I laughed at the comic below and shortly after, I sighed. It almost immediately reminded me of how unbalanced our society is (especially in America.)
The Art at SteemFest events and spending so much time with fellow creatives in Lisbon has my brain swirling with ideas for collaboration and about how valuable creative people will be in the coming decades.
When is the last time a song, a poem, a film, or a piece of art moved you?
It happens to me almost on a weekly basis. The truth is these creative treasures have the power to enrich our lives and impact us so deeply they can actually change you.
We live in a world flush with life altering creative treasures, many of them are accessible for free, 24/7, from any mobile device. The unfortunate thing is a staggeringly small percentage of the creative geniuses who create these great gifts ever reap the benefits of their valuable service to humanity. Thankfully, platforms like Steemit are changing this.
Creative people infuse our world with beauty, positive energy, they even shake us from our apathy and challenge us to think outside the confines of the boxes we create for ourselves. How valuable is this? More importantly, how do you put a price on it?
Determining how much our work is worth is one of the most difficult things for us creatives. Our creative fruits -- art, literature, poetry are all subjective. Work that truly impacts one person may miss the mark with someone else. To add even more layers of complexity, you must make a reasonable name for yourself before most people are willing to spend a dime on your work. The truth is it can’t be done overnight but it can be done. I’m proof.
The First Step
First, you must give yourself permission to be an artist or writer. You must also give yourself permission to ask people to pay a reasonable price for your work. If you work hard and create a quality product that sparks an emotional connection with others you deserve to be compensated…don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Yes, you may have to, occasionally, give some content away for free but you shouldn’t do this for long. Focus more on building your following. Keep honing the skills of your craft, continue to build your confidence, learn to market and network like a boss!
By the same token, if you encounter another creative person whose work moves you and you are in the position to do so, buy it. Become a patron. It feels incredible to support another person’s work. This is the greatest gift you can give someone who is struggling to build their career. It’s not just about the money but more about the validation of their talent.
That item you purchase could be the first sale they’ve had in a week or a month and it will give them the hope they need to keep pursuing their dreams. I know, I’ve been there, far too many of us have.
The age of the starving artist must come to an end. In reality, we are all just one big creative family who wants to do the work that we love as we struggle to find our place in the world. The difference between where you are today and where you want to be is often as simple as merely changing your mindset.
Yours in the chain,
Eric
(Gif compliments of Giphy.com. Comic Source.)
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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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