Are you blessed with talent? Or have you studied and retained the basic skills of any creative process? Then this article is for you! Do you want to make money from creativity, but don’t know how? What awaits beginners, and how to quickly get promoted? Should you be afraid, or what difficulties await you? In a word, here you will find everything, everything, everything, and a little more! And if you don’t find it, add it! I always welcome your comments and additions to my notes. SO, the plan is how to make money from creativity.

Labour Organization. All about what will help you

Recently, in one of my articles, I noticed that if you haven’t “sown” in yourself, there’s nothing to “grow.” You need a base on the basis of which your skills and then your business will grow.

Where can you find the material:

• YouTube.
• Internet services.
• Social media.
• Schools and online courses.
• Cartoons and any other film products, comics, books.

This is all - it will fill your head with ideas and become a stimulus. And don't forget about the tools. These are programs that help in modeling to correct photos and pictures. Educational programs on the topic of design, decoration, coming up with cool text and useful for naming.

You should pay special attention to the selection of good tools, or rather, those that you personally feel comfortable working with. Remember one of the following: both you and what you use must constantly improve.

Determine your motives and move forward!

If praise is important to kids, and it is for the sake of it that they strive for better results, then adults may have different motives. For example:

• Someone wants to make money.
• For others, it is a pleasant, relaxing hobby.
• Still others do it for their child, family or friends (as they say, for themselves).

Don’t be afraid to promote yourself, praise yourself and offer yourself as a specialist!

Try creating a video on YouTube. Let it be an advertisement for yourself, tell in the video about what you are capable of and how your subscribers can take advantage of it.

Release merch: T-shirts, badges, etc.

Write to all cafes, enterprises and publications in your profile that you are ready to cooperate with them on mutually beneficial terms. You can reveal your ideas a little in your letter, just enough to interest and intrigue.

Sometimes there can be a significant gap between the start and promotion. Take yourself on a sabbatical!

Advice! Consider any “downtime” or pause as an opportunity to grow in your skill. As I say, fill yourself up so that later, when orders come in, you have somewhere to draw from and give away.

Do something for yourself. Something that will captivate you, and at the same time, fill the entire space-time period. What is this all for? For your portfolio, for future sales and for yourself!

• Make sure you have a decent portfolio. Can't create it yourself? See how the pros do it. First, take the number of works, then select the best and most versatile ones, which will recommend you as an excellent specialist in different directions.
• Start advertising what users need.
• Patreon is another platform that will move your ship to sea and send you on a free voyage. Here those who appreciate your creativity can support you financially.

Getting started and difficulties? No!

I probably won’t be wrong if I say that every beginning freelancer without proper training worked for free “for someone else.” Let's immediately agree to avoid our favorite rake. To do this, it is worth learning a few rules for negotiating with customers. Understand that if you don’t worry, they will exploit you in a black and blatant manner. And they will be right! Learn while you are being “taught” in this way.

And for those who don’t want to provide their “uncle” with their projects for nothing, my advice:

• No verbal agreement will ensure you payment for your work. No matter the money, there is no guarantee that you will retain the copyright to your work. An agreement or prepayment is needed even with those whom you know very well and with whom you have worked for some time!
• The issue of prepayment is negotiated by the two parties. It will be 50% or all 100, it's up to you.
• Sometimes it is impossible to completely hit the target of the customer’s wishes. Even if you have discussed all the nuances (I’ll tell you more about this a little later), he will still want to make his own adjustments. Discuss right away whether you will correct something, if so, how many times and whether these changes will be paid or free.
• Negotiating all the details is of great importance. The clearer the customer’s wishes are, the easier it is for you to concentrate and do exactly what he needs. The Technical Specification should look like this: it indicates what he wants to see, which one, details in detail, deadlines, price, additional requests and TS (valuable instructions). Perhaps even the purpose of using your work. It would be good if an example is given so that you understand what style suits the customer. If the technical specification is not of such content, then your goal is to ask around and find out everything yourself.

Those who have chosen the path of a freelancer, go to the parallel article and you will understand

How often do we, having tried our hand in different guises, wonder why cross-stitching or felting cannot turn from a favorite hobby into a profitable business. After all, any creator wants recognition, even the smallest. And, of course, who among the creators does not want to receive money for their work?!

