Creativity can be lucrative, if you know how to harness it.
Unfortunately, many other people with artistic talents find themselves trapped in a “hungry artist” mentality, convinced that their monetary well-being will have to be sacrificed for the sake of their art.
But that’s not the reality. If you’re a musician, photographer, painter, writer, dancer, singer, or other type of creative, you have a chance to win big in 2023 and beyond.
Of course, it’s one thing to make a life-changing New Year’s solution and make it happen. The smart news? If you are willing to put in the effort, smart fortune is within your reach.
“There’s never been a better time to make a living from creativity,” said Miriam Schulman, artist and founder of “The Inspiration Place,” “because other people in this post-pandemic world (if we’re in the global post-pandemic world) are looking for more meaning. Art serves a very valuable service in society, and other people want our art more than ever. “
Schulman would know. He has been an artist for two decades and 10 years ago he was training art categories online after one of his clients on Etsy asked him about it. To date, it has earned $1. 2 million in revenue from those courses.
And Schulman is also willing to share how he can do it, regardless of his domain of expertise. His upcoming book, “Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living from Your Creativity,” provides inspiration and practical steps for art marketers to monetize their passions.
The entrepreneur sat down with Schulman before the release of her eBook to talk about how she made the jump to “artpreneur” and what other creatives want to keep in mind when it comes to starting her own lucrative business.
Schulman said she was “a very naïve grasshopper” when she started training art categories online. Although he was already training users and understanding what his students needed to learn, the transition to a virtual format came with a steep learning curve.
“I think all I had to do once I created this online course was post some messages on social media and complete my course,” Schulman said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work as well, and that was when other people were seeing our posts. “
So, Schulman researched how other people completed his online courses and temporarily learned the importance of building an email list.
That would be a change for companies.
“I invested in advertising on Facebook, and once I learned those skills, everything took off,” Schulman said. “Not only the online courses, but I also [created the mailing list] to sell more of my work. “
Now that social media is rarely as reliable as it once was, it’s even more to tame that visitor base elsewhere, Schulman said.
It’s also the first of five basic elements Schulman breaks down in “Artpreneur”: prospecting. What you want is to build an audience of subscribers who want your offer and are willing to pay the most reasonable dollar for it.
Another critical first step Schulman made? Ask for help. He hired an excellent school student and filmmaker as an intern to show him the technical strings, adding what kind of video camera and editing software to use.
Production, pricing, promotion, and productivity round out the rest of Schulman’s list of elements for the good fortune of an artistic enterprise, with production and pricing going hand in hand.
“It’s very important that all entrepreneurs, not just artists, look at [production and values]. There are a lot of other people who don’t even do the math,” he said. “What do I offer?configure it? Whether it’s a smart or a service. And if I were sold or booked entirely, would this math challenge be the source of income I’m looking for?So this is not the case. “
Schulman cites the example of someone who started a homemade greeting card business.
“It takes maybe an hour to create a greeting card that they sell for $10,” he said. “And then I tell them, ‘Look, you have to locate another 5,000 people to buy this homemade greeting card to get $50,000. ‘”When they do that calculation, that’s when they have an ‘aha’ moment: either create anything other than homemade greeting cards, or [set a higher price]. “
When you create a product, you might be limited by its capacity or the value the item may have in the marketplace, Schulman explained, which might require going back to the drawing board or reevaluating the cost of a product (another hurdle that arises with a “hungry artist” mentality).
Plus, effective promotion means authentically attracting, Schulman said. After all, no one likes to feel harassed by sales pitches.
And when it comes to productivity? This is about fostering a sustainable work-life balance: managing your priorities and setting realistic goals.
In the end, the most can be to reject the proverbial “Kool-Aid that others prepare”: that you cannot live on creativity.
“[This] conditioning [goes beyond] the artistic component, and this is true for women in particular, [who are told] that it is even suitable for preferring money. We are conditioned to play small. “
“And for other people who have a marginalized identity, this message is even stronger,” he said. “It’s not even to occupy a place in the world. for mediocrity. “