There is no need for your talents to be set aside around a day job and treated like a hobby. Too many creatives struggle to find a balance and let their passions fade.  Here were look at some various tips and that can help you build your audience and monetize on your craft.  

Leverage the internet

Let’s look at the Lowbrow art movement and the street art boom a few years back. It took off and if you were up enough the world saw you and you could make a name for yourself. The lowbrow world took the attention of the upper crust preppies who monopolized galleries and made it cool to be a “low brow artist”

Technology has made it possible to create your own path. Leverage the internet! To many of you guys are sleeping on it.

Times are changing and we’re moving towards an era of system automation and digital interface. More people are online than ever before, so for anyone, in this care artist, If you play to win, you’ve got a shot. 

Many of you feel you need representation from a publishing house, gallery or record label to bring you to that legitimate level. Wrong. Provide value !! Here’s how

Here’s how

Community

Be a part of your community, wherever you are, there are others out there that want to create the same successes creatively as you. Link up collab, you can help each other. When I first started out I had no money, only enough for art supplies and gas I couldn’t afford to pay someone to film a studio visit, or do a website for me. I paid a friend in art for a simple website and business cards.

I also volunteered a lot in my community to help curate pop-up shows. Sometimes I’d just come to paint walls or sweep floors but I met awesome people and had a good time. That got me opportunities in the future, like group shows and other opportunities local art press etc. 

I was just starting out wanted to have more eyes on me so I could expand progress aggressively in my art career. Community Helped locally. 

ourOther Artist

Build relationships with other creatives online and engage with them. You and I both know that you are on social, start to actively like and share content. Take that extra step to make it more personal hit them up in email and create something more communicative. You never know, you may even collab on a project.

Shout out other creatives and artist, if they have a record label, new line, etc. Tell your audience. When the time comes where you have something new out hit up the influencer friends and ask for a shout out. In the marketing world, we call this “Jab jab jab right hook” provide or “Give, give, give ask” Share your content,  shout out others and ask. 

As long as you’re sincere and not in it for yourself, you’ll create a new relationship but also find a new platform to leverage yourself. #leverage

Doing this, I met artists from around the world. Some of which I came to hang out with a few years later when they were NYC. 

Social Media Influencers

Hit up influences in different markets on social and offer free music, offer to paint a self-portraying or write some content for the influence. Get yourself seen too their audience and expand yours by leveraging your talents for their audience.

You’re providing them with value, helping them make their videos more creative unique and engaging and there providing you with value by broadcasting your talents and passions across their platform. 

Far too many of you wait for a “Good opportunity” rather than create opportunities.

Start doing. Go on instagram: Search a product service or something that you like and related to your craft.

Example if you’re producer you throw away so many beats. save them and Tag search #Urban explorer find the accounts that fit your vibe hit them up and offer to do some of your beats for their next video of urban exploring. Some of those accounts have 60K followers who would be into your sound. #wakeup. 

Some may no some won’t answer but when someone puts you one and you do it enough you’ll have grown your audience, as a result of “Leverage” 

If you’re a painter or artist create a piece/sketch etc on another talent you like. Hashtag it, if it’s an influencer hit them up and when they repost it, people will look to see your page this will boost your likes. 

Mix up

Create content as much as you can that authentically speaks to who you are and your message. Keep posting your work, consistently get it out there as much as possible.

Not just curated content, don’t spend time trying to create an idea of who you are there are too many out there faking their story.  Produce content that is raw, let ppl see who you are, what you’re doing and what you’re about. Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Snapchat all pull massive weight because its raw.  If your still small time keep it real, and grow an audience that follows your story.  Document the in-progress, hurdles, thoughts, sketches, beats, whatever just keep it real. Don’t fake it. They can tell.Toss in content from other creatives that you like what they’re doing and add your two cents. This will spark convo and create engagement and if you have a website a blog it will help you rank your content.

I had a great career as an artist when I was living in my home, as soon as I moved to New York everything changed I was a struggling artist, nobody knew me and I like the many I met, I had to survive. I lost myself in that and struggled to figure a way to create freedom so I could afford to create and network. When I started looking into online marketing as a way to “Make Money” I realized that artists could really benefit from these tools. 

There is no better time than now to be an artist. You don’t have to struggle anymore because you can put yourself out there to the world. You can create your own momentum without the approval of the art world elites or record labels. Tech isn’t just entertainment it’s a tool use it to get your voice heard.

The internet guys, it’s not just for entertainment It’s a powerful resource use it.