The Art of the Starving Artist

Redefining Starving

WomenFreelancer Chat

On Wednesday September 23rd I was involved in a twitter chat by the @WomenFreelancer (or rather witnessed one because I had no idea what to ask), initially I assumed the stream would be about marketing. There would be some tips sprinkled in about how to better market yourself and developing a brand name and defining yourself; things that would apply to me getting a job.

I was completely wrong.

I found the holy mecca of "words of positivity." The twitter chat was filled with inspirational stories and women who had struggled trying to find themselves but prevailed and have gone on to be successful self bosses. There was one woman who I found really interesting as she was a book illustrator. I myself looked into being an artist but found that being a starving artist was not how I wanted to live my life. But if you really look at the idea of starving artist, it is one that is outdated. Now artists can market themselves online, sell their goods and ideas after hours; allowing them to both follow their passion and have stable job. The book illustrator, Emmeline, has her own blog(http://emmelineillustration.blogspot.co.uk/) dedicated to her illustrations, both commissioned and freelanced. There potential clients can go to see her work and even read blog posts about her though process and the way she goes about her work. Furthermore, Emmeline has a tab for those who are also artists dubbed creative tips. Her blog has made me rethink the direction of not only my own blog, but my career. I can market my own work online while still having a professional degree driven career which opens up my possibilities to the fullest.

The twitter chat was so much more than I expected. I thought that it would be boring and dry, but at the end of the chat it opened my horizons to so many more possibilities.