How To Become A Full-Time Artist With NO SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING

I think in this day & age, too many people get caught up in creating “content” instead of creating “art” and making money from it. Utilize social media but don’t lose sight in what it is you’re wanting to actually do.

I feel a bit sad watching this, it's an awesome breakdown and really helpful. Sometimes I wonder about progress, I'm nearing retirement having spent 35 years as a pro photographer working with clients like Roll Royce, British Airways, Lexus, Range Rover etc. I reconnected with the guy who gave me my first job, I asked him why, because honestly, if he hadn't perhaps I'd still be an engineer. His answer, ' I kinda liked you and thought we'd have a fun shoot' - that simple. It just feels really tough to be an artist / photographer now. Boy .. you need to think of everything. I hope it all works out for the folk watching, because it's a wonderful way of earning a living. PS Your No4 advice is first rate .. really good advice.

It's a little scary how this video showed up in my list to watch. I've been struggling with staying at a job. I've been telling myself, the reason why is because I'm no longer creative. I'm not doing the things I love AND am skilled at. So as I've spent the last few days battling my decision, your video came up. Everything was very helpful for me to hear right now. Thank you.

Was just talking to a friend about this yesterday! We are both artists and struggling to keep up with the seemingly essential and demanding work of social media upkeep. Your insights provided some reassurance for the steps I've been consider taking, thanks a bunch!

Has someone who started out with a dream and basically put it on hold for the better part of 20 years only to come back now in my 50s to try and restart what I wanted to do originally, I think it's never too late. I will agree that the market is definitely all kinds of different now than it was when I graduated art school but sometimes you just have to do the work and the rest will come

Yes, the starving artist trope needs to die. Artists need to be more savvy about wearing both hats—I do art and I sell my work—social media is part of my networking system. Success to me means doing my art full time and being able to pay my bills and eat—I used social media to launch my career, and still keep a light foot in it— I enjoyed your video. Subscribing.

I loved the long form video. There are no shortcuts to what I want to build, learned that the hard way. “Complete control of your platform” is what resonated with me the most, social media is a tool, clicks n likes won’t pay your bills. Thanks again.

This came at the perfect time. I quit my corporate marketing job not long ago to pursue freelance copy writing full-time. I was only able to do this thanks to a good amount of savings and some low costs of living at the moment. A few weeks in, I've been relying only on Upwork with the hope that I could get some consistent work there before branching out to other streams. But that's clearly shaping up to not be the best approach. Competition is high, so this video reaffirmed that I need to start seeking revenue elsewhere and now, not later. My long-term dream is to maintain my copywriting work but also incorporate revenue from other creative mediums, including photography. Still going to build a social media presence, but it's a good reminder that it's not the single most important thing to do when starting a full time creative business.

What you’ve explained so well in thorough detail is essentially what I’ve just begun to learn myself, albeit through hitting a lot of dead ends for the last 7 years, that social media following does not equal=$. Monetizing your skills and connecting with patrons does. Thank you 🙏🏻

Amazing video! I love your approach to lifestyle design and making your passion a business. The statement that a social media following is not necessary to go full-time and the share of ad revenue vs. revenue generated from your following really helped. That took a lot of pressure of my shoulders because I was wondering if anybody would buy my product without a following.

This and the video you did a year ago are great for many reasons but one basic: you make clear how REALLY DOABLE this journey is IF you have become really good at something. Very inspiring, thank you!

Thank you for countering the "starving artist" stereotype. It's a cruel stereotype that probably caught on because selfish people don't think artists work very hard and they want it for free or very little money. It's getting better, but this is still strong.

I have been painting for 10 years and just a couple of months ago my skills in art really got elevated. I've reached a level where I feel confident to another level about sharing my art. It really hit me why and what I am supposed to do to make it as an artist. For me it's all about breaking down the process. Idea - 100s of iPad and sketchbook drawings - canvas choice - canvas prep - painting - painting Finnish - pictures - videos - upload to ig, Tumblr, Pinterest, twitter, Facebook and YouTube - Targeted paid marketing

I'm an artist, at 65 I see how hard it has become for youngsters now. But it's great that there are so many more channels media, possibilities too.

This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my YouTube channel 6 months ago about self development. Now I have 345 subs and > 100 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I couldn’t have learned without getting started in the 1st place.

It all is valuable info. That’s keepin’ it real. Very practical, straight-up and realistic. Thank you. What helped is the confirmation I’m on the right track but too far yet from getting to my goal of a sustainable income. Plus another reminder that in this independent artist path, income fluctuates and to accept and embrace that reality. It’s just different but still feasible lifestyle as opposed to my prior corporate IT career which had start money but made me dead inside. I think the trade off is well worth it. Best to you 🙏

Thanks for speaking CLEARLY, using complete sentences with proper pauses and emphasis. EXCELLENT video!!

Another great spot on video. These no nonsense videos are EXACTLY what new photographers need. Thank you for continuing to share your light and knowledge with the world Pat. Your influence has and will continue to change lives for the better.

You're a super orator Pat, you keep the audiences attention throughout and explain things extremely well. You're a very good teacher and thank you for this episode.

I am a landscape artist and it helped me to hear the 3 things that are important—mostly I feel galvanized now to treat my art as a vehicle for income! I was relieved to hear that this can b done without social media but I will use it as one of my platforms to show my work! Ty