SIMPLE Content Framework for ARTISTS! (Not sure what to say to get engagement? Watch this!)

This week I put out a call to all of you artists on TikTok and Instagram that are part of my community and said, if you're having trouble selling your art, I'd be willing to give you a free 15 minute hot seat or consultation. And the question becomes, can I give someone everything they need to take the next steps to grow their creative business? And we're about to find out. Today, I'm putting Edison in the hot seat. Edison has this really cool business where he makes plushies for people that are going through really difficult things. And he's not just trying to sell the plushies, he's really trying to build a community here that even offers resources for people that are going through hard stuff, whether that be connecting with therapists or having support. And to make sure you get the most from this video, I've edited down our 15 minutes to only the things that would be helpful to the most people. So any of you out there that are trying to sell more of your work, maybe you're overthinking your social media. Maybe you want to show up and do more, but you're not sure how. Whether you're a visual artist, a poet, photographer, musician, whatever, it doesn't matter. Just make sure that you pay as much attention to the questions as you do the answers. And I promise you that you'll not only find something that'll help you make sales of your work, but also build a community around and behind your art.

So my problem I want to solve is like, more like, I feel like I'm more on the creative side. Like the business side to me doesn't come as natural.

I feel like the simple things I'm overthinking, like getting on camera, making videos, creating the content. Sometimes I feel like what I'm saying is not going to connect with anyone. It feels like I'm gonna be like rambling and it's not gonna make sense.

Okay.

So like, so I resort to like writing a lot. But I'd rather. I also want to be on video because I know sometimes, like I could just. It's more accessible for me. So like, but that's like, I feel like it's not going to be received well. Like I'm talking to air.

So let's look at this from a communication standpoint, right? So this is something I teach in my program that is really, really important. So first I want to, I want to make this statement. Most creatives see themselves at the lowest level value that the marketplace offers. Now that sounds businessy, so forgive me, but Let me try to explain. So in, let's say you go to a hotel, the person that is serving you at the counter is the doer. They are the crafter, they're the person that's there executing. They are the hardest working and the lowest paid. Does this make sense?

Yes.

Yeah. And then the next level up is the person that can bring those people together. This is usually a manager. They're going to make a little more money. Then you have upper management. Their goal is communication. That's what they do really well. And then the highest level of value is imagination, the person that can see the vision.

Right. So artists and creatives like yourself live simultaneously at the lowest level value and the highest level value. And they skip especially number three, which is communication. That's the third highest level.

Right.

Like that is so important. So in your social content, if we were to just look at it like what we see is a lot of messages that are around like, loneliness.

Feels like I need to make a.

Friend, but I'm lacking the courage to approach someone. Feels like being surrounded by people but feeling unseen and unheard. So this is great, right? Like we see the overall problem, but great communication has three elements. It has the problem.

Or like, actually it's like a want and a problem.

It has a solution and it has transformation. If you don't have those three things in your communication, you're going to miss the mark. Like, hey, let's just be real. When you learn to ride a bike, like, were you good at it when I started?

Hell no.

Yeah. And how many videos have you made of you talking?

I mean, I made a couple.

Oh, well, you should be a pro by now. I was riding my bike around the block the second time around. No, it doesn't work that way. Right. Like, yeah, takes time. Right? So as you got to give yourself some grace, man, you gotta like allow yourself to like be in. In. In the. What feels like mistakes to you, but to other people will be seen as real. Because you can show up and say, I ain't comfortable here, but I know this is important.

Okay. Like, I wonder, can I incorporate that in my videos? Like saying that like, hey, I'm being on this camera right now and it's taking a lot. Okay.

People are going to love you for that because they're like, thank God because I feel the same way. Right?

Yep.

Okay, so let's look at this in terms of like your. The comfort friend stuff. So the problem you have for one of these is loneliness. Feels like being in jail. So let's use that as our example for you, what's the solution to that problem?

I'd say talk. Being around, like, talking to friends that understand me.

And then the transformation. When you are around people.

That understand you and you talk to them, what happens? How do you change?

I feel joy, I feel safe. I feel comfortable. Like time flies by.

I feel seen, I feel heard.

And then what is the thing that they want right now? So, like, your person, if they're feeling lonely, like, what are they wanting right now?

Mean, from the people I've spoken to, a lot of people just want to. They want to feel better. They want to get back with their person they just broke up with. It's a lot of heartbreaks. They want to be a part of something. They want.

A community. They want representation.

Okay, let's keep it at that. Okay, so this is great. So our want is they want to feel better. They want to feel like they're a part of something, right? But they feel this loneliness, like. Like they're in jail. They're like.

They're.

They're cut off from the world, right? So one of the big.

So here's.

Here's the way that I would format this as we have six seconds on the clock. So this is perfect. This is going to be a great way to end it. So what we would do is we'd take this want. And that's how we start the video. Listen, I know that as someone who's feeling a lot of loneliness, you want to feel better. You want to feel like you're a part of something, But a lot of times the loneliness feels like you're in jail, right? And one of the things that. When I was struggling with this, same thing that I found, and I know this sounds simple, just trust me and try it. What would it look like if you went and talked to your friends that actually understood you instead of keeping yourself locked in this jail? What would it look like to go to those friends you know will support you? Because when I've done that, it's allowed me to feel more joy, more safe, more comfortable. I feel seen and heard. If you don't have that community right now, let me tell you, like comfort friends, we got that, and we got your back. Now, we're not the same as, like, having your friends, but we got that. We got plushies that we want to help serve as, like, something that allows you to be a part of something bigger. And it represents these pains that we all go through. And so I just want to say that we're here and we'll do the best we can. So let me know if you're able to talk to some friends that. That get who you are. Right. So something like that is very simple. Totally fits, you know, so I'm just kind of mapping these things out, and then I'm allowing it to sort of come out naturally. Does that make sense? Now, granted, I've done this a lot, but, like, you hear where I'm going from.

Yeah. Yeah.

All right. Well, There you go. 15 minutes. How you feeling? Do you feel like we accomplished a lot?

Yes, we did.

I feel, like, huge thanks to Edison. And unfortunately, I've seen a lot of artists like Edison end up quitting simply because they're afraid of promoting themselves. And you know this as well as I do. If you deal with this, if you don't get a grip on this, like, this will kill your creative business. Because, you know, promotion is a huge part of it.

There's an exercise that I've done for.

A lot of years, and I've done with a lot of other artists who curb these fears, and not just these fears, but a lot of other fears as well, which is super cool. I'll walk you through that whole process in this video right here. So come to that with an open mind and an open heart, and let's get you to a place where you're making a real difference in people's lives as well as your own with your creative work.