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Tips For Artists On Earning An Income So That You Can Create
For many of us, our art forms are not the way to pay our bills, but rather how we pay ourselves in happiness. Our creative expressions are often sacred, and, many times, we want to leave them free from the influence of the almighty dollar. But, your landlord doesn’t accept creativity as payment.
Art As A Business
Regardless of the type of artist you are, you have the creativity gene flowing through you. This means that you have the innate talents ready at hand to make other creative endeavors profitable. If you are into digital art, you might use these fundamental skills in a similar area to start your own business. In the photography example, you might start a product photography business or act as a consultant for other young shutterbugs.
Regardless of the type of business you choose, you are almost always better setting yourself up as a legal business entity, such as an LLC or sole proprietorship. It’s also a smart choice to fill out an EIN application, which gives you a professional tax ID number. This number, while not necessary to operate as a freelancer or independent contractor, does offer you some perks when you go to file your taxes (federal or state, yearly or quarterly).
It’s hard to imagine in this day and age, but many artists still have not developed a website to promote their efforts. While it does take some time to get set up, once your website is going, it will be one of your best tools for self-promotion. You can use a banner creator that will become the centerpiece of your personal brand. Use it to encourage potential customers to check out your online portfolio and coordinate your message with social media outlets and platforms like Etsy.
Income Ideas
Not sure what you want to do? Here are two options that might appeal to creative personalities.
- Mural artist. If your artistic endeavors typically involve paint and a canvas, consider bricks or siding instead. A muralist with lots of experience can make $48,000 per year or more. Although The Art Career Project notes artistic jobs are not expected to grow at a fast pace, there is still demand, and you may not feel as obligated to push forward painting murals, which will free you up to pursue other endeavors.
- Art course creator. Even if you are not an expert, you can put your skills to good use helping others by creating an online course. You can then post this to your social media or paid platform so that others may view and download your educational materials for a fee. As an added bonus, you can add art educator to your portfolio, which may help you land the job of your dreams later on.
- Music promoter. You don’t have to be a musical artist yourself to promote other musicians, but it certainly helps to be a creative person while trying to introduce new fans to cool tunes. Explore music promotion services on freelance sites to get a feel for what the competition would be like and how others are handling the role.
- Spokesmodel. Although this idea is geared toward actors, other performers and visual artists as well might enjoy promoting products as spokesmodels. It is certainly one way to network and get your name and face out there, and it is usually a fun gig that pays well and involves a flexible schedule, which allows you plenty of time to pursue your main creative endeavors when not on the clock. If you are a spokesmodel, you can register on our website to get the best paid job opportunities in the industry.
Side-Gigs Are The Way Of Today
Maybe you are not even thinking about a 40-hour-per-week job. That’s okay. Many people today freelance for the entirety of their income. There are plenty of benefits for artists of foregoing traditional employment. These include flexible hours, the option to pick and choose your projects, and setting your own rates.
The biggest challenge that many new freelancers have is finding the right side hustles. It’s not easy, and there’s lots of competition no matter what you do. But, the gig economy is flourishing, and websites, such as Steady, SolidGigs, and Fiverr, make it easy to find income opportunities at your fingertips. Side Hustle Nation also recommends Facebook (Brand Ambassador and Spokesmodel groups) and Craigslist.
When you are an artist, you want to keep your creative endeavors pure. For many of us, this means not accepting cash for the thing we love to do the most. But, income is not optional because we still have bills to pay. Fortunately for us, being creative means we have lots of options, and the above tips can help you get started finding a lucrative side career to support your passions.