How to monetise your creativity (without social media)

An overview of turning your creative skills into money.
Let me know if you want me to go into any topic in more detail

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[struthless]

I really hope this helps 💞like I mentioned, it's totally an overview so let me know if there's anything you want me to go into in more detail and I can :)

Thanks for watching!
cam xoxo

[alexandrahhh]

“There’s enough money to go around, so why not you” is such an obvious and simple way to look at it, and I never really thought about it like that before, thank you, actually more comforting and motivational than most of the other (good and bad) advice I’ve heard before when it comes to encouraging someone to monetize a creative skill set.

[ohmpatel]

saying no with a price is probably one of the greatest pieces of advice i’ve heard

[Duncan]

As an accountant, I can confirm this is all excellent advice. Much respect for being open about the rates charged, that sort of information is so helpful for people looking to get into creative industries and it makes me sad when I see people not valuing their time enough.

[keishaofficer]

I’ve been a graphic designer and illustrator for 16 years. Struthless is right on this stuff. My advice on charging clients is keep your hourly rate private and never tell the client; a flat rate is the way to go. During an introductory conversation with a client, I ask pointed questions to figure out what their budget is and give them a couple quotes based on what they are wanting. I sent my quotes in a “design agreement contact”, which outlines my process, the parties’ responsibilities for, expectations, etc. I can usually tell by their reaction to the “design agreement” if they are going to be a client I want to work with or will need to pass on.

[carrisebear]

I got knocked on my ass out of art college. I worked multiple creative jobs (murals, hand drawn maps, websites and graphic design) and the companies cut my final price to peanuts every time. It stung my soul. Confidence is a huge necessity in this business.
Thanks for the video and the SPECIFICS!

[hurleyman]

One of the most interesting pieces of advice I've heard was "Never avoid paying taxes... paying taxes means you're making money." I'm not sure about all countries, but in the US, tax is always a percent of PROFIT (deductions are meant to avoid taxing you for income that wasn't profit). This means that you'll never be taxed out of profitability (if you're calculating things correctly). So, taxes can be scary because it can be complicated paperwork, but taxes should never (in the US and similar tax environments) be scary because you're worried that you'll pay more in taxes than you make in profit.

[Rumade]

That "Hi Jessica, thanks for your email" made my choke on my salad 🥗

Love these tips. I took a break from freelance art making for money because the winter was kicking my mental butt. It's time to begin again!

I got your book but I haven't read much of it yet 👀

[lilyw]

This pandemic and lock down really hit me hard. For 6 months I was in the dark, and it's pretty dark for a person who hasn't even crossed 20's yet. I was not doing so well mentally.The only thing that made me feel useful was drawing, so I used it in my favour and started to draw 2 hours or so daily, Some days i used to draw but felt depressed, but I drew anyways. I found your channel 2-3 months ago, and I'm working on myself, you're being a great help, your views and opinions really help alot. Keep making these videos. I love you :)

[pdpUU]

Really good, helpful outline. So appreciate that your advice isn’t “get a degree, intern, network”. You gave a flexible framework that folks can apply to their situation.

For some, that’s college, for others it’s a mid-career shift. Thanks for an inclusive approach. Very practical tips.

[Sharkuterie]

I have trouble with confidence. It’s a hurdle to believe my work is valuable enough to monetize. I’m also slow to produce and worry I don’t have time to build the necessary skills beforehand, and in an environment where folks seem to expect instant results and a high volume of work, I start to feel resentful that I can’t just let go and do it, like in the mural example. In a word: perfectionism.

[sparklypoof]

TOTALLY into more videos like this - setting up your shop, getting traffic pointed there, etc.! I wanna know it all! Thank you so much for this video, it was really helpful!

[mudpawkendra]

This was great. I've been freelance full-time for going on three years, and the bit about the 1 in 50 bites on emails/DMs was super encouraging (thought I was alone in that). And yes, absolutely get on the paperwork early. I hate paperwork so I've worked with an accountant since the beginning for all my tax stuff, and went through a local university's law school for the legal side of setting up the business entity. Since they're students they get credit and experience for the work, and it's free for businesses. It's also all reviewed by their professors so I knew it was all good to go. That's something to look into. Some bigger universities and colleges have small business centers or other resources like that, too. Highly recommend looking into them because it's usually free or low-cost and is also a great opportunity to meet folks.

[ericadurda]

I am a creative (mostly fine art/sketch). I find what is tough for me is I'm interested in art as a career but don't know what to focus on. Art is a passion of mine but that is pretty vague. I love hearing that you made profit on murals when you never did it. That is really inspiring 🥰 I am excited to have some art in am upcoming exhibition. Small steps 😁

[MixedMediaEnterprise]

You are the best self improvement Youtuber. No bullshit hustle culture crap. Just wholesome, informative content.

[max_busse]

What usually also helps, when you already have a skill (let‘s say its photography) give your client add-on options. I‘d say in 80% of the time in my case this has helped me to get more money from a job. For example: You‘re asked to do a photoshoot - tell your client you could also film a short video or help him with graphic design. You get the idea - something simple but yet useful for your client.

Regarding the add on price… I‘d say it can reach from 15-30% extra of what the initial price was.

[avneet.]

Wow, this video is like a full on guide to monetization! So cool that you've actually experienced what you talked about and it's not just theoretical. I'm sure this video will help A LOT of people. Thank you! :)

[ingridbmangubat]

I picked up sewing clothes at the thick of the 2020 pandemic. It was such a creative rush for me. And of course I’d share my work and WIP on my socials. Naturally too, people began telling how I could start selling my work. Several would ask me how much I would charge if I make this or that for them. Since then I’ve been going back and forth whether I would or could push through selling my work or sewing for profit. I’ve only been sewing for a little more than 2 years and I’m just not confident enough to sell for profit. There’s just so many expectations - also all the paperwork, making sure I make profit, making sure I’m not undercharging or overcharging, etc. This video really helped me somehow pick the cluttered directions of my thoughts about my dilemma. Now, I have a kind of outline and checklist to go through as I consider monetizing my creative outlet. This channel rocks!

[szymonbrygidyn]

For me (I'm a motion designer) the formula of life expenses + what I would like to put aside / days I'm planning to work = a daily rate. And it's easly scalable so if my daily expenses gotten bigger I charge more, if I felt like I should by some gear or have a bit more comfort I charge more. And it organicly grew over the years, you just have to be resonable with your expectations. For past few years I'm working full-time and calculating my annual salary came down to the same formula.

[JoanOfArgghh]

Great video! When I had a small art gallery, there were many good artists who had no idea how to price their work. It really does make sense to track the hours and materials and decide that maybe you're better than $5/hour, and maybe a client isn't going to respect your work if you don't put it in a reasonably professional frame or pedastal. I had no problem selling my work because I always had a good story or pitch that becomes part of the buying experience. A little wine and cheese doesn't hurt, either.