Whether a person watches or not, porn is a huge industry that sells enticing fantasies to many people. We know what porn looks like from our perspective, but is the reality on the other side of the camera?

Aerie_SM has been working in the adult industry for three and a half years, beginning the day she hit 18. In that time, she started her own social media service, starred in porn videos and uses different cam sites to interact with her fans.

“The first time that I got naked on camera I didn’t know I wasn’t approved to stream yet,” Aerie said. “I got up to 800 viewers and right when I took my top off, within a minute I got kicked off and then I had to send in my ID for verification.”

Despite this first setback, Aerie said the instant success she experienced is what motivated her to keep coming back.

Over the years, Aerie said it has been important for her to compartmentalize her normal life with her work life. She thinks everyone serious in the porn industry must remain mentally strong.

“You have to be able to shrug off anything anyone says,” Aerie said. “There will be people who say, ‘I want to rape you,’ and you just have to be able to block that out and not let that ruin your entire night.”

If a person can get past that hurdle, Aerie said virtually anyone has the ability to do what she does. Being young and pretty are not prerequisites.

“There is no limit to what you can do in the adult industry,” Aerie said. “There is no definition of what you can be because everyone is different. Yeah, you’ll get negative comments, but there is also going to be someone who is f-cking obsessed with you.”

Aerie said that while the industry is welcoming to all sorts of people, the work is difficult. She has difficulty enjoying her free time as she is constantly taking customer video requests, queueing things to post and responding to her regular viewers.

“Porn isn’t easy money,” Aerie said. “It’s actually very hard. It gives you a hard case of I-should-be-working syndrome. You’re sitting in your house thinking, ‘Wow, I could be making money right now.’ So you don’t really ever get to relax, even on vacation.”

The work may be unappealing to some, but for a lot of people around the world it may be their only chance at earning a decent income.

Pornhub user “newboyhotxx” introduced himself as Aran but kept his last name private. Aran is Venezuelan but moved to Colombia in order to make slightly more money through his porn work.

Like Aerie, Aran began filming his first porn video as soon as he was able, but said at the time, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

“It was very uncomfortable,” Aran said. “Because I worked with five guys in one room, but after a while you get used to stuff like that.”

For the years he’s worked in the adult industry, Aran said he has been working towards his dream to leave South America and become an actor in movies and television. The only thing holding him back is his finances.

Aran said for him, the best way to make money is to spend six hours daily in front of a camera undressing, masturbating and doing anything to call attention to himself.

“The only thing that matters to me is to earn money while pleasing my clients,” Aran said. “There is no other job, this is the only thing I have.”

Viewers watch thousands of other people like Aran and Aerie on various different adult sites and there is a demand for their service every day.

Aerie said she hopes people realize that porn isn’t here to hurt anyone and that everyone can get off in a safe and healthy way.

“The reality of porn is that it’s imaginary,” Aerie said. “People blame the porn industry and the adult industry for things that are happening in the real world. People get crazy doing weird stuff sexually and I think the problem is that people don’t separate that porn is just a fantasy.”