One of the reasons I started Artists & Profit Makers, my online mentorship program and community, was that I was tired of seeing artists and makers get tripped up on business advice that they’ve been told they just have to follow. There are lots of culprits, but the two big ones that I want to address today are:
1. You need to figure out what problem you solve.
and
2. You need to find your niche.
Now, I’m not saying that this is bad advice for all businesses, because I think each has their place, but they don’t universally apply to or work for all artist and maker business.
Why “solve a problem” is business advice that doesn’t apply to artists and makers
If you’ve been around here for a while, my railing against the idea that your art (or craft) needs to solve a problem is nothing new. Still, I always find it’s worth talking about. Watch the video below to hear my thoughts on why problem-solving marketing doesn’t apply to artist and maker business (or a lot of other types of business for that matter) and to see what actually started this rant in the first place.
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Why Alignment is more important than finding your niche.
After I shared the video above, I had a few people comment asking where the advice to “find your niche” fits in! So I decided to make a video about that too. If you’ve ever been frustrated about the advice to “niche down” or if you’ve ever felt like being a creative has made it hard to focus, you’re going to want to watch this video as well!
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Click here if you can’t see the above video!
At the end of the day, it comes down to this: there is no such thing as one size fits all business advice. Not only is there a lot of business advice that just doesn’t apply to artists and makers, but there are a lot of different ways to run a business as an artist or maker.
The goal shouldn’t be to force yourself to follow advice that doesn’t feel good to you. Instead, the goal should be to build a creative business that’s the perfect alignment of your personality, your creative passions, and profitability. It definitely takes some work (and plenty of trial and error) to get there, but once you do, it’s totally worth it!
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If you’re interested in taking part in the Alignment Retreat that I mention in the second video, the only way to access that program is through Artists & Profit Makers, my online mentorship program and community. The live workshop is over, but when you join, you get full access to all the recordings, plus a private forum and monthly coaching calls to ask questions! Head to artistsandprofitmakers.com to join today!