Psychologists say that unrealized creative potential is the most common reason prolonged depression. Because of lack of fulfillment and uselessness, people despair much more often than because of unrequited love. The myth that work and what you love are different things was dispelled a long time ago. Therefore, in this article we will only reveal some secrets, following which you can find the strength, desire and opportunity to make money from your creativity.

If you have no problems with the muse - she comes to you with enviable regularity, and you do not suffer from stinginess of imagination, then these 7 tips. If the idea of ​​making big money comes to you much more often than creative ideas, then you should, first of all, develop Creative skills or take on point No. 1 with special diligence. And here he is.

1. Decide

Numerous "Julius Caesars" are common. Today he is a photographer, tomorrow he is a designer fashionable clothes, the day after tomorrow he decides to write another science fiction novel about how uninvited guests of the Universe penetrated the Earth and are now roaming the streets, masquerading as flower sellers. The first rule of potential development is to precisely determine the area of ​​application of creative potential. Or at least direct your energy to related areas.

2. Constantly learn

Behind the airy halo of any creative process is painstaking and long work. In order to be an outstanding musician, it is not enough to know musical notation, you must also be able to work with sound, compose poetry and melody, solve technical and organizational problems. Only a true professional who is not afraid to constantly learn and improve his skills can rise to the top of Olympus.

3. Know how to present yourself

If you are not one of the quitters, are a happy owner of some talent and firmly know in which creative direction you want to move next, then this is still not enough to create a successful career. Next, an important point in climbing the career ladder is the ability to correctly present yourself and your own capabilities. Social networks, blogs, forums, special communities and even personal sites are all low-budget and very effective ways make yourself known and advertise the fruits of your creativity.

4. Right price

And finally, everyone knows about you, you work hard and successfully and there is a demand for your services. The time has come to set the price for hand made. Here you need to think through everything carefully. Set a price that is too low - future potential buyers will think that your product is not of great value, and you only want to sell it quickly and will refuse to buy. Analyze prices for typical goods and services, evaluate your chances, conduct a survey among friends and acquaintances on how much they would agree to pay for your creations. , because this is not only a very pleasant gift, but also a wonderful marketing ploy, advertising for you.

5. Take every chance

Sometimes life itself gives us a signal to do what we love, and for money. One of my friends got carried away by fashion today scrapbooking. Albums and postcards self made She gave it to all her friends for the holidays. At the next holiday, the anniversary of a school friend, she also presented her with her handmade album. In addition to the birthday girl herself, this gift captivated another of the guests, who turned out to be the owner of a large gift store. He invited the self-taught needlewoman to sell her work in his store. A year later, such a pleasant part-time job turned into her life’s work. And now she is a successful designer and graphic artist.

6. Creativity for money is work

Be prepared that you may even get bored with your hobby and lose its former charm. You will have to face harsh conditions where there are customers who demand one thing, and then something completely different; where there are strict deadlines and there is no room for a long search for inspiration. Creative work is exactly the same work as any other, which requires a lot of effort, high efficiency and!

7. Don't despair

If you decide to carve out a creative path to wealth, then be prepared for the fact that hundreds and thousands of times you will fail at many things. The muse may come and go, the fruits of labor may not be in demand for a long time, there will be many strong and worthy competitors, and even the closest people may not share your zeal. But in any situation, you should not despair and quit what you started halfway if you are sure that this is exactly what your life is about. Move forward without any doubts!

Today we are considering an unusual but rather pressing question about how to make money through creativity and author’s work, and what can be done in general if you suddenly discovered a creative streak in yourself and the ability to be creative with various useful ideas. But at the same time, you are still unable to make money from your creations, or you have no desire to get involved in these complex and dirty worldly affairs related to business and money.

And so, if you are a creative person, and even more so if you are also little known, then in any case you will modern world It won't be easy to make money. The easiest way for a creative person to make money is naturally from businessmen who can make a good profit from your idea, and at the same time make you quite famous and maybe even famous.

Let businessmen even act for their own mercantile purposes, but your task will be completed, and you will benefit others and even yourself with your creativity.

