, especially a fetish video business, and be successful.

To answer the question, no. Tickling doesn't really overlap between my personal and business life, assuming thats what you were going for.

 

[Comfort Eagle]

On the one hand, I am jealous of you. I think it would be awesome having some of my friends coming to me offering to let me tickle them for money as a business opportunity (at the same time, the very, VERY few female friends I do have, most of them aren't ticklish so its pointless anyway). On the other hand, I am not another one of those people who believes starting your own tickling video production company/business is easy or even fun. Maybe it can be fun, but it is also work. A lot of work. And you are sinking tons of money into it as well. Equipment, paying the models, spending hours of your life recording and shooting, editing, preparing, etc. Sure, tickling beautiful women and models is really fun, but the rest of it is less fun. Not to mention the fact that I feel like the tickling industry is over-saturated today and there is a lot of competition. Even as a buyer myself, there are so many studios, videos, beautiful ticklish girls, etc. out there, I am overwhelmed with what to buy and who to buy from. Sometimes having too many options can be as bad as having too few options.

I'm no fool. I really give you guys kudos for all you do. Not just anyone can just up and start their own business, especially a fetish video business, and be successful.

To answer the question, no. Tickling doesn't really overlap between my personal and business life, assuming thats what you were going for.

Oh yeah, it's work. In my experience, you'll have "fun" with very little of the hands-on aspects, instead getting enjoyment out of producing a video you're really proud of. I feel like something you said here is worth pointing out;

Not to mention the fact that I feel like the tickling industry is over-saturated today and there is a lot of competition.

Don't compete with them. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing and don't worry about climbing the ranks. Do shit you think is cool and, with luck, you meet cool people along the way. Anyone who jumps into this shit trying to "build a brand" and sink a lot of money they may or not have to try and pull that off are going about it completely the wrong way.

 

[quinn65]

LOL was never really a business, it was just a goofball idea that let my friends make some money.

We actually made out pretty well back in 2007-2010, but profits grew harder to come by in the later iterations.

Regardless, it's no way to get rich unless you can figure out how to scale it, and probably even then. I didn't mind the shooting and editing; for us model flow was the limiting factor as we never reached out to any professionals.

I had just never connected LOL video setups and personal sessions with the work I do in RL until this big weekend thing came along. That's what I was thinking when I made the post.

 

[BlasterMaster]

I think my father found out about all my fetishes when he sat down in my office chair, bypassed my desktop's security by correctly guessing my security question, and then proceeded to throughly violate all my privacy by browing all my desktop's content and internet browsing history, favorites, email messages (etc etc). He confronted me about it and I promptly decked him in the face I was so mad. Since her was in his lower 60's at the time he lost some teeth. He immediately threated to have me arrested and I basically called his bluff by saying I could have him arrested for hacking into my personal property when I told him specifically he wasn't allowed in my GF's and I's office or our bedroom. I never spoke with him after that. Glad he's dead now. He was a paranoid cheating piece of shit.

 

[natalee]

I'd kept tickling interest to myself up until recently when I finally decided to stop lurking TMF. I can't imagine anyone in person knowing, but I'm also a pretty private person by default. I feel like theres probably some freedom in not caring, and maybe I'll get there one day, but I'm taking it slow for now and just keeping them separate as I get more used to talking to other people who are into this 🙂

I think my father found out about all my fetishes when he sat down in my office chair, bypassed my desktop's security by correctly guessing my security question, and then proceeded to throughly violate all my privacy by browing all my desktop's content and internet browsing history, favorites, email messages (etc etc).*

Ouch.. I really feel this. My parents tried to establish very early on that we were a "no privacy" household, and I ended up trying to overcompensate for that so hard it landed me a job in cybersecurity because of how paranoid I was about keeping all my digital secrets safe. Sucks that happened to you. I can't imagine it happening while older than a young kid, either...