# This Brave New World, pt. 2
Read Part One [here](https://steemit.com/earthnation/@craigahamilton/this-brave-new-world-pt-1)
Hello Steemit,
Life after college couldn't stranger. For myself, nothing like the past 5 years have had any place in a textbook, though I wish it did. As 2017 begin to fade into memory, I reflect on my life up till this very moment just how blessed I feel to be able to share my journey with so many people, and as I continue on, I hear stories of others experiencing hardship on every level to gain financial freedom as an artist and cannot find a way to benefit from their work. For many living artists on every level, it is crucial to finding long term success happiness in meaningful gain in the craft. If you want more freedom to grow your talents, maybe it's time to leave the 9-to-5 job market and start something new of your own. This is how to attain financial freedom: to pursue any and all methods of passive income that both build wealth and equity in every effort forward. This post isn't to fulfill entirely what a comprehensive guide would serve for artist, merely a recount of my experiences as an artist working hard to making a business of my talents. I hope that this helps many people who read this as either inspiration or influential reference to your own dreams and planning.
When I left college almost a decade ago, in the midst of a global economic upheaval following the financial collapse and subsequent recession, I had NO IDEA what it meant to hustle or own a business. Typically, we follow the long standing advice of our elders, but then it seemed all traditional wisdom went out with the paradigm. No longer could someone simply show up to a place and apply for a position, but one had to come as accomplished as those already working there. The bar has been set undoubtedly high. It's now everything must evolve or be erased. I'm quite a proponent of having an intensive process and summoning results from hard work always goes a long way.
All artists are characteristically alike, that in whatever their craft is, these types are diligent workers, tirelessly toiling away their time on sculpting their vision through the media that they choose to communicate. Possessing a creative process, the act of manifesting the art itself, is something that so many are entirely consumed by, they often find themselves dislocated from the actual business that drives their art forward. Artist serve to their vision, and in serving that vision, they create their art as a window for others to experience. Consider that all artists are self-contained businesses, that provide real material goods for everyone to consume. The artwork itself is a reflection for both the creator and the viewer; a painting or drawing is similar to a sacred talisman serving as an invocation to a powerful mindset or source of daily motivation. So:
## Why should an artist want to start a business?
Many businesses begin out of necessity. It begins from a lack of supply to a growing demand, and then facilitating the exchange throughout. Businesses dealing in the service industry provide goods and a secure point of access to said goods for all potential clientele. Other businesses forge new paths, birthed from innovators and visionaries, in an ever-expanding universe of needs and desires thus create their own industries. If you're serious about developing your craft, profiting from your own efforts, and becoming your own boss, one must relentlessly pursue building a business around nurturing their talents.
It begins at the drawing desk, whenever you find the time and space to create freely, sketching regularly and honing skillful techniques that better explain your vision to viewers of the artwork. Become a devout student of your interests, turning hobbies into a passion, repeatedly practicing from the fundamentals, and fearlessly experimenting with these elements to eventually create something entirely new. Ask yourself what's next after you know what came before. We see technology and information systems rapidly advancing as wealth equally broadens, the entire world is fluctuating in the waves of the future. There are more options now to turn a profit from your own work, plenty offered for free or next to free of charge to get started NOW.
### 5 simple ways to make a profit from your own artwork:
1. Self-publish your work at every level.
Self-publishing your art is the first and most fundamental element to creating profit from your own art. If you're an illustrator (as I am), it is easy to scan a finished illustration and take it into a digital design program like Photoshop and/or Illustrator. Regardless what version you use, Adobe has created Creative Suite as sort of a all-in-one tool kit for creating digital art and finishing analog work for the digital world. Once you've scanned or photographed your artwork, it is now an image that can be digitally manipulated and replicated everywhere. Invest in purchasing an all-in-one printer/scanner and make prints of your visual artwork either at a print shop for incredulously cheap or from your home printer for even less upfront costs and make a greater profit! Upkeep an inventory and display for your work wherever you choose to exhibit your art. Look into websites that allow you own every cent of your profits from selling your artwork like [Society6](https://society6.com/), [INPRNT](https://www.inprnt.com/), even [Etsy.com](https://www.etsy.com/).