This article will be a continuation of the story about the value of ideas for business, and so it’s better to start there. And in this article we will sum up the results, and I will tell you from my experience how important it is to understand the importance of cooperation in business, and business psychology in general, if you want to earn decent money.

Earnings for a creative person

Yes, everything seems logical and simple, if you are a creative person and want to make money with your creativity, but at the same time you do not want to organize all the business processes for this, then you need to find a good businessman. With whom you will cooperate on mutually beneficial terms.

By the way, even our portal offers wages based on your results, which is very beneficial for those who have not yet started making money through creativity, but have a great desire to do what they love.

And to do this on your own and find such an investor or businessman is naturally not so easy, since businessmen rarely like to buy incomprehensible things on which it is not yet a fact that they will be able to make money, and authors, in turn, are most often afraid to give away the fruits of their creativity in advance, because they still have It’s not a fact that they’ll even pay a penny.

And in order to make money through creativity in our time, you need to show a lot of wisdom and faith, so to speak, in a bright future. Develop yourself as much as possible and make sure that as many people as possible know about your ideas. Do not squeeze them, and do not hide them in your closet, even if they are of quite significant value..

And believe me, I know what I’m talking about, in fact, I, too, probably like you, sometimes act selfishly and not at all wisely, especially when it comes to big money and very important things. For which, naturally, I also bear my responsibility, losses and do not realize a bunch of opportunities that I could potentially realize.

Although today I am already correcting myself and you can even read more about it on this website using the link, but in essence I am already helping a large number people to develop independently and earn money with me on any writing or coaching activity aimed at helping people, if you have such a need, contact me personally.

Author's earnings

But as I hope you have already guessed without difficulty, I and At first I myself belonged, and even now I partly belong by nature more to authors than to businessmen, since for me it is much easier to come up with something than to technically bring it to life.

But without the technical part, the sales department or your own producer, unfortunately, you will not have any income, even now, as you can see, I am trying to develop this self-development portal. And my earnings as the author of articles, producer and founder of the entire resource are growing almost every month, but how much smarter and faster would it be to hire a whole team of professionals at once to develop this promising project, and not like I just wrote articles on my own for the first year, so to speak, “in the nightstand” "

But if I immediately had a separate person involved in advertising and promotion, a separate person for the technical part related to computer programs, and someone who would help me write and film interesting and useful information.

Then, naturally, this project would have developed tens of times faster from the start, and would have brought hundreds of times more in monetary terms for us, and perhaps thousands of times more benefits for people. Well, that’s okay, I’m working on this right now, recruiting my own serious team of writers and trainers, and even Yesterday I finished my first book about how to become happy and successful.

I hope that now my earnings as an author will increase even more, if you also want to join the team and you have experience or at least a great desire to write texts, or you are a coach. And just if you have specific proposals for cooperation, contact us on email or on Skype.

Experience of earning money through creativity

But now it's now. Now there is much more awareness, experience in making money from creativity, understanding of all business processes and the role of people of different levels of ability in them, and of course different types character, so everything will get better soon.

But here literally two, three or four years ago, when I was still closely involved in the development and creation of various strategies for trading on currency exchanges, I haven’t even thought about creating this site yet.

Then, of course, I was also engaged in purely creative activities and developed very complex and quite effective strategies that could help people who like to play Forex earn very decent money.

But of course, as an author and creative person, I didn’t really want to trade, and I didn't have any free time to do this. After all, can you imagine how much time it took to figure out how to outwit, outplay, and defeat the world financial system? Believe me, a fairly small number of people on the planet succeed in this, even if they spend a lot of time on it.

Personally, it took me almost 5 years to even approximately understand what is required for this, and to make my first successful attempts in this direction. But in what direction did I really make these attempts to gain my experience of making money from creativity? What was my real goal?

How to make money from ideas

Naturally, I was simply interested in playing this as a logical and mathematical computer game, but for some reason I was not interested in how to make money from these ideas.

And in the very process of working on the stock exchange there is nothing intellectual or creative; it is not the author’s business, just sit and press the same buttons in accordance with the already developed strategy. And besides, monitoring these charts around the clock takes a lot of time, effort, and, of course, nerves.

