You just want to create. You want to write. You want to paint. You want to play music, make films, design graphics. You are an artist and there is something in you that drives you to your craft.
You also want to eat. And drink. And occasionally do both.
One of the biggest challenges for artists, regardless of the medium, is figuring out how to create with integrity and still make a living. For many, the choice is either poverty, or squeezing in the art while working somewhere else to pay the bills.
Although the idea of a starving artist carries with it some kind of nostalgic appeal and the war stories of writers waking up at the crack of dawn to write before they go to work seems like a badge of honor, neither are very sustainable.
I don’t believe artists should have to make the choice between poverty and exhaustion. At least not forever.
The switch happens when artists stop seeing themselves as just artists and start seeing what they do through the lens of an entrepreneur and small business owner.
And if that makes you want to stop reading this because it sounds like something only sell outs would do, just remember, there is a way for you to make art and eat. Hear me out, and apply where you can.
1. The business is the artist, not the art.
I can’t stress this enough. It doesn’t matter if you are working in the writing space, the fine art space, the music space, the digital space, or the film/photography space. People will try to separate you from what you create.
And if you let people do that, your art will never be worth what it could and your momentum will never be what it should. Your business is you, the artist, the creator. You are your most valuable asset. Everything you create should build that reality.
This does not mean you have to sell out, be a poser, and share every aspect of who you are. It does, however, mean that you are going to have to present yourself and your art in such a way that brings people into your story.
You don’t want people to like a painting, you want them to love the painter. You don’t want people to by a book, you want them to follow an author. You don’t want someone to stream a song, you want them to fanboy and fangirl out to the band. You get the point.
You may sell pieces of art, or publish and sell books, or make films, or any of those things. But you are not in the art selling, book publishing, film making business. You are in the “you” business and everything you do needs to serve that end.
2. Learn the power of passive income.
Passive income is exactly what it sounds like. It is money you make without actively doing something at the time of making it. It is the book sold on Amazon, the music streamed and licensed, the digital downloads of prints and art sold on a website.
You do the work once and make money over and over again.
Of course, this isn’t as easy as I’m making it sound. Especially in a digital age where the mass distribution of art has diminished the price to percentages of pennies in some cases. There is no doubt some of the traditional ways of passive income for artists have diminished, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
Part of creating a sustainable revenue stream as an artist is understanding how different types of income work together to build sustainability. Part of sustainability for any business is predictability, and passive income is what develops predictability for artists.
To do this, we need to think outside of the box. Fortunately, thinking outside of the box is our sweet spot. I would love to hear your ideas and what you’re doing to create passive income.
3. Have a strategic funnel.
To establish a strategic funnel it’s important to identify your most valuable offering. For a painter, it may be an original painting. For a musician, it may be a concert. For a writer, it may be a novel, or a speaking tour.
Regardless of what it is, you have to identify it to know what you are funneling people towards. Once you’ve established your highest valued offering, then just work backwards through the following steps.
Free Content – To establish a funnel, you have to start with giving away free, helpful content. For artists, writers, and other creatives, this can be a number of different things and should be constantly rotating. Free downloads, helpful tutorials, a well-planned social media account, reading guides, film reviews, photography tips are all free content that can build the top of the funnel.
Entry-level offering – After you establish a growing network and platform (because you are your business), offer what you do at an entry level price. For photographers and artists, this can be a digital download of prints (which is also passive income). For writers, this can be a short story, or even possibly your first novel.
Many creatives resist developing an entry level offering because they feel it will undervalue their work. The challenge, though, unless an artist already has an established platform, they can’t sell their work for what it’s worth because no one trusts them. Entry level offerings build trust and trust is necessary for selling high value work.
Exclusive Access – For those who make it past the entry level offering stage, it’s time to nurture the relationship by giving exclusive access to things that are not available to the general public. This might be leading a book club of a book you wrote, doing a live meet up, sending out draft sketches, or bloopers. Give those who have trusted you this far a peek inside the process in a personal way.
Most Valuable Offering – Now that you have established trust and created an engaged inner community (the funnel), it’s time to introduce the most valuable offering. This is the thing that can actually pay the bills if it scales. Art is valuable, but if no one knows you, and no one trusts you, it will be hard to sell it for what it’s worth.
Of course, creating an efficient funnel can take time and work. Focus the majority of your business growth attention in expanding the top of the funnel, and make the rest of it work as efficiently as possible.
If, after reading this, you want to know more about how this can specifically apply to your craft, reach out and schedule a free consultation.
You don’t have to be a starving artist forever. You can make great art and pay the bills. I believe in you, and I’m here to help you.
