Why I Started Seeking Sponsors
Naivety
First, please take a look at this post:
To be honest, for a long time, I really thought this way.
This is because I wanted people to take action for the community rather than donate to me.
I fully supported those who tried to take action, made suggestions, and did everything I could to increase collaborators.
However, I realized there were some naive underlying thoughts and negative effects on the community.
Avoiding Responsibility
When you accept money, it naturally creates a sense of responsibility, that "I have to do it."
I'm the type who tries to eliminate unnecessary pressure as much as possible, but I now see that I should have developed the ability to turn that sense of obligation into a driving force.
Not only was I avoiding responsibility, but I was also neglecting to challenge myself to embrace change.
I reflect that this was an immature attitude.
Undervaluing Myself
I have always been pessimistic about myself.
While this attitude has its merits, I realized that it negatively impacts not just myself but also the culture around me.
"I don't deserve to receive rewards for my activities." "I need to do more work before asking for anything." "I must stay humble." "I can't afford to be arrogant."
These were my thoughts.
Negative Impact on the Culture
Here's the main point.
If the issue were just personal, I wouldn't have written this blog post. But I believe this realization is something everyone involved in growing the community and culture should be aware of.
(I hope this message reaches many people.)
Simply put, such an attitude contributes to the stagnation of the culture.
In my ideal world, everyone who contributes should receive rewards appropriate for their efforts, and they should use that as fuel for their next activities.
These days, we often hear discussions about the lack of compensation for OSS maintainers' efforts.
I strongly believe that the OSS community should have better economic circulation.
Yet, by rejecting compensation, not opening sponsorships, or not having any channel to receive support, I was contradicting this belief.
The more I contributed, the higher I unintentionally raised the barrier to economic circulation, which is harmful to the culture.
In reality, compared to contributors active worldwide, my activities are still minor. Whether I open sponsorships or not may not have a large influence, but even so, I believe I should start receiving some form of compensation, even if it's small, and actively ask for it to contribute to cultural development.
(Small as it may be, I want to cultivate this culture from within my own sphere.)
Regardless of the amount, the culture of paying for activities should move forward.
The more we reject receiving or making payments, the higher the barrier becomes, and the more people will think, "Well, that's just the way it is." Moreover, it perpetuates the common misconception that "open source is free to use."
This is something that should not happen.
A Side Story
The one who made me rethink this issue was @ota-meshi (Vue.js Core Team Member).
When Vue.js members from abroad came to Japan, I attended an offline meeting and shared a train ride home with Ota-san, where we discussed this topic.
When I explained my old way of thinking, he told me, "That's wrong."
When I reflected on it, I realized he was absolutely right.
Another acquaintance also told me, "Isn't that just you avoiding responsibility?" and "Aren't you undervaluing yourself too much?"
I agreed with that as well.
When I think alone, I tend to focus only on myself, and I have a bad habit of becoming overly pessimistic. But this experience reaffirmed the importance of talking to people who are ahead of me, those who can evaluate me objectively, and those who take different actions than I do.
I am grateful to everyone who gave me the opportunity to reconsider.
I’ve launched my GitHub Sponsors!
If you'd like to support my work, I would greatly appreciate it!
