creative business
How to build an ethical creative business that honors your core values
In this article, you’ll get an activity that will show you how to use your core values to build an ethical creative business that can help make the world a better place. Yes, seriously. Obviously, in this big crazy world, there is a lot that’s out of your control. We all make compromises, a lot…
Read More“Am I a failure if I’m not making enough money with my creative work?”
Mastering your art form is how you become a great artist. It is not how you become a professional.
Read MoreHow to grow your audience | Promoting your creative work doesn’t have to feel sleazy
Promote your creative work without feeling sleazy | STOP skipping steps in the audience journey and grow your audience Ok, so you’ve got a new project out—or maybe the release date is bearing down on you like a freight train. You need to put a spotlight on it. You need people to know, to get…
Read MoreWhat does it actually take to find 1,000 True Fans? with Matt Madden
Listen to the episode: What does it actually take to find 1,000 True Fans? Seriously, where are they hiding? Your work is amazing. You’re constantly promoting on social media. You already know that your creative business isn’t bringing in the kind of money you need…especially in a reasonable time frame. So, why is that? Finding…
Read More1,000 True Fans + 1 Elephant in the Room
Listen to this post: Want to listen to this post (and more) on your fave podcast app? Sign up to get invited to my private audio feed! Send me the private feed! The compelling logic of 1,000 True Fans In 2008, Kevin Kelly (former editor of Wired) proposed the thesis that a working creative doesn’t…
Read MoreWhy just making more work doesn’t lead to making more money
Listen to this post: Want to listen to this post (and more) on your fave podcast app? Sign up to get invited to my private audio feed! Send me the private feed! When they’re faced with an income plateau, here’s what creatives (artists, designers, writers, whatever) think they need to do to increase their income:…
Read MoreHow to go from making some money to making a living as a creative, with Matt Madden
Listen to the episode: I’ve been thinking and talking a lot with creative people about how they make a living, how they struggle with money, and what they might do differently to bring in a reasonable income. It comes up in virtually every coaching call. I talk about it with friends. I ask people rude…
Read MoreHow to make it as an artist: Stop following the rules
Yeah, that’s me on stage with podcasting stars Roman Mars and Glynn Washington, with my comics projected 20 feet tall onscreen. It was 2015. It was a pinnacle of my artist career. Yet I had no idea how to truly make it as an artist. That’s the problem with looking at the outside of someone’s…
Read MoreRaise your bar for risk: do something scary and don’t die
I’ve got a vulnerability hangover. I recently finished a launch campaign for my new course on building an audience and marketing specifically tailored for creatives who (think they) loathe marketing. You might not know what I mean by a “launch campaign” (I sure didn’t, the first time I found myself running one, back in early…
Read MoreHow to stop trying to do it all — 5 steps to choose the best project (and chuck the rest)
The Autonomous Creative Collective is the community of current students and alumni of the Creative Focus Workshop. Cartoonist, teacher, and graphic recorder Lisa Frühbeis went through a shakeup of how she works and thinks that hit Level 7+ on the Richter scale. The result? Lisa faced down her fears and scarcity thinking to say no…
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