Creative Ideas As Currency: Growth for Artists In The Digital Economy

If content is currency, then artists, you are already wealthy. You have enough unique, interesting and useful creative ideas to turn into a wide range of quality output. In the newest incarnation of our evolving economy, content creation is the most valuable currency. Artists are the original content creators, and you are sitting on a potential gold mine. Today, we’ll look at pushing the envelope of self-actualisation to mine the rich seams contained within you for profit and self-fulfilment. Let’s explore how you can harness your creative ideas to generate increased returns.

Unshackle Yourself from a Limiting Belief

What would you want your life to look like? What is the gap between that and the reality of your life now? I’m guessing that if you’re a visual artist or any other type of creative practitioner, you want a life with fewer constraints. Time to paint, time to write, time to practice and make better art. The luxury of not having to work a 9-5. More time to work at the times you want to. More time to explore your creative ideas.

If you think that selling more art is the answer, then you are missing the untapped potential in yourself. Lately, I’ve been seeing a glut of marketers on social media promoting their systems to sell more art. It’s great to sell more work. We all want to do that. Let’s wake up to the reality that this has limited potential for most people. The likelihood of this replacing your 9-5 income is remote.

If we want to make a living from creative skills, we must think beyond that limited framework. Creating artwork is not easily scalable and is highly labour-intensive. I’m not suggesting you don’t do it, just recognise that it’s not going to be the way you replace your 9-5.

You want to have an audience that truly values your work and connects with your ideas. In the short term, you will benefit more from limiting that audience. This is a challenging concept and runs contrary to what social media marketers might be telling you.

Stop Counting the Likes – Start Nailing the Content

Most current thinking focuses on expanding reach and growing as quickly and widely as possible on social media. This is not without its benefits, and a huge audience can be a valuable asset if they are engaged and have the potential to be harnessed for income generation. However, a large audience with shallow to no genuine engagement is much less valuable than a small audience of genuine interest.

We get too focused on counting the number of followers and likes, etc. What we really need to grow is genuine engagement. Stop counting the numbers and measure your success by how genuinely engaged you feel with that audience. Stop relating to your audience at a transactional level. It needs to be relational and authentic, and you can achieve this by shifting the content you produce.

I hope you’ve taken the time to carefully consider who your audience is and what they expect from you. If you are a hobbyist, then that likely won’t matter to you. If you want to earn a living from your creative skills, then this needs some attention. I’ve written more about this in my article on the business model canvas and value proposition for creators.

You will benefit more from a small band of loyal followers (both online and offline) than from many thousands of ‘followers’ who care not a jot about you or your work. The 80/20 rule (the Pareto Principle) will apply here. Eighty per cent of your meaningful attention will come from that important 20% of your audience. You need to leverage your creative ideas to achieve more potential with a niche audience, thus swinging this percentage much more favourably.

You Already Hold the Key

You have the potential to do so much more with the same raw materials that you already have. The content you need to grow and expand your reach is inside you now. Creative ideas are your principal currency. The work you create can branch in many directions and be applied to various types of products.

At the moment, you might labour under the illusion that your artwork is your product. It’s only one of your potential products. Your creative ideas and original thinking are the raw materials that drive everything. You could be leveraging that creativity in a way that is scalable and sustainable, yielding larger returns, and in doing so, cultivating more authenticity.

Consider how you envisage yourself regarding creative output. If you are like most artists and creators I speak to, it’s likely represented by the diagram below. You are a creator who produces works (your artwork). Those created pieces (or prints thereof) serve as your currency. You exist to generate these products. Through these works, you engage with your audience.

If you went all in creating artwork at peak efficiency, how much could you produce? You already know where I’m heading with this. I understand you’re not solely focused on money and that ‘efficiency’ is an uneasy term in connection with creativity. The same goes for ‘profit’. What about ‘freedom’? Does that resonate? Stop viewing making money as the capitalist nightmare. Money can purchase the most valuable thing…your time back. Leverage your creative ideas to gain more time to be…more creative. Interested? Read on.

Why are People Fascinated by Artists?

Ask yourself this question: what is it about creativity that is so fascinating? Artists are lightning rods for universal emotions. They have the ability to express and convey something about the human condition that is indescribable in any other way, whether through written words, images, music, or whatever your medium may be. Artists serve as conduits for these often complex and sometimes controversial ideas.