In general, the result is the same: 95% of the time I developed strategies and didn’t spend any time on what actually sold these ideas, in my case, trading. So I had excellent strategies, and desires and I didn’t have time to earn money, so naturally I didn’t earn anything.

While other people who liked to trade and with whom I even communicated on the Internet and knew personally, worked using incomprehensible and very weak strategies downloaded from the Internet, but still received good money.

Make money from authorship

But then I didn’t quite believe in it, so I descended to the sinful earth myself from the flight of my thoughts, when I was completely running out of money and worked with real interested investors, and sometimes made them up to ten thousand dollars in 2 weeks. But after I'm bored, something started to go wrong, I decided to refine my strategies a little and again went into creativity.

In short, why am I telling all this, I obviously didn’t want to trade and make money, as you understand. But at the same time he generated excellent trading ideas, and if at that moment there was a person whom I would trust and who would engage in real trading, then it’s quite likely that in half a year we would, completely risk-free, together use investors’ money to receive indecently large amounts of money.

And then maybe I myself would pay 10 dollars to everyone who reads this article of mine.

Give it away for free and you'll get double it back

But today this is certainly not the case, and now I have neither the time nor the desire to waste my time and nerves on such entertainment with earnings on the stock exchange. And at least some cash flow from this potentially dimensionless type of income has dried up, since I just didn’t believe Ronald Reagan’s brilliant phrase: « I will achieve everything in life if I don’t care who gets rewarded for the work I do.”

And all the strategies, of course, haven’t gone anywhere, I haven’t had time to drink them yet, but it’s not really possible to steal them, because, as they say, they are documented in my head. But I hope you understand that I still simply cannot physically put them out for public use, since perhaps their real value in capable hands exceeds tens of kilograms of green paper.

I, of course, gave consultations on Skype about my strategy a couple of times, and even earned my $1,000. for this hour or two of time spent. But you understand that in fact I gave out a maximum of 50-60% of what I know on this topic, let them try to refine it themselves, since this information, actually chewed up and sorted into shelves, costs completely different money.

And naturally, I still don’t have so much faith in people to think that the very first person who earned his first million from this knowledge will share at least a hundred thousand with me. Moreover, in reality I took from those people with whom I worked then exactly 50% of the profit, and not some measly 10%.

But this is all theory, as you understand, but in fact, I still can’t believe in the world and give everything in order to then receive twice as much, and in general force myself to act effectively, correctly, and make smart money with my creativity. Therefore, now I don’t have not only 10%, but even 1%.

Share and you will have more

Of course, it would be more useful for me and my idea would not die the death of the brave, but would be implemented. And even if no one shared a penny, in essence, what difference does it make, I still don’t even have a penny from this anyway. AND You don’t think that I gained anything from the fact that my smart idea, which I spent many years on, has not yet been implemented, and it is unknown how long it will still be relevant.

Making money with creativity

Otherwise, there would be at least some possibility of making money through creativity, that some conscientious citizen, who had actually put my ideas into practice, would anonymously share a hundred or two kilograms of green happiness. And even if they didn’t share, I would still make someone happier, more successful and richer in this world, which is what this entire site is really about.

But hey, as they say, in general, the main reason for all poverty and stupidity is greed, distrust of the world, tightness, lack of strategic thinking and short-sightedness. The most persistent habits of poor and unsuccessful people, which I obviously still have to work on myself. But what can we do, let’s work together right away.

Therefore, at the same time, for my part, I encourage all authors of brilliant and useful ideas not to be afraid to take risks and share their good ideas with as many people as possible, which can potentially implement them. After all, in any case an unrealized idea is a dead idea, and a dead idea is definitely a bad idea.

Useful cooperation in business

After all, it doesn't matter you will become more famous, and with fame will come material wealth, and if no one implements your idea, then you will remain a brilliant, but unknown author of another good, but dead idea. And without useful cooperation in business, you will definitely remain poor, unless of course you can become a businessman yourself.

And perhaps there are still conscious people who understand that having secured the gratitude of good authors and creatives, they will be able to realize even more good ideas, earn even more money and implement even more large-scale projects, while only pleasing others and benefiting them. And not only multiplying sadness and devastation in one’s country and around oneself, as is often the case with modern, unconscious and often short-lived entrepreneurs.

