It’s no secret that making it in the arts can be tough on your finances. Many people who want to be actors, musicians, or others in the arts industry end up working unrelated jobs (famously, as restaurant servers) to keep them afloat. Even once you start to book work, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re flush with cash. You can be in a fairly popular band and still not really make any money from your music alone. But plenty of people decide to pursue their dreams and keep trying to make it in their chosen career. So how can you do that without going broke?
Ensure Other Income Sources
The first thing that many people wishing to make it as an artist or creative will do is ensure that they have a stable source of income. This might be a full-time or part-time job, or it could even be acting as a self-employed person. For some people, this could mean taking a job in the creative industry that they’re interested in. However, others would rather avoid doing that and take an unrelated job, especially if it allows them to be more flexible with their time. Although it’s hard to work and build a career on the side, it’s the best option for many.
Get Involved with the Community
Getting connected to the community surrounding your chosen arts career can be very helpful. It allows you to benefit from advice from people like Joey Armstrong who are passionate about mentoring. It can give you an “in” when a project comes up that might be a good opportunity for you. Having the right contacts is definitely helpful when you want to build a creative career and it can be a great way to be involved in more projects, collaborate with others, and hear about any chances to make money that might arise.
Be Inventive with Making Money from Your Art
Being able to hustle and come up with ways to make money from your art is important if you want to get your work out there. There are plenty of ways to do what you love and use your skills to make money. You might teach your skills to others in classes or workshops. Or you could share your work online, whether it’s through live streaming performances, publishing your writing, or selling your art through different online channels.
Look for Support from Others
You can often access different types of support that are designed to provide a boost to your creative career. For example, you can often discover grants for projects or to support your education. You might find that there are internships or jobs made available to people who are just starting out in your field. These sorts of opportunities might be available to everyone or they could have eligibility based on age, gender, location, ethnic background, and more. You might also get more personal support from mentors and others who have already built their careers.
Staying afloat financially can be hard if you want to enter a creative field, but there are ways to support yourself and your art.