©April Mac Killins (One Voice Vocal Studio, 2016)
A context that’s out-of-this-world…
Getting caught in a global pandemic has changed the safety and security of our day-to-day lives. If you’re an artist with cancelled work, I hope the financial measures brought in by our government meet your needs. I also hope you are managing to stay mentally, physically and creatively present in whatever this time looks like for you. Everyone’s reality is different, and there is no “right” way to spend your time. Some are still working and busier than ever, due to COVID-19 crisis management. Some have been thrust into the world of home-schooling children, and many are out of work completely. I keep hearing about all this time we are supposed to have on our hands right now, and I just want to start by saying I know that’s not true for everyone.
No matter what your financial situation is, you’re currently rebuilding your daily routine, reinventing what life looks like for you, dreaming up new ways to do simple things like HAVE FRIENDS and BUY FOOD. It is okay if your head is in the clouds. It is okay if you’re not feeling productive. It is okay if you feel busier than ever, exhausted, anxious or whatever. We all respond to crisis differently.
My response…
I do better when I keep moving, so my crisis response is to look for ways to help, keep busy, and stay creative. This blog post aims to do all three, by sharing what I know about building a sustainable income as an artist. I’ve worked in the arts for my entire adult life. I believe the key to a sustainable arts career is a diversified income. There are many ways to harness and monetize your creative energy, and although I truly believe that art is bigger than capitalism - in that your work is not defined by how much someone will pay for it - sometimes you’ve just got to make a dime.
So let’s go!
Here it is, an overview of what I know about securing an income* from home as a creative. This is not meant to be an in-depth how-to, but rather a high-level sample menu of what’s possible.
*Full disclaimer: all of these options require a lot of work for an honest day’s pay. Less than that, some only pop up to provide a little bonus money when you least expect it. Each suggestion is meant to be used in combination with other streams of income and they all take time to set up.
If you have the time and capacity right now, plant some seeds - you’ll be surprised which ones grow into reliable income streams down the road! It feels good to use your skills and be rewarded for them.
©April Mac Killins (Grindstone Theatre, 2019)
Voice Acting | Audio Recording
I spoke to a friend named Brian who works in audio production, and I asked specifically about recording audiobooks on ACX, Amazon’s Audible division. Their website makes it look quick and simple, but Brian assured me that (as with most things) there’s more to it and it can take a large investment of time to make money this way. There are a few high-paying projects available, but the competition is steep. Even for someone with performance and voice training, it can take 30+ auditions before landing a paying gig, and some don’t pay much. There are a few other websites that offer the same kind of work, but at the time of writing this Audiobunny isn’t accepting new producers and Voices requires a $500 annual fee. ACX is the most accessible, but it’s important to have a solid understanding of audio recording and mixing before expecting to make money this way. If that sounds like you, this might be another income stream you can add to your portfolio. I also think it would be pretty cool to bring life to a book!
What you need to be successful:
· A pre-existing recording set up (or $350-$400 to get started)
· Knowledge of, and access to, mixing software
· Ample time and energy to audition, audition, audition!
· A strong grasp of the language you are reading and recording in (most ACX jobs are seeking English narration, though there are some projects looking for narration in other languages like Spanish and Cantonese)
Photography
Here’s one I can speak to from experience, and there are a few levels of skill here that will bring in different levels of income. I will reiterate, none of these are get-rich-quick ides. They are all HARD WORK that can be used as tools in your income portfolio to pull together a diversified income.
Entry-Level Photography
©April Mac Killins (Shakti Flow, Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, and Skirts Afire, 2020)
There is an app called FOAP that will purchase your smartphone pictures as stock images. The company is based in Poland and it’s pretty easy to get started. You download the app and you can sign in using Facebook or by creating an account. It takes minutes to upload photos from your camera roll, tag them and publish them. While publishing, you’ll be asked three questions: Do people appear in this photo? Are their faces recognizable? Do you have permission? I stuck to images of my cat, the forest, and people looking away from the camera while I was testing out the app. There is more than one way to make money in FOAP. The first is by selling your own pictures, the next is by creating an album with your own and/or someone else’s photos in it. If any of your pictures sell, you get $5. If your album sells photos for another photographer, you get a commission of $0.25 per image. They also have missions on a theme, like “Multitasking” where you can win larger amounts of money if your thematic image(s) are chosen.
