A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME ❤️

The person behind SoulsisterSims

Hi everyone,

I thought it was time to tell you a little more about the person behind SoulsisterSims.

Most of you know me through my Sims 4 builds, my speed builds, my houses, apartments and all the little things I create for this community.

But there is also a person behind the screen.

So I thought I'd let you get to know a little more about me, my life and what SoulsisterSims actually means to me.

🏡 SOULSISTERSIMS IS MY FULL-TIME JOB

For me, Sims is not just a hobby.

SoulsisterSims is my full-time job and my only source of income.

I feel incredibly lucky that I can make a living doing something creative that I genuinely love.

But being a full-time creator isn't always as easy as it might look from the outside.

There are days when I can sit at my computer for hours, build, create, edit, take screenshots, make videos and completely lose track of time.

And then there are days when my body simply says:

"Nope. Not today." 😂

Because of my health, there are times when sitting at my computer for long periods is difficult or simply not possible.

Some days are good.

Some days are not so good.

Sometimes I have a whole list of things I want to create, but physically I just can't do everything I planned.

That can be incredibly frustrating when creating is your job.

Because when you work for yourself, there isn't really a traditional sick day.

If I don't work, I don't earn.

I've had to learn that resting doesn't mean I'm lazy.

Sometimes it is simply necessary.

📼 A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME

And maybe one more little thing about me...

I grew up with Walkmans, cassette tapes, CDs and Discman players. 😂

There were no smartphones, no social media and definitely no AI doing the creative work for us.

I remember when rewinding a cassette with a pen was a completely normal life skill. 😂

Maybe that's also why creating things means so much to me.

I grew up in a time when you made things yourself, experimented, made mistakes and tried again.

Today we have so many amazing tools available to us, and I love exploring them.

But that old-fashioned creative part of me is still there.

I simply love making things.

Whether it's building a house in The Sims, creating graphics, editing a video or making something completely different with my hands.

❤️ A NEW CHAPTER

The last few years have been a pretty big chapter in my life.

I went through the end of my marriage, moved away from everything I knew and started over in a completely new place.

Starting over is difficult at any age.

There were times when I had to rebuild almost everything around me – my home, my everyday life, my routines and, in many ways, myself.

It hasn't always been easy.

There have been some really difficult moments, and there have also been moments when I wondered what my future was supposed to look like.

But slowly, little by little, I started building a new life.

And SoulsisterSims became a very important part of that new life.

🐾 MY LITTLE COMPANION – KRÜMEL

And then there is Krümel. ❤️

My little Yorkshire Terrier and my constant companion.

He has been by my side through so many chapters of my life and has seen me through the good days, the bad days, the changes, the move and all the uncertainty that came with starting over.

He is more than just my dog.

He is my little soul dog.

When I'm sitting at my computer creating, he is often somewhere nearby.

And when I'm having one of those difficult days when I don't feel like doing anything at all, somehow having him next to me makes everything feel a little bit easier.

Sometimes you don't need someone to say anything.

Sometimes you just need a little furry friend sitting beside you. 🐾❤️

📖 WHEN CREATIVITY BECOMES AN ESCAPE

Something else that has become very important to me recently is journaling.

I've started making my own Carmen Louise journals, experimenting with papers, pockets, little details and handmade elements.

And I absolutely love it.

It's completely different from building in The Sims, but at the same time it gives me the same feeling:

I am creating something that didn't exist before.

Journaling has also become a little escape for me.

There are days when my depression is particularly difficult, and sitting down with a journal and creating something with my hands helps me get out of my own head for a while.

I can concentrate on choosing a paper.

Making a pocket.

Decorating a page.

Putting little pieces together.

For a while, my brain gets to think about something else.

And sometimes that's exactly what I need.

So you may see a little more of this side of my creativity in the future as well.

Because apparently I wasn't busy enough already. 😂❤️

💜 PATREON IS MORE THAN JUST A MEMBERSHIP

Patreon has become something very special to me.

Of course, Patreon is an important part of my income because this is my full-time job.

But it is also so much more than that.

Over the years, I have met so many wonderful people through SoulsisterSims.

Some of you have been here for years.

Some of you have only recently discovered my channel.

Some of you download every single build.

Some of you leave comments.

Some of you simply watch my videos.

And some of you support me here on Patreon.

Whatever your part in this little community is:

Thank you.

You have become a little bit like a family to me.

And I don't take that for granted.

💰 A LITTLE PATREON TRANSPARENCY

I also want to be transparent about something that can sometimes be confusing.

If you see a Patreon tier that costs €8, that does not mean that €8 simply goes into my pocket.

I am on Patreon's legacy 8% platform fee.

There are also payment processing fees, possible currency conversion fees and payout fees.

For a simple example, assuming an €8 payment in EUR:

€8.00 — what the member pays
− €0.64 — 8% Patreon platform fee
− €0.62 — payment processing
≈ €6.74 — remaining before applicable payout fees

So an €8 membership does not mean that I receive €8.

And if someone pays in another currency, currency conversion can reduce the amount further.

📅 IT'S NOT LIKE A NORMAL PAYCHECK

There is another thing people may not realize.

My Patreon income doesn't arrive as one monthly paycheck.

Everyone is charged according to their individual membership date, so payments come in throughout the month on different days.

That means I don't wake up on the first of the month and suddenly have my entire Patreon income sitting in my account.

Instead, the money comes in little by little throughout the month.

Memberships can also start, end, pause or have payment problems at different times, so my monthly income can change.

This is very different from having a regular job where you know exactly when your salary arrives.

And the amount left after Patreon fees isn't my personal spending money either.

SoulsisterSims is my business.

From this income, I also have to cover the things I need to actually do my job – my internet connection, electricity, software, equipment, computer-related expenses and other costs that come with being a full-time creator.

So when you see a number like "€8 membership", there is quite a lot happening behind that number.

And that's why every membership really does make a difference to me.

❤️ WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

I don't want anyone to feel pressured into becoming a Patron.

You absolutely don't have to.

Watching my videos, downloading my builds, leaving a comment, liking a video or simply being part of the SoulsisterSims community already means a lot to me.

But if you do choose to support me financially, please know that you are helping me continue to do this as my full-time job.

You are helping me pay my bills.

You are helping me keep creating.

You are helping me pay for the things that allow me to do this work.

And perhaps most importantly:

You are helping me continue doing something that gives me a reason to get up and create, even on the difficult days.

🌸 THANK YOU

I know this became a little more personal than my usual Patreon posts.

But I wanted you to know the person behind the builds.

I'm not just a creator sitting at a computer making Sims houses.

I'm a woman who had to start over.

A woman who has had some very difficult chapters.

A woman who has good days and bad days.

A woman who sometimes has to step away from the computer and take care of herself.

A woman who loves creating more than almost anything.

A woman who loves discovering new creative things – whether that's Sims builds, graphics or a handmade journal.

And a woman who is incredibly grateful that somehow, all of this has become a little community of its own.

SoulsisterSims started with me building houses in The Sims.

But somewhere along the way, it became so much more than that.

It became a new chapter of my life.

And you are part of it.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for supporting me.

Thank you for your patience on the days when I can't do as much.

Thank you for reading and for being here. ❤️
With love, TarA / SoulsisterSims