Your true audience is captivated by your ideas. Your perspective on reality fascinates them. The artefacts you create are one aspect of your creativity, serving as the visible iceberg above the waterline. Only you comprehend the true nature of the mass below. Interestingly, your audience is aware that this hidden mass exists as well. That’s part of the allure of your creativity. They understand that there are other elements waiting to emerge when the focus shifts and the iceberg rotates in the water. It’s implicit in your role as an artist.

Realise the Broader Potential of Your Own Creative Ideas

Let’s shift your perspective. What if we pivot to think of ideas as the primary output? How does that alter your perspective and enhance your ability to connect with a more authentic audience?

Massively.

The sooner you realise you are focused on ideas and that ideas are the emphasis, the sooner you will be liberated from the constraints of a production line. You will cease to be merely another interior decor outlet and instead evolve into someone capable of resonating on a deeper level.

Here’s the bottom line. You can repackage those thoughts, ideas, experiences, and perspectives as a wide range of products…not just artwork. If you are an artist who shares your work on social media channels, you already have a foothold. That’s all it is. You are likely aware by now that this alone guarantees nothing.

Being on social media is like putting your trainers on before a long run. It’s a prerequisite, but it is only where the work begins. If you don’t want to invest more hard work in a much more diverse range of ways, learn new skills, and challenge yourself, then step off the train.

Using Your Creative Ideas for Growth

Once you realise that ideas are the currency rather than the products of those ideas, you can open yourself up to additional ways of connecting with your audience. The products you create (and hopefully sell) serve as a means for your audience to engage with those ideas. The options for introducing your audience to your ideas are now much more numerous.

Let’s be clear. This will require effort. You must work on and master some new ways of working. However, the possibilities and payoffs could be enormous. You’re about to transform from someone who creates visual art into someone who has created and writes about their creative practice.

You Must Learn to Write About Your Creative Ideas

If you want to clarify your ideas and connect more authentically with an audience, start writing publicly about your practice. I can personally vouch for the transformative power of writing. Years ago, I discovered that I could enhance and profoundly refine my practice by writing about what I do. If you are an art student, then you will already feel the pressure of a lack of writing skill bearing down upon you. My own students understand the importance of expressing themselves in writing, and that this will emerge as a necessity at some point. More importantly than any external pressure to produce writing is the discovery and clarity it brings to your own thoughts.

In my working life, I experience two epochs: before I wrote about my thoughts and after. The latter represents a new realm of clarity and possibility. Writing has taught me about myself. It has made me realise that I believe in certain principles and that I am willing to stand opposed to others. It has enlightened me about my own interests and introduced me to the ideas of others. I urge you to begin writing about your work and practice. It will transform you and change your relationship with your work.

Gift for Authenticity Gains

The authenticity gained in the eyes of your audience will take some time to become apparent, but it will grow with time. Writing about your work is akin to talking to your audience. If you are honest, unpretentious, and sincere, it will shine through. The genuine audience segment will become integrated into your ecosystem. You will now have people in your audience who cannot afford to purchase your original work or even prints. Give them something in return. Provide the gift of connection to your creative ideas. Offer them a way to be involved and engage in the relationship with you.

But does it enhance my ability to earn a living from my work? You might ask. There are several models for monetising your writing. Arguably, the most accessible is affiliate marketing. Study the concept of content marketing, start a blog to publish your content, and join an affiliate programme. There is no shame in this. You are providing a means of connection that far outweighs the value of any affiliate programme. As long as you are upfront and transparent about your affiliations, then no one has cause for complaint.

Polarise and Grow

It has often been said that to make one audience segment truly love you, another must hate you. Personally, I don’t believe that it needs to be as manufactured as this. You will likely find that as you grow in confidence to express yourself, some ideas will not resonate with everyone. Learn to be comfortable with that. Remember that you’re not doing this to please others. The purpose of the exercise is to enhance your authenticity and connect more deeply.

The plot twist is that by focusing on authenticity and expressing your creative ideas through a broader and more accessible range of methods, you will be able to reach new audiences. If you expand your artwork production to include a wider variety of publishing options, you will connect with people who would never have discovered you. Engaging with new people means embracing new opportunities.

Writing about your work is the cornerstone. This practice, in itself, enables you to explore other methods of monetisation.