What you need to be successful:
· A smartphone with a decent camera
· A good eye for taking engaging photos
· A basic understanding of what brands and content creators might be looking for
· Time to upload a ton of photos, tag and publish them all
· Patience – because it can take time to see returns
Advanced Photography
©April Mac Killins (Hold Fast Gear, 2018)
Let’s look at the more traditional stock photo websites, such as iStock, Shutterstock, and countless others. Photographers who specialize in stock photography create work regularly that is specific to what brands are looking for. When you upload your content, you want to tag it strategically so it comes up in any and all relevant searches, and you need photo release from any individual in the photo. In my experience, some websites even require these photo releases to be uploaded to the site.
You can also sell your photos as prints instead of digitals. The most efficient way to do this is direct-order, where you sign up with a service like Shootproof that allows you to create a gallery clients can view. When clients choose and order a photo, the order is filled by the lab of your choice and sent directly to the client. This prevents you from stockpiling prints that may never sell. Alternatively, if you already have a stockpile of prints in your house that you’d like to clear, scroll down to the last section of this article on Artisan Sales for info about Etsy and Shopify.
What you need to be successful:
· Advanced photography skills to make commercial-quality images
· Time to upload and market your work
· Patience – because it can take time to see returns
Photo Retouching
If you are exceptionally skilled at photo retouching, you can farm out your skills to other photographers who prefer to outsource their editing.
What you need to be successful:
· Transfer software to move large collections of raw files to and from clients
· Photo editing software, and knowledge of how to use it well
· A network of photographers that you can market your skills to
You can also create and sell Lightroom, Photoshop and Capture One presets that the buyer can use on their own photos. If you go this route, you’ll be more successful if you already have an established brand to back you in marketing your new products.
What you need to be successful:
· Knowledge of, and access to, Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, or any other software you’re choosing to work in
· Ability to create a preset, distribute it, and offer some kind of download support that shows people how to install it
· Mentorship from someone who has done this before would be an asset
· Time to test your preset on lots of different photos for versatility and consistency
· Brand recognition and a platform to market your new product
Business and Administrative Skills
©April Mac Killins (National Barista Competition, SCA and Transcend Coffee, 2018)
Here’s a set of skills that some people might not qualify as creative, but I’m telling you – creative administrators create the BEST business templates, and every working artist needs great business templates! As a photographer, I have purchased some of these things in the past, such as price list templates, contract templates, business management documents, spreadsheets that help me determine my cost of doing business and balance it with my pricing, etc. I have also hired people to organize my receipts and do my taxes. If you have these skills – tell your friends! There’s a good chance someone on your friend list is running a creative business all by themselves and miserably failing at some of the back-end paperwork. I was hired to do this type of work for a small commercial realty company in the past and it was a good consistent source of income.
What you need to be successful:
· Confidence in your skills, good communication
· Knowledge of whatever software you use to create great business templates (excel, word, etc.)
· Listening skills to determine what the business owner’s needs are, and then time to create the tools and support that solve their problems
Social Media Management
©April Mac Killins (KoRock and Skirts Afire, 2020)
Businesses hire social media managers to do tasks such as developing content, promoting their brand, posting content, retweeting relevant posts, following and interacting with other accounts, writing blog posts, etc. If you know your way around multiple social platforms this might be a gig you can land from home. I’ve also done this work for realty companies in the past and even though I knew almost nothing about realty when I started, it was a manageable and flexible job.
There are a host of easy-to-use graphic design softwares available online, like VISME which has an extensive gallery of stock photos to enhance your content. I was surprised to find images local to Edmonton when I searched my city name. This was really helpful for creating local content and visuals that my community would recognize and relate to.
What you need to be successful:
· Reliable Internet
· Computer and smartphone access
· Knowledge of (or ability to learn) a platform management software like Hootesuite, Planoly, Later, etc.
· Knowledge and experience with multiple social media platforms
· Understanding of target audiences, which platforms/content they engage with
· Ability to work within the branding of the business you are representing
· Some basic graphic design skills are an asset, using simple software like VISME or PicMonkey.
