This article is for the artists and pros that want to focus on their craft.
Craft vs Business Side:
When we think about a creative entrepreneur, I think a lot about craft vs business.
The creative must focus on the jacket on jacket off activities - practicing your art, learning how to properly knead clay, getting your julienne cuts right. This component is essential in order to have the skill that is worth selling or creating an offer out of.
The business person is the one that will build the vehicle in which your craft is packaged, systemized, and delivered towards a specific group of people. Obsession with your business can lead to optimized results, stronger product market fit, and a product that solves a real need in the world.
The problem I see? When someone has imbalanced this harmony.
Business Tycoon:
Just to lean more into extremes here, let’s meet the business tycoon - to me, this is someone who is purely in it for the money, doesn’t care about the community, and is driven by this hunger over the craft itself.
The result? A business that follows the dollar and doesn’t understand or deeply empathize with its community and peers, a beautiful part about the artisan community.
They understand WHAT to do, not necessarily why, how, or what intention goes behind each decision.
The Hopeful Artist:
The hopeful artist - a trope that is far too common - someone who is obsessed with the craft, and their work speaks for itself.
They may not ask “why did you purchase it” but rather “do you like it?” Rather than developing art for others, they are creating for themselves.
Why Showing your Process Matters Today:
Process matters more than ever. In today’s world of AI, trends, and being on every social platform and marketing channel, the pressure is ON.
Your ability as a creative entrepreneur to showcase your craft is your strength in this rising renaissance. People want to see the process, the REAL artist behind what you do, the chef that isn’t AI generating images to sell consumable food to customers, the roaster who takes weeks and months to curate the next coffee selection and menu.
Having a balance between curated and raw content will be important in content moving forward, and being a “show not tell” type of brand will matter more than ever. You know your craft, and people just need to see that in the right light.
Rather than trend following, brand positioning should be your focus. When people think of your brand, what 3 words come to mind? How close is your content in delivering those 3 words?
Empathy and Concluding Thoughts.
As someone who’s been both a social media manager and self-taught artist, I get the balance between the two is challenging. All I want to do sometimes is focus on my craft - video editing, illustration work, creating meaningful work. But if you don’t have the right systems or strategic partner to help you amplify your voice and edge within your craft, getting prospective clients can be hard for sure.
Those are just my thoughts! If you are an artisan or hospitality business that is looking to storytell your brand and artistry the way it was meant to be told, consider booking with me here!