2. Bring simple business cards with you everywhere.
Though in the United States, offering business cards after networking with new contacts seems a bit old school. However, it is a tried-and-true method of building authentic connection with the people you meet. It is recommended to use a design that largely displays your name or alias, a website, and a form of direct contact like an email address. Personally, I leave my cards with only my name, my main website, and feature social media icons, signalling to potential clients visiting my website that I am also available on the very social media networks they are probably already on. Consider the context of how you share your art; either in person or online, that it is important to be aware of presentation. Routinely revise this approach as you continue to build your portfolio, a body of work that will do most of the talking ahead of any new work you may create in the future. I recommend designing your own cards in Illustrator and then using websites like [Overnightprints.com](https://www.overnightprints.com), [GotPrint](https://www.gotprint.com) are very affordable, or for more premium options, [Moo.com](https://www.moo.com/us/) and [Vistaprint.com](https://www.vistaprint.com/).
3. Join a local art group in your city, as they usually know where the best exhibitions are.
Networking with other like-minded individuals is essential to growing your reputation for your artwork and developing a rapport that builds trust with future potential clients whenever marketing yourself. Other artists in your locale may share the same challenges marketing their artwork, while others may be very successful doing so. There is always plenty to learn simply talking with everyone. Share ideas, knowledgeable insight, and processes, maybe even eventually collaborate on a project much bigger than what either of you could have done alone. Websites and apps like [Meetup.com](https://www.meetup.com/) and Facebook Groups can help you find others in your locale to relate with.
4. Prepare a table setup to display your art at a local artist market.
This is a big step for some, but also a game-changer for most. Start small; first with incremental investments into building a print stock inventory of your artwork, display signs and pricing tags, then purchasing a folding table that can be made mobile and brought to any event in your neighborhood or post up on a busy thoroughfare at your city farmer's market. Remember the law of averages: for every 100 people, 1-5 people will stop and take a look; capitalize on these instances to deliver a selling point of your artwork that appeals to the individual. Strike up polite conversation with your visitors and explore what they may find appealing about your artwork, then begin to direct them to making a purchase. It should be something easy to carry or, if they have children with them, something small and affordable from your table.
5. Follow your favorite local and global artists online or through collecting the art yourself.
Here, with my mentor Syd Mead, in 2009.
Build camaraderie amongst your following by trading artwork for artwork, curating your own library of reference from collecting other perspectives. Some of my favorite artists I have had the pleasure to meet; Syd Mead, Daniel Simon, some others I know personally, Vaughn Ling, Kenneth Roberts, continue to inspire me to create and share my vision with the world.
*"Compound interest is the most powerful force in the Universe" - Albert Einstein*
Continue with a system of creating your artwork and find the best results to incorporate into your method forward. Simply committing to previously mentioned steps alone could greatly improve your sales and client base, exchanging your art as your own currency between fellow collectors and other appreciators. In this way, you're in charge of your brand, your name that goes on everything you create as well as being your own best spokesman, actively promoting your own thoughts and visions. Others on all levels will be drawn by your drive and professionalism. I hope that this article helps you go on to great success and wealth. Stay tuned for more from my blog here on Steemit.com!
:)
Thank you for your support!
Craig A. Hamilton
Artist - Imagemaker
[www.artistcraigahamilton.com](http://www.artistcraigahamilton.com)
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Agency - FLOATINGMARS
Creative Consultant - Intellectual Property Holdings and Asset Management
planetfloatingmars@gmail.com
Art wizard [Craig A. Hamilton, Imagemaker - Artist](https://www.facebook.com/artistcraigandrehamilton/), founder of [Floatingmars](https://www.facebook.com/FLOATINGMARS/), [FUTURE REPUBLIK! AUDIO WEAPONARY GROUP](https://www.facebook.com/groups/83616515316/), and [The Imagemakers' Guild](https://www.facebook.com/theimagemakersguild/). Based in Miami, FL, I am a maker of original graphic illustrations, sold as print, product, or for publication. Currently, I'm managing my entire art business through daily curation of my website, www.artistcraigahamilton.com, using a handful of websites and their respective networks to harness my own market niche.
Thank you [Society6](www.society6.com/craigahamilton), [Patreon](www.patreon.com/artistcraigahamilton), and [Steemit](https://steemit.com/@craigahamilton) for empowering this self-employed artist-illustrator to profit from my own labor and turn this talent into a real world business.
I belong to a select group of content creators here on Steemit. My Artist's Circle here on Steemit I proudly support (and recommend you to check out!):
@earthnation
@qurator
@qustodian
@originalworks
@originalworks2
