Independent Artists, Unite!

As a Generation-Y artist, I'm going to be directing this post mostly at my generation, but this really goes for any independent artists out there. Anyone feeling dispirited, or unsure of themselves, or worrying about fitting into corporate or freelance culture, this post is for you.

You've heard it a million times, at least since 2008: we're in an economic downturn. Jobs are at a low. You graduated, or are graduating, or will graduate with a truly unfair amount of debt that you have to carry for years. You've come out into the working world, to find there's no work. It's bleak. It's depressing. It downright sucks.

But you do what the rest of us have done: you start forging your own path. While you're job-searching, trying to get a "real" job, you're taking commissions. You're doing freelance. Some of you may have decided to start your own business, because in the age of the internet, it's just that easy to get a business front up and going. You have all the contents of a business degree at your fingertips with just a click of the Googles. You don't need a storefront -- just a Shopify or a BigCartel. You have the talent. You have the tools. All you have to do is market it.

This is an age of innovation. This is an age where we are taking control of our lives and steering it in the direction we want it to go. But the process by which we get there steals the thunder from what should be a powerful move. We, especially as creatives, are plagued by the idea that we are not doing this because we're the captain of our own ship; we're doing this out of necessity, just to get by, to scrape along until "real" work comes along.

Guess what?

It is real work.

The rallying cry of the past has been to get out of the 9-5 lifeless suck of the cubicle farm to do something you really love. To stop farming out your soul to a company you don't care for, to make a living doing something you love instead. And guess what? It is highly likely right now that if you're hunting for jobs, you're not going to get your dream job; many of us would just take any job, so long as it pays. But if you love art, if you love creating, if you have the drive to make it happen, guess what? Your dream job is at your fingertips.

It won't be easy. God knows, running your own business is hard work, and it takes perseverance and it takes mistakes and it takes gumption and drive. You won't get it right the first try, and that's okay.

But what I'm really getting at is this: you undervalue what you have to sell. You, yes you. You undervalue your skills, your creativity, and your ability. You are a commodity. Treat yourself like one.

If you're like me, maybe you grew up around communities like deviantArt, where everyone is taking commissions. That's just what people do. It was not until very recently that it hit me: not everyone can do art commissions. Not everyone was doing art for money at 14. I had thought that my resume was paltry: just a long stint of freelance work, with two "real jobs," one of which being a temp job that lasted three months. But in reality, I was an entrepreneur from a young age, earning money in bits and pieces as I could find it, even when I couldn't get a job.

In reality, not many people can do what I can do -- and not many people can do what you can do, even if the internet makes it seem like you're just another drop in the ocean. Take pride in your talent and give it the status it deserves. If you're freelancing, that is a real job. It's even more of a job than a "real" job, because you have to market yourself, and work weird hours, and separating work from home can be Hell.

So what have we got? We have a generation of self-starters, building their brands on the internet. Are you freelancing design? Because there are thousands of businesses now who need it. Are you a comic artist? Because independent comics are more popular now than ever. Are you a painter? Because thousands, millions of people from all over the world can buy your art now. Are you a writer? Because getting your work out there in a consumable format has never been easier. It doesn't matter what you do: you do it, and there's a market for it. There is! There really is!

You have something to sell. You have something so uniquely you, and you can't let your perceptions of what is work and not-work change it. You need to understand that you have the power. The market doesn't hold the power, you do. Part of being a self-starter means going out there and finding your own clients. Ask yourself what kind of clients you want, then market to them.

If your style won't attract stern-faced businessmen with fancy law-firms, then ask yourself: do I even want to work with stern-faced businessmen? No? Then stop trying to turn yourself into something they'd want. (They're probably going to a design firm for their work, anyway!)

There are so many people out there looking to work with someone who understands them, and understands what they need to market themselves. There are thousands upon thousands of different desires on the internet. There is a market for your style, and it's probably a lot bigger than you think.

If you stick to who you are, with all these thousands of self-starters and home businesses, with all these thousands of art-lovers and consumers, you will find plenty of people who want to hire you. Set your rates and stick to them, and you'll get paid what you think you're worth. So really think about what you're worth. Your skills are rare, and if someone is hiring you, they want what you're selling, as is, no changes to your style. Your work is what led them to this decision. So the answer is, honestly, that you're worth a lot.

I know that you, like so many of us, are desperate for money. I can tell you that desperation sells a lot less than confidence. So be picky. Be exclusive. Market yourself like a madman and don't look back.

Be confident, truly confident, and you'll be rewarded with gratifying work and clients you enjoy working with. No one can decide who you work with or what you do but you. So don't sell yourself short!

Don't undervalue your work.

Don't undervalue your choices.

You're the captain of this ship. Now steer it.