Patreon is an amazing tool for creating a passive income. Rather than pushing to build something new and involved, it allows creators to earn a living by doing the thing they want to do every day. Once you’ve got it all set up, it’s safe to leave it on the back burner. Popping in occasionally to give it a stir and check the spices is recommended but you don’t need to slave over it the way an online store requires. Patreon’s passivity is one of its greatest qualities, but it can also be one of its greatest weaknesses. After your launch, new member tend to join slowly. That’s fine if you’ve got other stuff going, but if you want to invest in Patreon more deeply then you need accelerate its growth by switching into pledge drive mode.
I began tabling at conventions in 2016. When you’re just starting off, each new tabling experience is new and exciting; I was hungry for feedback after waiting so long before getting my work out there in that way, and seeing people come across my table for the first time and react with enthusiasm is so rewarding in itself. But each convention takes a lot of time and energy, and it takes no time at all to become aware that you’re going to have to decide which cons you want to keep doing and which ones you don’t.
You all know that social media is extremely important for doing business. The more people see your work, the more opportunities open up as a result: sales, freelance jobs, collaborations and whatever else you might be looking for.
An important piece of my studio renovations was an art cart, or to be fancy an artist taboret. I used to use a little table, that was my grandmother’s old TV stand, but it was small and didn’t do everything I needed. It got me through about 7 years of painting, so if you’re on a budget remember that the most important thing is to paint!
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EPISODE ARCHIVE
You may have heard that your portfolio is everything, and that to attract “the right kind of interest”, you need to focus on a beautiful portfolio above all else. But what if your goal, your business model, is not to attract art directors or freelance clients? What if, instead, your aim is “simply” to delight your audience and to invite your collectors into the world behind the scenes?
I recently found myself firmly in the latter camp; what follows is my experience working with a photographer, along with a few tips on what to think about if you’re considering hiring one yourself.
Last year, my website was ready for a major overhaul. My vision for a new online home included more backstage images of me in the studio, as I wanted my brand to revolve around the artist in her natural habitat. The end goal was not just a place to show off my art, but a glimpse into my life that could foster a deeper relationship with my collectors. I wanted to draw people into the whole story, not just the painting on the cover.