Feeling underappreciated as an artist...
Here's what I have to say about this.
Written by T.
Grab your drink, make yourself feel comfortable, and let's discuss this!
Some things that I see most artists struggle with are how they never feel that their art is enough for them to make a living out of it! ( “They” I am including myself as well! ) They never feel that their art actually has value or that there will be people who would be truly interested in what they do! Also, with technology advancing for some of them, this means that their place is taken. The ones who are in the social media world, they realize how being an artist in social media can be really hard and draining! ( True, I am not gonna lie! ) PLUS the one I struggled the most with…
“Since I am an artist, doing or knowing how to do the marketing, the financial part, the branding, and the management of my business/brand is not really my lane!”
Me, some years ago!
And I know some other artists feel that way as well! This is such a big block I had in my mind, and because of that, a lot of people took advantage of my art, my time, and my naivety at the time.
I ended up sometimes doing things for free because first, I thought that just the “exposure” was enough when, in reality, it isn’t! Exposure is good, but so is money! If “exposure” is what you are getting all the time from some people who say that their way to pay is through “exposing” your work on social media or whatever, ( When some of these people sometimes HAVE the conditions to pay for your work! ) I recommend you to question yourself about those people and your boundaries when it comes to what you do.
Don't get me wrong! There are some people who actually wanna help and truly wanna share your work, but you know the type of people I am talking about here. We know, or we feel the difference when someone truly wants to support us VS. when someone just wants free “benefits” and takes advantage of our art! ( Art here means whatever you do! Illustrations, food, singing, dancing, graphic design, makeup, etc. )
Second, because these people “kinda” expected me to make things for free! It wasn't my fault, but because of this situation, I realized that many people don't actually take art seriously. And just because they don't take it, they expect you, me, and us artists in general to think as such.
I remember when I was in high school some old classmates said that they didn't get why fashion shows existed since the outfits were so extravagant sometimes to the point where it's not wearable for to day to day situations.
Imagine how I felt hearing that at the time since I wanted to be a fashion designer.
Fashion shows are a live exposition. The art pieces ( the clothes ) move throughout the catwalk, and there's a story behind each collection. There's the marketable side of it, of course, but also the artistic one is necessary. Both need to be balanced or a dilemma happens…
If it's too marketable or technical, it becomes boring and stiff. It doesn't connect with anyone. It doesn't touch anyone. It doesn't make anyone feel something! No one cares.
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If it's only about the art all the time, if there's not strategy and structure as well, it might be all over the place. Or someone who knows a bit more of business or not might take advantage of you and your art because you don't know the basics.
In my case, I am familiar with both! I went through both sides. First, I was just about the art, but I didn't know how to position myself or to highlight my art in the way it should have been positioned! I was constantly feeling lost! I did not have a firm identity! First, because I was too young and I needed to learn a lot! Second, because I didn't have the basics nailed down! ( Things such “Why I do what I do?” “What do I truly stand for?” ) Recently, I was suffering from the first case, the opposite of it! I became too technical! I had knowledge, but I forgot about the heart and the soul! It became boring, and even I couldn't connect with what I was doing or planning to do! When I tell you that you need a balance, it's by experience! In one case people might take advantage of you because you don't know your art's worth, the other, it becomes to “perfect” that your desired audience or present audience can't connect with what you do!
Of course, there are good people out there who genuinely want to help like I said, but I am saying all of this to tell you that it's important for you to take the ownership of your own craft. You deserve to know how to highlight it! How to make it come alive and to healthly maintain it.
Highlighting it through the pricing, the visual identity, the overall branding, the storytelling, and the logo!
You don't need to become a master on finances, branding, marketing, storytelling, graphic design, etc. However, it's important to know the basics! If you are a solo entrepreneur, you can learn how to work with what you can + what you have + with the knowledge you acquired in a very efficient way to get great results. If you are working with someone else, it will be easier to express your thoughts, frustrations, and likings since both of you or the group in general have a common ground.
• This is the era of taking ownership of what's yours!
This whole topic is very close to my heart because, like I said earlier, I struggled with this. Honestly, I am still learning as I go, I am definitely nowhere near perfect and probably will never be, but I have learned a lot compared to when I started! Practicing what you learn definitely helps. When it comes to how much it costs, where I should go to promote my brand, where my audience is, my overall branding, it's all about what you value and the world you want to build. Do you value luxury? Simplicity? Accessible pricing? Things I asked you to reflect about in this post! ( If you are new here and have doubts about how to describe your brand or don't know where to go or how to start, I highly recommend you check it out! ) A hard pill to swallow for some people is that some people won't identify themselves with our work! The same way we don't identify ourselves with some other's work as well! For some people you are too expensive, the same way some people are too expensive for you! When it comes to pricing, you have to think about the industry you are in, like I said earlier, the world you want to build and your audience! For your desired audience, is this too cheap? Too expensive? A reasonable price? Knowing your work is important! Knowing things such as:
• Knowing how much it costs to produce what you do.
• How many hours you spent!
• The materials you used.
• The level of thought and research it was necessary to make it, everything counts!
Doing this, you learn about your project’s worth and even about your own! Because you realize how much effort, love, attention, and dedication are sometimes unnoticed and it needs to be recognized! You and projects matter! We know that some people sadly won't see its worth or even your own! But you know it is the first step to redirect onto the direction it's healthy for you and your projects to go! Towards the people that will geniunely like it and support it! And I know you will succeed in doing so!
I want to end this meeting on a positive note! Even though we are underestimated, or we feel this way, this doesn't need to be our fate. I know that for some of us, we truly feel that we are going to be recognized if we become extremely famous! At this point we already know some of the sketchy things some industries have it behind closed doors, and let me free your mind from it, what some people actually need is not a celebrity status and is not a high level of fame. What they need are an engaged audience who love what they do & find it necessary and a stable & good income! E Pronto! *chef's kiss!*
Remember that saying no is important. You don't need to take every client and every gig it appears! Especially if you don't need to. If you have to take them, still maintain your boundaries in mind to not just protect your work but yourself as well!
You don't need to show your face or your life all over the internet to strip your privacy away for some followings and likes! You need to learn how to highlight your own work, create great content/projects/products/services, and be consistent! ( Consistency doesn't mean doing it every day! But working in the flow it works for you! Sticking and being faithful to your own plan! ) I know you will do it great & I am here to help you with what I can!
We deserve more, and we will receive more from now on!
I am really glad you decided to hang out today! Thank you so much for being here! For dedicating a bit of your time to chat with me. I hope from now on you'll take your time in learning how to highlight your work and, of course, yourself! Also, RELAX & TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! Because the person behind the art matters a lot if not much more than the art itself! Art matters! But don't forget about the artists, the people behind it who matter so much more.🤍
Last but not least, I want to share this part from the book “When you are ready, this is how you heal.” by Brianna Wiest, that matches perfectly with what we discussed here today! Remember that this is a lifelong journey, and we are together in this! 🤍
See you soon! ♡
