Why we need Artists to be Entrepreneurs

Time is money. Cliché.

For an artist, it’s not the same. Time is fleeting moments, time is a precious gift, time helps us explore and heal, time is an artist’s weapon, time is what makes art magical, time expresses efforts, time is poetic, time is eternally making everyone think; in short, time is more than just seconds, minutes and hours.

Now, relating this to the title; I don’t know why, but I’ve met many artists like myself who struggle to open a business with their art. They struggle to market themselves and launch a career with their artwork. Could it be that they too believe the opinion that being an artist is not a career? Or is it just a personality trait of many artists? Or is it that they feel the heavy burden of competition, and they don’t feel they’ll be unique enough? Or could it be the scary world of capitalism making them feel inferior? Or the lack of skills in entrepreneurship?

What is it ultimately?

I think it differs from artist to artist. There’s a multitude of factors; the biggest one is the lack of entrepreneurial training provided to artists. I believe it to be one of the weakest aspects of local artist communities everywhere. Social media marketing, E-commerce and communication skills are necessary today. It’s confusing when there’s so much saturation in the industry. Art is such a broad category, finding a good niche is a tough decision to make let alone making it to the market for that niche. When it’s all about numbers, holding onto self-esteem is a constant battle.

I’m one of those artists whose always super critical of their own work; in this mode of comparing my work to others without calculating the effort it took another artist to get there. Many artists feel the same. A competitive environment makes artists feel as though they need to prove themselves to the saturated market. Amid this competition, artists forget to realize this very blessing of creativity. Social media has the most critical role to play in this. Creatives start to equate success with a peak in followers, and comments. It gives relief and stress. Unfortunately, there’s a desire to grow in numbers, not in quality of work. It’s subconscious to start doing work that others want you to do. I think that’s when artists begin to lose control over work space and head space. The pressure of follower count holds creativity down as the stress of numbers dominates. Ultimately, this has an impact on mental health and how artists perceive their artwork. It’s a dilemma for the growing creative community, and there’s a need to be proactive about this issue.

The business of an artist is dependent on social media because it’s the easiest way to be discovered. Businesses have shifted from traditional marketing methods to Facebook, Instagram and E-Commerce. Creatives need to start treating social media as a professional platform rather than a personal page. This will insinuate a more business minded approach to marketing artwork and will help artists realize their potential. It will ensure self-discipline, and a career-oriented approach to art. This would be a dramatic change for the community of artists and the value attached to their work.

We’re finally starting to see some of this with new freelancers, creative influencers, and bloggers on Instagram. The idea is treating work like work; an artist deserves the same respect any other service is given.

So to my fellow artists:

1. We need to stop giving into people’s demands for free work. This can’t be ignored. But seriously, STOP DOING FREE WORK. I find this to be the major reason for the lack of respect given to creative services. The attitude towards being paid for artwork is still odd, and unheard of by many people. Artists need to start charging for their services and work in order to give other artists a chance to grow and thrive. If one artist doesn’t ask for money, the other will be rejected for prices that are ‘too high’. Anyone would prefer to have free services over paid ones.

2. A support system for the community. Our artists need this. Promoting other artists through social media and working collaboratively with them is a great start, however we need small community support systems. We need cool art shows, amazing events, networking places, discussion panels, and people from outside to join us. It will help our communities grow, and will also provide recognition to the unnoticed creatives. There’s multiple ways of doing this: creating clubs at universities, inviting other creators to do group collaborations, collaborative content on YouTube, planning events for exposure, working with companies for sponsorships of those events, organizing bonding events for artists to get to know each other, and painting sessions to have a little fun.

3. Development of necessary entrepreneurial skills. I guess this one’s an obvious one. There needs to be avenues through which quality training can be provided for FREE. Yes, we need this for FREE. If we’re ready to give our own services for FREE, then we shouldn’t be surprised by the idea of free mentoring sessions and workshops. The more involvement, the better the recognition of our community’s works. I think it would be a great way to learn from experienced artists and appreciate our own creativity as well. This will also guide new artists in the social media market. It gives relief to know that you’re not alone. That sounds super cheesy, but it’s true. Such platforms will keep our artists more focused on their creativity and content than the numbers associated with them. It will keep them grounded to more important matters like: How can I grow my engagement? What can I do to ensure that I have open communication with my clients? How can I market my blog, and YouTube? What should I do to sell more at art shows? What should I do to improve my communication skills? I could be more organized with my bookings; how can I be better?

Now this doesn’t mean that art is no more emotional or doesn’t have any personal connection to it. An artist can maintain that vulnerability, and still take his/her work seriously when it comes down to making money. There’s nothing wrong with it. You’re providing content, and that doesn’t mean it should not be paid for because it’s artwork. Of course, there are boundaries. Professionalism doesn’t stop anyone from being creative, friendly, or vulnerable, it just gives the right tools to organize oneself around their work. It gives a framework, a blueprint, an outline.

Now, I’m not saying go crazy with pricing and treat clients like crap for not treating you with the same respect for your work. Attempt to work on how the communication between you and your clients can be improved. Professionally, communication and creativity are both important factors of a successful business. So, build those bonds with your followers, but don’t let it obstruct your own well being and career.

And that wraps up my long ranting session.

Stay humble,

Until next time 😊