Every creative struggles when it comes time to sell their skills. At best, it feels like “selling out,” and at worst it seems like business is just a world you’ll never understand. Neither could be further from the truth.
As design blog The Design Range explains, saying you’re “bad at business” is a bit like saying you’re not creative just because you can’t draw. Creativity is about more than drawing. Creativity can manifest itself in writing, humor, photography, games, and a million other activities. Similarly, “business” isn’t just office clothes, dollar signs, and tax forms. Business is a skill like any other, and you don’t have to do all of it yourself.
So you suck at promoting yourself, so what? That is one small aspect of being a designer. If you let it, you can use that as an excuse to write off everything, but the truth is that it’s just one little thing. You don’t have to be a rock star with everything, so just put that to one side for a moment and look at the next thing on the list. Chances are you can do the vast majority of tasks that it takes to run a successful creative business and those few things that you can’t do yet – well that’s where the challenge comes in.
Running a business isn’t an easy task, but turning your creativity into work isn’t as scary as it sounds. Many creatives often turn down opportunities for fear that they won’t be successful at the “business” side, like it’s a wild beast that can’t be tamed. In reality, turning your creativity into something that makes you money often just requires learning an extra skill or two. Or, at worst, working with someone who compliments the skills you lack.
What To Do When You’re Creative, But Not Commercial | The Design Range via Design Taxi
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