# They’re Content Creators With Thousands of Adoring Fans – So Why Do They Feel So Terrible?

1 Opinion August 18, 2026By Julianna Pillemer

The Conversation ![Professor Julianna Pillemer headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/2025-06/jp3532.jpeg?itok=SHswK3oQ)If given the chance to gain thousands of admirers for your work, would you take it?

The artists who my colleagues and I interviewed as part of our research on content creators did – and many went on to question whether it was worth it.

Mark, an illustrator with millions of followers, revealed a deep sense of dread about what was once his dream: to make a living creating art and sharing it online. (We used pseudonyms to protect the privacy of the people we interviewed.)

Read the full [*The Conversation* article](https://theconversation.com/theyre-content-creators-with-thousands-of-adoring-fans-so-why-do-they-feel-so-terrible-288690).

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*Julianna Pillemer is an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern School of Business.*

## More from Julianna Pillemer

- [The Best Ways to Connect with Colleagues Outside of Work.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/best-ways-connect-colleagues-outside-work)
- [When Help Isn’t Help.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/when-help-isnt-help)
- [How to Help (Without Micromanaging)](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/how-help-without-micromanaging)
- [Bargain with Feelings](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/bargain-with-feelings)