1518: How to Make Money Off Your Art: 3 Things You Absolutely Have to Do by Jeff Goins of Goins Writer

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily. How to Make Money Off Your Art, 3 Things You Absolutely Have to Do by Jeff Goins of GoinsWriter.com.

[00:00:10] When I was a kid, I dreamed of drawing cartoons like Garfield and the Far Side. As a teenager, I played music with a drummerless band which we cleverly named Decaf.

[00:00:20] In college, I fantasized about writing a book someday, but honestly, it just seemed too far-fetched.

[00:00:26] No matter the age, I've always loved art, creativity, and making things out of nothing.

[00:00:31] But in each season of life, some adult or teacher or relative would see my love for all things creative and always say the same thing.

[00:00:40] You can't make a living off art. You'll starve.

[00:00:43] I believed them. After all, these were adults.

[00:00:46] So the first decade of my adult life was spent pursuing safer and more predictable paths.

[00:00:51] I worked in a call center as a telemarketer, then at a non-profit as a marketing director.

[00:00:56] During that time, though, I kept feeling like I was missing something.

[00:01:00] One day in my late 20s, I made the decision to become a writer.

[00:01:04] I didn't know what writers did exactly, but I assumed one thing was that they wrote every day.

[00:01:08] So I did that, starting a blog and publishing a new post every day for a year.

[00:01:13] Each day, a few more people would read the blog and subscribe to it.

[00:01:16] By the end of that first year, I had built an audience of over 10,000 readers.

[00:01:21] A year later, I published two books, launched an online course, and quit my job after quintupling my income.

[00:01:28] Since then, I've been writing books and running a creative business.

[00:01:31] Over the years, I've met many others who have done something similar.

[00:01:34] And the whole process has surprised me because it flies right in the face of that well-meaning advice all those adults gave me years ago.

[00:01:41] You actually can make money off art.

[00:01:43] Over the past two years, I've interviewed hundreds of professional makers, writers, and creative entrepreneurs who are doing just that.

[00:01:51] And what I learned surprised me.

[00:01:53] Turns out, there is an underground movement of creative professionals who are thriving in every respect of the word.

[00:01:59] And here are three lessons that I learned from them, along with some practical steps for those who want to follow in their footsteps.

[00:02:06] 1. Join a scene, or create one.

[00:02:09] Almost every person I interviewed told me that becoming an artist was a choice, not some talent they were born with.

[00:02:16] Part of this choice included joining a community of people who would encourage their creativity.

[00:02:21] For me, that meant going to conferences and coffee shops where other writers were gathering.

[00:02:25] It meant joining the scene.

[00:02:27] Here's what you can do.

[00:02:28] 1. Find a local place where people are already gathering where you could meet others in your niche or industry.

[00:02:35] If such a gathering doesn't exist, create your own.

[00:02:38] Meetup.org is a great resource for finding and creating your own events.

[00:02:43] 2. Choose one event, whether it's a retreat or a seminar, that will help you find your people.

[00:02:49] An inspirational conference like the Tribe Conference might be a great start.

[00:02:53] You either have to join a scene or create one.

[00:02:56] There's no escaping this.

[00:02:57] Of course, sometimes the place where you live doesn't have the opportunities you need to succeed,

[00:03:02] in which case you either have to go find the opportunity or create it right where you are.

[00:03:07] This was one reason why I created a conference.

[00:03:10] When the thing you need doesn't exist, that often means you're the one to create it.

[00:03:15] 2. Practice in public.

[00:03:17] Stephanie Halligan grew up wanting to make cartoons for a living.

[00:03:21] Then, adulthood happened, and it wasn't long before she was working a job she didn't love to pay off $30,000 in student loans.

[00:03:28] Finally, she decided that she needed an outlet.

[00:03:31] She needed to get back to drawing.

[00:03:33] So, she started sharing small pieces of art every day on a blog called Art to Self,

[00:03:39] which were meant to be small letters of encouragement to herself.

[00:03:42] The eventual result was a community of fans who eventually started buying her work.

[00:03:47] Here are a few practical tips on getting started.

[00:03:50] Find a channel where you can share one piece of work every single day.

[00:03:54] Start a blog or a YouTube channel.

[00:03:57] Get on Instagram or Snapchat and share one small piece per day.

[00:04:01] You can't build an audience without sharing your work.

[00:04:05] 3. Always charge something.

[00:04:07] Melissa Dinwiddie loved calligraphy, hand lettering, and other art forms.

[00:04:12] She made things for her friends for free, but secretly wanted to make money off it.

[00:04:16] Still, she was afraid to charge for her work.

[00:04:18] A friend finally forced Melissa to accept $20 for a small piece,

[00:04:22] because they both agreed that's how much she would have paid for a similar piece at Target.

[00:04:27] And for her, this was just the beginning.

[00:04:29] Today, Melissa is a full-time artist, teacher, and author.

[00:04:33] Here's how you can do something similar.

[00:04:35] Pick a small price that allows you to start charging for your work.

[00:04:39] Set a precedent of value.

[00:04:42] Then, from there, gradually raise your prices.

[00:04:44] This will create confidence in you and value in the market.

[00:04:48] Finally, you can charge what you're worth once the demand is there.

[00:04:52] Real artists don't starve.

[00:04:55] What I learned from this little experiment, which eventually became a book,

[00:04:58] is that real artists don't starve.

[00:05:01] At least, they don't have to.

[00:05:02] The story of the starving artist is a myth.

[00:05:06] Myths are stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world around us.

[00:05:10] When you tell yourself a story that artists must starve, you end up starving.

[00:05:14] But when you tell yourself another story that real artists can thrive,

[00:05:18] that also becomes true.

[00:05:20] So it seems the choice is yours.

[00:05:26] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:05:29] How to Make Money Off Your Art,

[00:05:30] Three Things You Absolutely Have to Do,

[00:05:33] by Jeff Goines of goineswriter.com.

[00:05:36] And thank you to Jeff for giving us permission to narrate from his blog.

[00:05:40] You can come check out his site, which I have linked in this episode's description,

[00:05:44] and also at oldpodcast.com.

[00:05:46] Jeff is a super popular writer.

[00:05:48] He's the best-selling author of five books,

[00:05:51] including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don't Starve,

[00:05:55] which he mentioned in this post, of course.

[00:05:56] On his site, you can hear his thoughts on writing, life, and creative work.

[00:06:01] So you'll hear him narrated across a few of our shows.

[00:06:04] And if you're a person who's looking to share your work,

[00:06:07] but you're afraid of becoming that starving artist,

[00:06:09] his site is definitely for you.

[00:06:11] Lots of great advice there.

[00:06:12] So come check it out at goineswriter.com.

[00:06:15] That's G-O-I-N-S writer.com.

[00:06:18] And thanks again to Jeff for letting us share his work.

[00:06:21] But I'll leave it at that for today.

[00:06:22] Hope you're having a great one.

[00:06:23] And I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.