Use Your Creative Ideas to Publish a KDP Product

Following closely behind the launch of a blog is the opportunity to use the publishing platform KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). This service is free to join and allows you to create and sell both hard copies and digital (Kindle) books on an international scale. You can achieve this entirely by harnessing your creativity and utilising free tools. With no financial outlay, you can produce books and promote them to a global audience! Just tell me that isn’t a fantastic opportunity for someone with creative ideas like you.

Create and illustrate a children’s book. Compose a book showcasing your art. Develop an attractive artwork book and sell it through your channels. Transform your sketchbooks into products for sale. There are numerous ways to make your ideas more marketable and affordable.

Start a YouTube Channel

Everything has its overhead, especially when creating media for a platform like YouTube. However, if you study this medium, you will quickly discover that you can get started with minimal expertise. Your videos may not be great; they will likely blow…hard. Successful YouTubers widely acknowledge that it is essential to start somewhere and start now. You need to produce the rubbish to reach the good stuff. Starting now is the only answer because this is very likely going to take years to come to fruition, if it ever does.

Hate the sound of your voice or the way you look on camera? Get over yourself. No one cares. There are thousands more self-conscious than you with stronger accents… and half the expertise, or less, cashing in right now. Just get on with it and see where it goes. Audiences are built around the value of the content. People love to watch artists at work. I love to watch artists at work. There is always the option to start a ‘faceless’ channel.

Begin creating videos about your process, your work, and how you work. There is a potential for monetisation eventually, though it is realistically years away. The longer you delay starting, the longer the waiting period will be.

There are more options, but these are a few starters to get the ball rolling. Of these, I would say that writing has the most potential, as it underpins everything else. YouTube scripts: writing. KDP storybooks: writing. Blog: writing. That funding application: writing. Instagram post caption: writing.

The Caveat: No Such Thing as an Overnight Success

You’ll find plenty of content on YouTube claiming various ‘techniques’ for making quick money using these platforms. Don’t trust anyone who tells you that you’ll go from zero to hero in just a few months. I have experience with all of these, and they require effort. Each one has a craft to master, and that takes time. Like every business venture, you must invest in yourself and remain committed. One sure way to guarantee failure is to give up too soon.

Remember that although I have not explicitly stated this, the goal is to build an audience – a loyal and authentic one with a genuine interest in you and your work. Showcase your creative ideas, but keep in mind the first pillar of content marketing: providing something of value to the customer for free. You build an audience through trust; they need to see that you are not out to scam them or exploit them.

Broaden your practice, leverage your creative ideas through other more mass mediums. Be patient. Eventually, though it may take years, your over night success will come.

Maturity is a Bonus for Creative Ideas

This message is specifically intended for mature practitioners. You are not too late. If you have read this far, then you sense there is a possibility for you to expand the way you work. You have doubts, though. Social media is a ‘young person’s’ game. You may think that you’ll look ridiculous at your age on YouTube. Banish these thoughts. They are the polar opposite of the truth. This is your time. Brands are now favouring maturity for a variety of reasons and are specifically looking to partner with mature associates. You possess unique kudos.

When it comes to writing about your practice, I’m going to stick my neck out here and venture that your maturity is a distinct advantage. You possess the added benefit of a stable mind that often eludes our younger selves. You bring the benefit of experience; you have perspective, and you possess the patience to make this work.

Specialisation is for Insects

As a closing thought, consider that you are more than just a production line for artwork. Robert A. Heinlein, the sci-fi writer, said that:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialisation is for insects.

You are a unique and adaptable synthesis of ideas, feelings, experiences, and perspectives, with much to offer the world as an artist. You may wish to reflect on what I have stated above and think about how you might transform your creative life. Broaden your options and focus on harnessing your thoughts and ideas. By doing so, you might discover that pushing your boundaries leads to clarity and focus you wouldn’t have thought possible before.

Remember that most of your audience likely cannot afford to purchase your original artwork at the prices you wish to sell it for. So, offer them something else. Unshackle your market for original work from the artificially low prices you hoped would entice them to buy. Replace this income model with something that is free (for the customer), more affordable, infinitely scalable and accessible, and start charging what your work is actually worth. You are providing something invaluable to a broader audience in the means to connect more authentically with you.

As always, reach out if you want to discuss further.