Therefore, I wish myself and you more wisdom and less worry about how to make money through creativity, because if it turns out to be useful and of high quality for others, you will spread it around the world as much as possible.

As I already said, you can do this even on our portal, since we invite simply copywriters and trainers in some area to work, and we will make sure that money and fame will still catch up with you, even if you strongly resist them , which, by the way, is what the vast majority of authors and creative personalities do. You can find my coordinates in the contacts section.

And if you want to go even further, and generally combine these two professions of an author and a businessman, this is generally ideal. And in addition to becoming a good businessman, developing in the business direction, and actively developing your own business, then in the next article you will learn about how best to develop any of your successful projects using the power of your personality and self-development, as well as thank other people, thereby multiplying the income from your business many times over.

For many, creativity for the soul eventually develops into creativity for earning money. A hobby ceases to be a method of self-expression and becomes a source of income. Many can only dream of this! This is a great chance to get rid of boring work and devote all your free time to what you love. No boss, strict deadlines or inconvenient schedule! Often, newcomers to the creative business are faced with a number of problems that can kill the flight of the soul in the bud. How can you organize your work process without sacrificing inspiration?

The main enemies of working without a boss

The feeling of limitless freedom and independence initially inspires all newcomers. There are a lot of ideas in my head that are not always easy to systematize. But often after some time the results still don’t appear and earnings don’t grow. What's the matter? Creativity “for the soul” and creativity “for money” are completely different things. It is difficult for many artists to switch and start earning money with their work, because business sets its own conditions.

First think about all the benefits that homework will bring:

• No long commute to the office. Finally, you can forget about traffic jams and stress.
• The boss does not dictate his own rules and does not set strict deadlines.
• You won't have to discuss gossip with colleagues that aren't interesting to you.
• You can make your own schedule depending on your personal needs. You won't have to ask for time off for a birthday or New Year.
• The owls will finally be able to get some sleep.
• No need to spend money on lunches, travel, gas or formal wear.

All these points attract aspiring freelancers and artists. They are happy to give up their office routine to plunge into the life of a budding entrepreneur. Homework also has its disadvantages:

• Inability to learn from colleagues. You will have to learn everything on your own.
• It is more difficult to organize the working day, as a result it stretches until midnight.
• Household members can distract from the work process.
• There are many temptations at hand: the Internet, TV, telephone, delicious food.

This is why beginners have problems when building a workflow. Creative people are accustomed to creating only when they are in the mood. Business does not accept this. You will always have to fulfill orders, regardless of the Muse’s condition. You can’t explain to the customer that the artist is not in the mood, has problems in his personal life or is unwell, and you could lose all your clients. Also, a freelancer cannot take sick leave during peak orders. I often have to work on weekends. All this is due to the fact that a beginner cannot create a strict schedule and follow it. Another reason is working on a large number of orders. Everything needs balance, otherwise work will be a burden. There is no need to take on a large number of orders at the same time, this will affect the quality. In this case, creativity will turn into a routine, the spark will pass and the passion for what you once loved will disappear.

When there is no boss, there is no one to control the quality of the work, everything is done only according to the artist’s conscience. At the same time, you cannot send a low-quality order to the client, as this can lead to permanent loss of reputation. Therefore, all work must be performed equally professionally; this is the only way to maintain your good name. Orders must be completed and delivered on time.

Creative people, often driven by impulse, deviate from the original concept, which can result in a completely different product. It's not scary if the work is not done to order. However, if the buyer has clearly stated his wishes, the author cannot deviate from them. Only those artists who know how to adapt can cope with such a task. The thesis “I am an artist, this is how I see it” will not work in business.

Newcomers often face a high level of competition. Many talented craftsmen today strive to make money with their creations. Many of them create things in a similar style or in a common vein; main trends have emerged in each type of creativity. That's why competition is so high, and every master needs to meet the highest standards. This is why it is so important to constantly learn and improve your skills.

