There are for more opportunities for artists today than any time in history

Every single brand, restaurant, company, and creator you follow has an online presence. Websites. Social feeds. Ads. Emails. Videos. Playlists. Which means they need writers, photographers, editors, videographers, designers, animators, musicians…and so on.

We’ve become so used to seeing all this “content” that we don’t see the art in it. We don’t see the craft in a menu, a poster, a billboard, a product photo, or the video looping behind a counter. But it is all creative work, and someone is getting paid to make it. But, let me just take a moment and say that I’m not suggesting all the art you make should be for a “commercial” purpose, even though at the moment I’m only mentioning “commercial” industries. It’s just to point out how many more opproetunies exist now, right in front of us, in everyday life.

There are more ways to earn from creative skills now than at any other point in history. You don’t have to love every version of it, but I want you to see the landscape more clearly.

And it’s not only brands. Regular people buy directly from artists now. Prints. Small editions. Commissions. Digital downloads. Memberships. People want to support the person behind the work, not just the work itself. Even 50 years ago, you’d have to be a pretty well known painter to be able to sell prints of one of your paintings. Today you can use Instagram and Etsy to showcase the original painting and then sell the print. 

This is really to say, there is a whole lot of money in art. Instead of looking at it in big chunks, like a waterfall, you should like it at in drips. You just need a bucket and know where to collect those drips. 

Now, does that mean it’s easy? No it just means the opportunities are wider than you were probably taught to believe.

Also, a lot of people still picture creative success as one narrow path: Hollywood, a major label, a fancy gallery, a massive publisher. 

A starving artist sees only the narrow path

A hungry artist explores multiple paths. 

One Piece Of Art, Many Doors

Let’s look at a hypothetical example. 

Imagine you’re a photographer. You of course take many photos. Also, you take a picture you love. The one you are really proud of and want to share. The one you want to really sell.  

From that one image, you can also:

• sell prints (open edition or limited edition)

• create one or more small product versions (postcard, notebook, whatever fits your style)

• add a story (a short essay, behind the scenes, or a mini booklet)

• teach YOUR photography process (one workshop, one live session, one recorded breakdown)

That is four doors from one piece of work. Some are direct revenue, others build awareness and fans.

Then the “secondary doors” may start opening(especially from that awareness). A local business wants something in your style. Someone asks you to speak at an event or panel. A client wants portraits with your look. None of that is guaranteed, but it becomes more likely once your work is visible and packaged.

There’s money in and around the art. You’re not limited to “make the thing, hope it sells, repeat, or die.”

Starving Artist vs Hungry Artist

This isn’t about talent, it’s about what you do with your art.

A starving artist tends to:

• wait for one big break

• keep the work private or unfinished

• treat rejection as proof they were never good enough

• treat money like it corrupts the art

A hungry artist tends to:

• build a body of work over time

• finish, share, and iterate in public

• treat rejection like information

• treat money like fuel that keeps the art alive

A starving artist let’s the world define their art. 

A hungry artist defines their art for the world. 

The business of art (Yes, that B word)

Business is not the enemy of art. Business is the system that helps your art survive, reach people, and pay your bills.

If you’ve ever thought about pricing, who your work is for, how to introduce it, how to follow up, and how many projects you would need to hit a certain income, you are already thinking strategically. You might not call it business, but it is.

Are you ready to be a Hungry Artist?

Take a moment and look at your own life right now as an artist. Where are you already acting like a hungry artist? Where are you still acting like a starving artist?

You live in a hungry artist era. There is more demand for creative work than ever, more ways to reach people directly, and more ways to earn in and around what you make. The difference between starving and hungry is not talent. It is how you move your art into the world.

That’s what I want you to get out of The Hungry Artist Cohort. We’ll work together with other creatives and artists to help you keep creating the work you love while building a sustainable business around it.

• P.S. Here are the three best ways I can help you right now:

1. One-on-one coaching: Want help building your creative career? Work with me privately.

2. Hungry Artist Cohort: Join other creatives and build your sustainable career together using the Four Core areas.

3. YouTube: I share deeper, practical training on my YouTube channel.