©April Mac Killins (Carla Jayne, Otto Food & Drink, and Skirts Afire 2020)
Music
I called Michael, musically known as Culture Reject, to weigh in on this section. His comments echoed the importance of multiple small revenue streams in a sustainable career.
Streaming
Michael demystified music streaming for me: DistroKid, IndiePool, and Tunecore are all digital distributors. You can think of them as a middle person, taking the place of record companies in a streaming economy. With Tunecore, you pay them $10.99 for a single, $29.99 for an album, $19.99 for a ringtone, and they distribute your music on Tik Tok, Spotify, and other music stores and streaming services. Working with a digital distributor is essentially the only way to gain access to streaming services, but the income potential of streaming is dismally small. Michael explained streaming as, “a listener’s paradise and an artist’s nightmare”. For a song with 750,000 streams, an artist can make as little as $100. The best way to make this platform work for you is to build an audience and then leverage the live show and merch options (selling vinyl, T-shirts, etc.)
What you need to be successful:
· Your own music, recorded well
· Access to a computer
· Funds for the registration fee(s)
· Patience – because it can take time to build an audience
· Funds to purchase merch that your audience can buy
Album Sales
©April Mac Killins (One Voice Vocal Studio, 2016)
If you’re not on Bandcamp, Michael says “get on Bandcamp”. They sell your music and only take a 10% cut. That means a $10 album nets you $9. This is one of the only formats we know where people can buy music directly from the artist they are streaming. Bandcamp hosted a one-off event on March 20th, where they gave 100% of the profits to artists for one day. This creates an opportunity for artists to talk about their album and encourage people in their network to show support. Michael is encouraging artists to contact Bandcamp en mass and ask them to do this monthly - to help artists through the current challenges.
What you need to be successful:
· Your own music, recorded at a high enough quality to sell
· Access to a computer
· An audience, or the patience to build one
Live Performance
©April Mac Killins (Derina Harvey Band, the Needle Vinyl Tavern, and Skirts Afire 2020)
Another strategy for musicians is the virtual house concert. If you have a decent following, or a lot of friends and family, it might be worth your time to charge a nominal fee like $1-$5 for access to the concert link. You can now post virtual concert dates to a global audience on Bands in Town. Alternatively, you can do pay-what-you-can and provide a link for viewers to support the entertainment you’re providing them.
Lessons & Development
You may have family and friends who are stuck at home and getting bored. It’s a great time to reach out and see if anyone wants virtual music lessons. This strategy helps you stay connected and make a little money.
Michael also stressed the value of taking TIME, if it’s now more available to you, to write and demo songs. Other artists may have more time to review what you’ve written and offer mentorship. The payoff on this strategy could be huge later in life when you lack the time and energy to write and build connections.
Look for grants, apply. Plan shows for the fall – even if they get rescheduled down the road you can book things now and start building relationships with venues. Crowdfund by selling your album before it’s recorded, reach out to your community and ask them if they’ll buy your album now.
©April Mac Killins (Makers & Mentors, 2018)
Artisan Crafts
I’ve gone through many phases of artisan sales, knitting, making jewelry, bath bombs, and most recently Winter City Beard Oils. I have to say the key to success in this market is consistency. Once people get to know your product, your sales increase. The easiest and cheapest way to set up an online store as a beginner is with Etsy. I suggest you put a lot of thought into what you plan to put online and how you’ll build your audience. If you do this right the first time, you may create something you love enough to keep doing after the age of social distancing comes to an end. I spoke to Marissa, a local master in this area, who supports individuals to reach the full potential of their entrepreneurial dreams. Marissa suggested that Shopify might be better than Etsy if this is going to be an ongoing source of income. Shopify is a Canadian company, it costs $39 per month to host your shop there, and they have an incredible online help section. Remember that you’ll have to face a learning curve if you’re selling items that need to be packaged and shipped, and that there will be extra considerations if you’re shipping goods during an active pandemic. Visit Create the Rules to get support and resources that can help you build the business you want to run.
What you need to be successful:
· Items to sell (either digital or physical products)
· A computer or smartphone to create your shop and list your items
· Some start-up money (Etsy on the low end, and Shopify on the higher end)
· Packaging and shipping supplies if you’re selling physical products
Performance
©April Mac Killins (Sarah Christine, 2018)
Maybe you can’t get out there and busk on the street or stage the live play you’ve been rehearsing… but you could make an e-book about successful auditions, or a series of how-to videos that lead someone through the staging of a monologue. The trick here is to find a platform and make something high-quality, memorable, and marketable. Ask yourself what your special skills are, and run with those. There are many platforms online for hosting, and a quick google search for “create an online course” will get you going.
