What artists and creatives need to succeed today
What guidance do artists, creators, and creatives need to succeed today?
I have seen many creators out there who are so talented at their craft and passionate about their work, yet don't have the expertise or support needed to grow an audience, market themselves effectively, or find funding and business partnership opportunities.
Artists and creatives in general are one of my favourite groups to speak to as a facilitator. The 3 most common things I've been asked to speak to this audience about are:
Personal Branding & Networking
Marketing & Content
Pricing, Pitching & Positioning
These areas evolve quickly with changes in things like consumption habits and technology, but the good news is that some key best practices and core principles continue to apply. And one of the most valuable parts of the sessions is the peer learning and the Q&A sessions. (You can book one here).
Over the last couple of years, I've had the opportunity to speak to emerging artists and creatives through the Mississauga Arts Council, OCAD University's Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers, and even early in my career, I've been a mentor to creative students through George Brown College and RGD (Association of Registered Graphic Designers). The team and I have also facilitated some workshops at CreatorClub on Personal Branding and Pricing.
Even through my non-profit ACCESS, over the years I've worked closely with several youth-led grassroots arts groups within Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga. Whether it's hosting events at Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives or Artscape Daniels Launchpad, or illustrating children's books to educate on inclusivity and health issues, there's some awesome young talent out there that's making a positive impact.
What about the money? Training, workshops, and mentorship in these areas are valuable if we want the arts to thrive. Here in Ontario, 88% of people agree that arts and cultural activities are important to a community’s economic well-being. And arts and culture in the province directly contribute over $27 Billion annually to our economy. The "Creator Economy" is also full of opportunity, and including online creators, the value extends beyond our local borders.
One of the biggest missed opportunities for artists is not seeing themselves as content creators, I strongly believe.
Among many other topics, including other strategies and tactics, a key part of my training is to empower artists to benefit from content — as I believe it’s a natural extension of their work — and the platforms where the attention is today.
I'm continuing to provide mentorship, training, and programming for creatives. Feel free to reach out if you know of an arts program or institution that could benefit from my support by emailing team@danieldoes.co
