4 More Tips for Creatives in Business

4 More Tips for Creatives in Business

Hey creative friends! My husband and I have learned a lot of things on our creative journey together. In the last blog, I shared 3 tips I wish I had known when we first started. (If you missed it, click here.) I want to share 4 more tips you could apply to your creative journey today.

1. Work on your business, not just in your business – When you are a creator selling your art, you probably need to work in your business because you are the artist. But working on your creative business and not just in your creative business should be every creator’s goal. For example, an independent music artist should work on the structure that presents your art to fans & patrons instead of solely working on the art itself. Both are equally vital! Build your art business, not just your art collection.
2. Website > Social Network – Both a website and social network presence are needed in this day and age. In the online world, owning a domain where you house your website is like the concept of home ownership. It is to be aspired toward. Having a social network presence is like renting an apartment. It’s a good place to be, but it could be taken away at any time by the owner (the creator of the social network site). So putting all of your eggs in the social network basket, so to speak, is never wise. You must “own” a way to contact and present your art to your tribe beyond social network. Therefore, building an email list of your tribe and housing all of your business and art info on one central website is ideal for longterm communication. You may ask, “Why all the doubt in the life expectancy of huge social networks?” One word…Myspace.
3. Be “3 deep” – I suggest that you are “3 deep” in every outsourced position in your creative business. Do you hire a person to perform a task on a project by project basis for some of your business needs? That is called outsourcing. Some things we personally outsource to freelancers are graphic design, photography, videography, web development, performance musicians, etc…We may have a person that we have worked with in the past that comes to mind every time we are ready to make a new video for example. But what happens if that freelancer is busy or has a family emergency and can not complete our project by our reasonable deadline? Well, if we are “3 deep”, then we have no need to panic. We just contact one of the other videographers that we have enjoyed working with in the past. When we are “3 deep” we are bound to have someone available to meet the deadline for our project.
4. Choosing a tour mate is about more than talent – (This one is more music-specific, but it can apply to the process of finding the right partner in many aspects of your business.) The lifestyle and the personality of your tour mate are oh so important. This is something I have always encouraged my husband to consider when choosing who goes on the road with him. Yes, they need to be super talented, but they also need not annoy or frustrate him with their presence. LOL! You are a unique individual and you may not mix well with every artist you meet…and that’s ok! If you are spending days on the road together, having countless conversations over mealtime, and trying to present chemistry while on stage, then the entire person needs to be considered. Are you (and your family) energized or depleted after being around them? Spend some time with them AND their family (if married) off of the stage and make sure they are a good fit before adding them to the team. If your kids spend every encounter fighting with their kids, your spouses never speak to each other, and you have a completely opposite sense of humor…just keep looking. Even if you love their talent, keep looking. It’s just not worth it!

Creative friends, how will you find the people you need to become “3 deep” or tour with for example? My answer is COMMUNITY. You need community with other creatives in your industry. This is only one of many reasons why my husband and I believe in the RISE movement so much. Click here to join our RISE online community for creatives and join the movement.

What tip from the last two blogs will you apply to your journey? Let me know in the comments below.