Another option is to share your skills with homeschoolers - many children have lost access to their dance, music and drama programs. Do any of your friends have kids? Could you do some distance projects with them to help them stay creative or keep moving? List your skills on social media and see if any of your parent-friends are willing to hire you to give them a break for one hour a day/week/month. You could charge $5 or $10 per student and put together a group arts activity as extra-curricular work that keeps kids connecting to one another as well as their imagination and self-expression. A group of 5 kids could bring in $25-$50 per session.
Child Care / Education
©April Mac Killins (Alberta Views Magazine, September 2013 Issue: Artist in the Classroom)
Lesson Development
Some people might not realize how much creative energy goes into lesson planning and developing resources for the classroom! If you understand curriculum and you know how to use a computer, you can create tools for parents and teachers who are working differently due to school closures. Sell your lesson plans and materials on Teachers Pay Teachers, it’s free to make an account and you can list your materials quickly and simply. You set your own price for each of your products, and if you’re a teacher there’s a good chance you already have an account.
What you need to be successful:
· Teaching resources that you’ve created yourself (ie: colouring sheets, handouts, worksheets, templates, lesson plans, etc.)
· A computer and a Teachers Pay Teachers account
· Knowledge of curricular outcomes is an asset
Tutoring
Why not help the thousands of parents in your city who have found themselves in the teacher’s chair? Can you tutor a child in math, English, Social Studies? I bet there’s a parent out there who desperately needs support helping their kids with homework in subjects they struggle in themselves. Additionally, parents who are working from home may be struggling to find the time to help their kids with home learning. Post on social media, kijiji, or create a more formal 6-month listing on Find a Tutor for $19.
©April Mac Killins (Freebies: 2020 Art Installation by Amanda Chwelos, Stephanie Florence, Kiona Ligtvoet, and Alicia Proudfoot)
Visual Arts
There are many ways to market your skills if you’re an illustrator, painter, print-maker, or working in other mediums. Even if this is something you’ve only done for fun in the past, there may be people who love your work and want it in their lives! You can create commissioned work virtually (ie: painting pet portraits from a photo of the client’s dog or cat), you can design graphics and sell them on Etsy, Shopify, or stock photo sites. You can also design birthday or pregnancy announcements, etc. for your Etsy shop. Line drawings can make great colouring sheets/activities on Teachers Pay Teachers. You could slap a bunch of your masterpieces in a calendar and sell them to your contacts… the options are broad and depend on your specific skills and the equipment you have access to for digitizing your work. You can also make an online gallery of your full-scale works and offer shipping. If you’re already an established artist, you’ve likely got that angle covered.
Government & Funder Support
©April Mac Killins (Community Mental Health Action Plan, 2019)
Here’s the real truth. It takes time to build a diversified income. In the meantime, the government is offering income support related to COVID-19 and you need to get educated on what’s best for you during this time. For instance, if you make money as a gig worker while collecting CERB, do your research on whether that money will get clawed back at tax time. In the long term, if you’re living on less, you’re eligible for programs that help balance your quality of life. I’ve appreciated Edmonton’s leisure access pass that gets you into city attractions, gyms and pools for free (once that stuff reopens!), as well as low-income artist housing and Edmonton Capital Region Housing for subsidized rent. Some local arts funders are likely doing their part to help sustain the arts community. For instance, Toronto Arts Council is compensating artists up to $1000.00 for missed gigs in relation to the pandemic. Watch your local arts organizations to see what they’re offering in your area.
Final thoughts…
With any new endeavor you plan to undertake, some sage advice came from Marissa;
“You must ask yourself how much time and energy you can devote to making it work.”
Starting an online store or listing your products on a site like Tunecore or Teachers Pay Teachers is just one small piece of creating a sustainable income. I hope this read has been beneficial for you. Be well, be creative, and share your skills. We’ll get through this together.
This blog post was written with contributions from Brian Bergum, Marissa Loewen, and Michael O’Connell.
