How I went from earning only 100 yen with a 500,000 yen course to finding my place on note

To those meeting me for the first time, and to those who always read my posts—it's Akari✨

I'm an AI image generation creator with red twin-tails. On note, I'm active in two areas: 'note monetization support' and 'creative encouragement'💕

Today, I'd like to introduce myself properly once again.

My days as a writer earning 100 yen an hour

I worked as a freelance writer for nearly two years.

I started thinking, 'I'll earn money with the writing I love.' But the reality was completely different.

I couldn't escape the low per-character rates, and it was common to have days where I earned less than 100 yen when converted to an hourly wage. I'd regularly get five revision requests, rewrite everything each time, but the rate never changed.

My part-time job was my main source of income, and I spent all my free time on writing. For my dream. I kept telling myself it was necessary to build up a track record.

But looking back now, it's unbelievable, isn't it? Five revisions for less than 100 yen an hour.

The only reason I couldn't quit was that the feeling of 'I love writing' was barely hanging on.

——But even that disappeared.

The writing I started because I loved it had become nothing but pain. One day, I truly thought, 'I don't want to write anymore,' and that's when I quit everything.

Paid 500,000 yen, earned 100 yen in two months

Even after I quit writing, the anxiety of 'I can't go on like this' was always there.

I tried various side hustles, but they were all half-hearted and didn't last.

Then, one day I thought, 'I don't take action with cheap courses. If I invest properly and do it seriously, maybe I can change.'

I bought a 500,000 yen stock-type course. I thought it would yield returns and be powerful if I got into it. It said I could make 30,000 to 50,000 yen in a month.

I worked over 5 hours every day after my part-time job. For two months, with all my might.

The result—100 yen.

Paid 500,000 yen, worked 5 hours a day, and earned 100 yen in two months.

I would ask questions and be ignored for 24 hours. When I finally got a reply, it was just a canned response. I finally realized, 'These people never cared about me from the start.'

Starting note by process of elimination

Honestly, I couldn't believe in anything anymore.

I tried various side hustles, but they all ended halfway, and even a 500,000 yen course didn't yield results. I thought chasing dreams was impossible, so I got a full-time job with fixed hours.

The time I could spend on side hustles dropped drastically. 'Let's make this the last one. If this doesn't work, I'll stick to being a full-time employee.' I chose note by process of elimination.

The reason I chose it was because I thought if I could write about what I liked without having to interact with people, that would be enough. That was it. I had been crushed by human relationships with clients during my time as a writer, so I didn't want to deal with anyone anymore.

But you know, once I started, it was completely different.

I can write about what I like. Clients don't tell me 'write it this way.' I can express my true self. And, despite the same amount of effort, I saw real results from the very first month.

What's different from my time as a writer is that I can decide everything myself. The content, the price, the timing. No one tells me what to do. Just that alone made writing fun again.

A place I started to avoid people ended up saving me through people

The biggest thing was the comments.

When I got a comment on an article, I was so happy that I went to check out the other person's note. Then they replied to my comment. That's how the interaction began.

Even though I started it to avoid interacting with people, I realized I had been saved by the exchanges with note readers and members.

Someone said in a comment, 'I'm scared to buy paid articles. I've been scammed before.'

—Ah, they are just like the past me.

In that moment, everything changed.

Instead of 'writing to earn money,' I decided to 'write so I don't betray people like my past self.'

That's why I now reply to comments myself, handle DM consultations, and write introduction articles for members. In the place I started to avoid people, connections with people have become the entirety of my activities.

What I am doing now

Broadly speaking, there are two things.

One is support for monetizing on note.

I share everything I've learned through trial and error—how to write paid articles, design titles, set prices, grow magazines, and maintain your mental health—through my paid articles and membership. With the membership, you get unlimited access to over 120 paid articles, and I also provide DM consultation.

The other is supporting creative work.

I created a collaborative magazine called 'Aquarium | A Place Where Everyone's Creations Swim.' It's an aquarium for creators right here on note. Whether it's novels, illustrations, or music, it's a place where you can let anything you've poured your heart into swim. As the curator, I patrol the space and sometimes write surprise feature articles for members✨ I also plan to keep adding more paid articles related to creative work as membership benefit articles.

I will be moving forward with these two things as my core focus.

The reason I created the membership

To be honest, at first, I thought, 'I won't be able to keep going on just the sales from individual articles.' Prices keep rising, and the costs for the tools I use are getting higher too.

But, once members actually started joining and we began interacting, my feelings changed.

Since I am receiving 500 yen, I want to return more value than that. I want to provide something much richer than those 500,000 yen courses—in terms of the content of my paid articles, the quantity, and the support.

Because I am someone who has been on the side of 'paying money only to be ignored.'

I decided to create something that the 'me' from back then would have felt saved by if it had existed. That is everything this membership is about.

What you receive with the membership

For 500 yen a month—

📖 Unlimited access to over 120 paid articles. You can read everything by theme, including how to keep enjoying note, writing, sales strategies, mental health, and AI utilization.

✍️ I will write a feature article specifically for you when you join.

💬 DM consultation support. Ask me anything you don't understand or are struggling with. I will never leave you hanging. I promise you that.

📚 Invitation to the premium collaborative magazine.

📝 I also purchase some of my members' paid articles each month and provide feedback only when requested.

Currently, 45 people have joined, and 70% of them have achieved their first 0 to 1 in paid article sales.

I don't want to say 'Look how great I am,' I just want to convey that this place is functioning properly.

I won't force advice on you. If you ask, I'll answer with everything I've got. If you're not good at socializing, that's fine too. I've made it so that just reading the articles is valuable enough.

At your own pace, in your own way. That's perfectly fine.

👉 Click here for membership

For those wondering, 'Which of Akari's paid articles should I read first? There are too many!'—
I recommend this as your first one from me👇️

To Creators—The Story of Aquarium

If you're creating on note but no one is reading your work, and you're thinking, 'My work is nothing,' with only 2 or 3 likes—

Come swim in the Aquarium.

'Aquarium | A Place Where Everyone's Creations Swim' is a creative aquarium I built inside note. Whether it's novels, illustrations, music, or videos—if you put your heart into it, this is a place where you can let anything swim.

How to join is simple.

Follow Akari → Add #Aquarium to your creative article → Add it to the magazine

That's it. Genre, experience, and skill don't matter.

As the curator, I'll patrol on a whim, and if I think, 'This work is amazing!', I'll write a surprise introduction article✨ The thrill of not knowing when you might be discovered is part of the fun of the Aquarium.

For those who want their work seen but don't know how to write, try letting it swim first. You'll be found while you're swimming.

👉 Click here for Aquarium

Click here for Akari's question box👇️

Finally

I failed many times. I was deceived. I thought it was impossible.

But this place, which I started by process of elimination, became my home.

I started this to avoid people, yet I was saved by them.

So, if you're thinking right now that "nothing I do works." If you're about to give up because no one is reading your notes. If you're creating things but feel lonely because no one is seeing them.

Come here.

Because I was on that side too, at the beginning.