HOW DO I MAKE A LIVING BEING CREATIVE AND DOING WHAT I LOVE?
I know of several people who are searching for work in the arts. In this economy, it can be difficult at best. Here, are some suggestions to assist you in, “Making a living while living a dream.”
LINKED IN
Are you on Linkedin? If not, create a professional page for Linkedin. You can also link your blog and twitter account to Linkedin, however, if you are tweeting crap or “woe is me” posts or “someone hire me stuff,” then don’t link it to Linkedin.
If you do create an account, and have people that you have worked for that, are also a member of Linkedin, ask them for a recommendation.
If you are a student and have an internship, ask the company that you are interning with for a recommendation on Linkedin.
NOTE: Linked in is not Facebook. I will friend just about anyone on Facebook, but I covet my Linkedin. I only link to those I know or those I really want to know and that I feel I have something to offer. Remember those who you link to have access to all of your connections. Think of it this way. You are at a cocktail party with all of your linked in friends. Would you recommend them to your best connections?
NEVER LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT
“Never let them see you sweat.” “Bullshit until it becomes real.” You can disagree with me on this one, and I am stepping out there by saying it, but I think it is important to make it look like you are a sought after creator. Avoid blogging or posting any negative stuff, or things that say, I am trying to be a whatever. Instead, find information that will be of help to those looking for you or find someone that does what you do and post about that. Find those who you love who are doing what you are doing. Write a blog about what they are doing and how much you like their work. Link to their blog. They will get a ping back and be thankful that you wrote about them. ( A pingback is a a notice to a blogger that their blog has been mentioned somewhere on the web.) Is it your favorite author, or illustrator? Ask if you can put their work on your site. It is a terrific way to contact those in your industry. While you are doing this, you are giving positive information that others will want to come back to your site to see.
BLOGS
Some people are overwhelmed by blogging. Blog posts don’t have to be long, a 500 word post is a good length. It is also good to bullet items or provide some graphics. The eye gets tired of reading long posts, and bored. Short posts may help you to contribute to your blog on a regular basis. Also posting about others work gives you content. How often should you post? Once a week is a terrific start. Try to work yourself up to 100 posts.
Be sure to link your blog. My blog is linked to several different sites. It is linked to my Facebook (warning Facebook is temperately in this. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.) I also have my blog linked to several other sites. That means, when I update my blog about five different sites are being updated at the same time.
Search engines search Blogs, so if you can put keywords in your blog it helps. Keywords are words that people will search for when looking for your services.
DO I HAVE TO CONFORM?
The hardest part about being in business with your art is that we want to create what we want to create, but the government determines if it is a hobby or business by our ability to conform to the needs of clients. Sorry creatives, we will have to do some conforming. That means we need to evaluate what the market needs and create what they need in order to market ourselves and get work.
GET CONNECTED
Social media offers a host of ways to get connected. Again, find those who are doing what you love and talk about them. Take the focus off of what you don’t have and put it on to their success. You can also do this concerning the tools that you are using. Do you have a favorite software or medium? Talk about using that medium or tool. Do this through posts on Facebook, blog posts and Twitter. Find those who you love and read their blogs, follow them on twitter, retweet what they are tweeting. Take the focus off of what you don’t have (work a career) and put it on to what someone else is doing or how you can help. I promise you it will come back to you.
LINKING
I hope some of these suggestions assist you in your creative marketing endeavors. Please drop me a line and let me know if they do. You are also welcome to repost this article in your blog or online. Please give me a link back when you do. My last suggestion, when you link your articles or blog or when you are linking to others it is best to link a phrase or key words to your post instead of just the url. For example, you could link this article like this. This is a wonderful article about marketing for those in the arts. Or, help yourself get employed in the arts by following Bridgette Mongeon’s suggesting. That is much better than saying Here is an article.
These suggestions may take time, but they may also help you to develop a business with your art that feeds your soul. Good luck and be creative.
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Bridgette Mongeon-Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
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