"Working Alone"... Nearly 90% of Solo Creators

Backpacker Announces 2023 Creator Ecosystem Report

Among creators active on platforms such as Idus, Tumblbug, and Stedio, 89.8% were found to be working alone. On the 1st, Backpacker (CEO Kim Dong-hwan) announced the report "2023 Domestic Creator Ecosystem Report" to support creators' activities and build a sustainable ecosystem.

Idus, Tumblbug, and Stedio, operated by Backpacker, started their services in 2014, 2011, and 2022 respectively, establishing themselves as leading domestic platforms with around 70,000 handmade artists and creators active.

The Creator Ecosystem Report was produced based on an analysis of the behavior of about 70,000 resident creators active on Idus, Tumblbug, and Stedio, and a survey conducted on the top 10% of creators by activity index, totaling 1,000 people. It is scheduled to be published regularly every December on the official Backpacker website.

First, the survey on creators' creative activity status revealed that 89.8% responded that they work alone. The average activity period of all respondents was 5.6 years, with 17% of creators continuing their work for more than 10 years, and 8.1% being new creators who started this year. 63% of creators consider creative activity their main occupation, and the most common prior experience before creating was working at a business or institution (49.8%).

The initial capital source and scale for beginner creators were self-capital (61.7%) and under 5 million KRW (70.3%), respectively. As advisors they could turn to in difficult times, 38.5% named "acquaintances (family, friends, etc.)". Those who answered "none" were similarly high at 31.2%. Additionally, 52.1% of creators reported having received education for creative activities.

In particular, the early difficulties cited by creators were ▲promotion and marketing of creative works and brands (35.3%) ▲the process of producing new creative works (17.1%) ▲securing funds for creative activities (16.3%), in that order.

The days and times when creators immerse themselves in creation are weekdays from 1 PM to 4 PM. The reasons for starting creative activities were mainly self-realization and income generation, including ▲utilizing my aptitude and abilities (61.6%) ▲greater economic income (16.1%) ▲securing main income source (12.1%). The most common source of creative inspiration was personal ideas developed over a long time (46.2%).

The positive impact of creative activities on creators was also notable. Positive and supportive reactions from those around after creative activities rose by 22.1 percentage points from the initial stage to 92.7%, and self-satisfaction with creative activities reached 85.5%. Furthermore, creators who grew through continuous communication with fans answered that their relationship with fans provides emotional support (30.9%) and brings new inspiration (22.4%).

Kim Dong-hwan, CEO of Backpacker, said, "We conducted this survey to understand the various meanings of creative activities and to support the areas creators need. We will create a sustainable creator ecosystem together with creators and fans and continue to develop handmade culture."