2. There is ALWAYS a
Market
The article herein(along with countless
others spanning the internet) lists one
question as the one you should be
asking when pursuing your dream job:
“Will people pay me for it?”
People need doctors. People need
accountants. Supply and demand; it makes
perfect sense.
But that’s not the right question.
Instead, what you should be asking
yourself is, “How can I prove to people
my work is worth paying for?”
Art is seen as a “want,” which means that
people have a harder time understanding the
market for it unless they are a part of that
particular target audience. Someone that
would never consider buying a piece of art for
$1,000 will have a very hard time reasoning
how anyone else could make a living selling
art for $1,000.
I’ll explain. Here’s a line I’m sure we’ve
all heard many times: “Well maybe you
should still get an accounting degree or
something. You know… just in case.”
Ah, yes. If I had a nickel for every
time I’ve heard someone give me “just
in case” advice to prepare myself for
inevitable failure… well, let’s just say I’d
own an impressive collection of jet skis
by now.
See, you never hear people tell
accountants to get another degree, “just
in case.” No one ever says med school
students that maybe they should learn
welding, or construction, or some other
trade skill so when this whole “being a
doctor” phase wears off they’ll at least
have something to “fall back on”.
The fact is, people only pay for things
they either want or need, and when
your passion falls into a field that meets
an obvious market need, following it is
completely acceptable.
| BANZA
Art, on the other hand…
But there surely can’t be a market for
everything…
Yeah, there pretty much always is. You
can make money doing virtually anything
nowadays, provided you market it correctly.
Ever heard of the NYC Naked Cowboy? He
plays guitar and sings songs in his underwear
and a cowboy hat. And now he’s sponsored by
Fruit of the Loom and has a net worth of over
2.5 million dollars.
…Imagine that!
The point is, whether the market exists or
not isn’t the problem – it’s real, and it’s there.
Reaching it is the issue. So develop a strategy
– figure out what you have to offer and how
you’re going to get it out there.
Who is your target audience? What value
are you offering them? How do you explain
to them that what you’re selling is going to
benefit their lives in some measurable way?
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