Why Every Artist SHOULD Do It For The Money!

There seems to be nothing more despicable than finding out that someone’s true intention was gaining wealth. But why is this so? Everyone seems to agree that money is a useful thing. We all want more of it. We can all do a lot more with it then we can without it. So why this aversion to the desire for wealth?  This phenomenon is especially prevalent among artists. From amateurs to seasoned professionals there seems to be this “icky” feeling that comes with mixing art with business. No artist wants to say that money is a motivating factor… but why not? Why should “I did it for the money” be a negative statement? Perhaps these are words you have abhorred yourself. Have you ever uttered the unofficial motto of artists everywhere… “I don’t do it for the money, man”? It is ironic how many artists make that claim only to quit their art-form years later because, quote “it just didn’t make me enough money.”

The purpose of this post is to convince you to sell out! Wait! Don’t slam your laptop shut in righteous indignation just yet! Hear us out. We want you to become the kind of artist who doesn't sell out their integrity, but who sells out of prints, who sells out of albums, DVD’s and T-Shirts, who sells out of tickets, and comic books! We believe you and your art have value and that you deserve to be compensated for it.

Let’s take a moment and discuss what your artistic life looks like with income and what it looks like without it. One way or another you need to have an income. Life costs money afterall. If you are an artist you are either making that money off of your art or you are making it from a job. You can call it your side job, your back-up plan or your bridge job, either way… it’s not your passion it's not your art and most importantly it takes time... LOT'S OF TIME. And thus your art suffers because you never have the time or resources to give it the attention you feel it deserves. Put simply, a lack of income kills art. It puts a hard ceiling on your progress, and breaking through that ceiling requires more than a side job.

When your income is coming only from your side job you are effectively putting your “A” priority in “B” position and your “B” priority in “A” position. This is the fundamental flaw in what we call “Back-Up Plan Philosophy.”  This is when an artist puts more effort and attention into the thing they will fall back on should their artistic endeavors fail, then they put into their actual art form. Many feel this is simply the responsible thing to do. We, however see it as self-sabotage. We have seen it many times. A well meaning artist heads to college. They know what they want to do. They may even have a very clear vision of how they will accomplish it. Yet, there is still the voice of doubt and fear in the back of their mind that whispers “what if.” They decide they better major in accounting “just in case.” Well here is the sad truth. If you put the time and effort into the training and schooling it takes to become an accountant... guess what? You will become an accountant! Plan “A” deserves all of your time and energy. If that fails, then we can talk about plan “B.” As the great Stephen Covey put it, “the first thing is to keep the first thing the first thing.”

Resources equal growth! When your art is generating income, your income can generate more art. Imagine if all of those day job hours were dedicated to your art-form, instead of the Starbucks or the all-night dinner you have been working at for years? What would that do to you as an artist? Do you think you would progress quicker? Would your highest dreams and aspirations become more or less likely to become your reality?

We are certainly not suggesting that money should be your only motivation, or that it should be your main motivation, but by golly you deserve to make it one of your highest priorities! You pay your cell phone bill, right? You pay your internet bill! Well, it’s high time you started paying yourself. This brings us to the overarching theme of this book. So many artists are working their butts off with no monetizable business plan. Their one aim is to be discovered or picked up… to get their “big break.” Their main mode of operation is “hurry up and wait.” Well, we are here to tell you that your big break comes on the day you decide that you are in charge of your artistic and financial destiny. So many of us are waiting for some outside force (like an agent, record label, distributor, etc…) to swoop in and make our dreams come true. The power to make your dreams come true already exists within you. The ability to foster long term financial success and complete artistic fulfillment is already in your hands, you just need the focus, the tools, and the right business plan to make it happen. 

There are fundamental and important differences between art as a career and art as a hobby. If you are someone who simply wants to create art and not bother with business models, sales, and well, lot’s of work, then what you have is a hobby. If a hobby is what you want there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but if you want your art to be your career then you need to treat your art like a business. If you fall into the later category then we would like to invite you to experience our brand new book, "Art to Income". For a limited time you can claim your copy for free at https://arttoincome.com/free-book

Until next time... may your days be happy, may your skies be blue and may your art create income!

Kenny and Jake Ballentine

Co-Founder of Art to Income and Independent Artist Day