How to Be a Better Businessperson as an Artist. As artists, we concern ourselves primarily with our abilities as performers. This is understandable, and it is the cause of all the beautiful art that we have in our world today. However, this extreme focus on the performance side of things has caused many artists to neglect the business side of their craft. Oftentimes, artists don’t feel comfortable stepping on people’s toes, and this can hinder the development of their careers. Self-advocacy is an important part of any art, and as an artist, you need to hold your ground when making deals. youbloom is here to help you realize your artistic worth and connect you to show creators, who can shoot your art into the eyes of the public without all the cutthroat negotiations. Advocating for oneself is one of the hardest things for many artists to do. We usually don’t like to force our work onto others, much less consider that our work has monetary value. In fact, there are times on the artistic journey where we need to do just that. Musicians will be aware of the dreaded “exposure” offer, which is often used in place of financial compensation. I know in my personal musical journey I have heard that excuse many times. There are definitely times where exposure is needed, like if you are a brand-new artist who is trying to build a following, but there comes a time when exposure is not enough. If you are serious about making a career out of live performance, and you have been playing for exposure for a while, it is time to negotiate for paying gigs. Negotiating may seem unnatural for you at first, but just imagine how good that first paycheck after a quality show will feel! Your art is special after all, and it deserves compensation. I can remember the first time my band made some money from a performance at a local bar and we felt like we were on top of the world! No top artist got to where they are on the back of free gigs alone, so there’s no reason to believe any of us should either. A huge part of the business of art is a cohesive image. A really good way to show to venues and show creators that you are a worthy artist is having a strong brand that is unified whenever you are on display. On stage, your look should be congruous with your art’s style. A heavy metal band will have an edgier, darker look, and a magician will be much more colorful and zany. Image is arguably more important online. Professional artists need to have a professional social media, and it has to be aligned with that stage image. Don’t confuse image with behavior though, as you can have a zany wild image while still maintaining consistent, professional social media accounts. With a solid social media profile, it is easier to demand higher pay from booking agents, and your live performance will prove to them that you are worth more! In the modern age, there are luckily many other ways to make money. It has never been easier to get merchandise made to sell at shows. So many online companies do custom prints in bulk, so get some done with your logo or album artwork to increase your profits! The internet opens even more doors through streaming like twitch, where you can make twice as much by livestreaming your concerts! You can even create exclusive content for your biggest fans through Patreon. Technology creates many opportunities for you to extend your brand as an artist, so take advantage of them to make yourself more valuable! Self-worth is an extremely important quality for an artist to have. When gigs come your way, it is crucial to know how to advocate for yourself. A final note about art is that quality is more important than numbers. To have success, it is important to have a few people such as fans and booking agents that are extremely invested in your success. You will find that these people will cause you the most growth, so make sure to foster those relationships! youbloom is a powerful resource for you to do that very thing, and we are here to help you increase your worth on stage and off! Sign up for youbloom to read more exciting blogs! Realizing the Worth of Your Talents
How to Be a Better Businessperson as an Artist. As artists, we concern ourselves primarily with our abilities as performers. This is understandable, and it is the cause of all the beautiful art that we have in our world today. However, this extreme focus on the performance side of things has caused many artists to neglect the business side of their craft. Oftentimes, artists don’t feel comfortable stepping on people’s toes, and this can hinder the development of their careers. Self-advocacy is an important part of any art, and as an artist, you need to hold your ground when making deals. youbloom is here to help you realize your artistic worth and connect you to show creators, who can shoot your art into the eyes of the public without all the cutthroat negotiations. Advocating for oneself is one of the hardest things for many artists to do. We usually don’t like to force our work onto others, much less consider that our work has monetary value. In fact, there are times on the artistic journey where we need to do just that. Musicians will be aware of the dreaded “exposure” offer, which is often used in place of financial compensation. I know in my personal musical journey I have heard that excuse many times. There are definitely times where exposure is needed, like if you are a brand-new artist who is trying to build a following, but there comes a time when exposure is not enough. If you are serious about making a career out of live performance, and you have been playing for exposure for a while, it is time to negotiate for paying gigs. Negotiating may seem unnatural for you at first, but just imagine how good that first paycheck after a quality show will feel! Your art is special after all, and it deserves compensation. I can remember the first time my band made some money from a performance at a local bar and we felt like we were on top of the world! No top artist got to where they are on the back of free gigs alone, so there’s no reason to believe any of us should either. A huge part of the business of art is a cohesive image. A really good way to show to venues and show creators that you are a worthy artist is having a strong brand that is unified whenever you are on display. On stage, your look should be congruous with your art’s style. A heavy metal band will have an edgier, darker look, and a magician will be much more colorful and zany. Image is arguably more important online. Professional artists need to have a professional social media, and it has to be aligned with that stage image. Don’t confuse image with behavior though, as you can have a zany wild image while still maintaining consistent, professional social media accounts. With a solid social media profile, it is easier to demand higher pay from booking agents, and your live performance will prove to them that you are worth more! In the modern age, there are luckily many other ways to make money. It has never been easier to get merchandise made to sell at shows. So many online companies do custom prints in bulk, so get some done with your logo or album artwork to increase your profits! The internet opens even more doors through streaming like twitch, where you can make twice as much by livestreaming your concerts! You can even create exclusive content for your biggest fans through Patreon. Technology creates many opportunities for you to extend your brand as an artist, so take advantage of them to make yourself more valuable! Self-worth is an extremely important quality for an artist to have. When gigs come your way, it is crucial to know how to advocate for yourself. A final note about art is that quality is more important than numbers. To have success, it is important to have a few people such as fans and booking agents that are extremely invested in your success. You will find that these people will cause you the most growth, so make sure to foster those relationships! youbloom is a powerful resource for you to do that very thing, and we are here to help you increase your worth on stage and off! Sign up for youbloom to read more exciting blogs! 