Many beginners cannot cope with the onslaught of work and give up trying to make money through creativity. Some people cannot organize the work process on their own. Anyone who dreams of building even the smallest business based on their creativity should take into account 10 tips from established professionals:

1. When planning to open your first trading platform (it doesn’t matter what it will be: a VKontakte group, a blog, an online store), answer the question of what you want to get from it. A store can be opened for a variety of purposes: to recycle the materials used, promote your name, attract new customers, receive a new source of income, or completely ensure its existence. Depending on the goals set, the entire work plan is determined. After all, if a store is created as an additional entertainment or hobby, you can spend half an hour a day on it, but if this is the main source of profit and a promising business, you will have to devote all your time. In addition, you should understand that creating products is not the whole job. A huge part of the time is taken up by running a store and promoting products online. Only with active online work and good advertising can you create a large customer base. If you cannot do such prosaic things, look for an assistant who will take care of all the promotion.
2. Schedule and working day. The working day for artists is not standardized; there are days when they have to work for 12 hours or more, and there are also days of downtime. Many arts and crafts products are in high demand during the holidays as people shop for gifts. Then artists and craftsmen work 24/7, seven days a week. In the summer, on the contrary, many people experience stagnation, when there are almost no customers. You need to be prepared for all this mentally and physically. Remember that the customer will not wait. You always need to work at a pace, quickly answering all questions and always staying in touch. Of course, you can give yourself some indulgences, take a weekend off or sleep until lunch. But then you need to be prepared for the fact that the number of clients may decrease.
3. Set reasonable prices for your products. In pursuit of money, you should not inflate prices; soberly assess the cost of your work, especially at the initial stage. In advance, you can familiarize yourself with similar works of masters and see their prices. In order to get customers, you can make small discounts or hold promotions. Try to work in the middle price range - up to 2000 rubles. This price of the product is acceptable for most buyers. You shouldn't offer things that are too cheap either. A quality product (even the smallest product) cannot cost less than 300 rubles.
4. Always treat the buyer with respect, and do not forget to value your work too. Take care of your strength, nerves and health. Do not communicate with clients who speak disrespectfully of you. Value your time and listen to your desires. You shouldn’t take on an order if you don’t like it; anyway, the result will not please either you or the customer. You should also always communicate with clients in a friendly manner. Clarify all his wishes; if any comments arise during the work, you will have to adapt, if possible. Communicate with the customer on equal terms, always respond to messages and do not delay order fulfillment. Honesty, politeness and punctuality are the keys to a good reputation.
5. You are constantly searching. An artist must have a lively, agile mind and be constantly in creative search. To do this, you can improve your skills, read books, visit exhibitions or travel. But an artist who sells his work must also be in search of buyers. To do this, you need to promote your work and develop original marketing strategies. Constantly try something new, attract the attention of others to your work. Invest time and money in promoting your brand.
6. Develop your own style and constantly work on quality. The search for new ideas for an artist never ends. The style is honed over the years; after many years of hard work, the master’s hand can be recognized even without a signature. At the initial stages, constantly monitor the quality of work; it must be impeccable on the outside and inside. The smallest flaws can turn a buyer away from you forever.
7. Be aware of competition. New masters appear constantly, as well as new movements and trends. Follow experienced artists, learn from experience, and strive for constant development. Don't copy someone else's style, but be inspired by the works of famous masters.
8. Always be aware of the practicality of the created item. When working on your next product, think about who can use it and how. Don't forget about the commercial component of your creativity. The thing must be sold.
9. Don't be afraid of crises. All artists go through periods of stagnation. At such moments, you don’t need to force yourself and push yourself. It’s better to take a little time out, your brain just needs rest. Go in search of inspiration, look for new experiences.
10. Share your experience. Don’t skimp on sharing your knowledge, help novice masters, organize master classes. This is a great marketing ploy. Sharing your ideas is useful, and receiving thanks for new information is nice.

Works of the artist and designer jewelry Maria Mamkaeva's works decorate private and museum collections. Her example clearly demonstrates that creativity can lead to financial well-being. How to go through a creative path without hardships.

There is an opinion that people in creative professions cannot earn much money. Maria Mamkaeva is an artist whose works are in private (Russia, USA, Japan, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, China) and museum collections (including in), jewelry designer, Member of the Creative Union of Artists and Member of the Union of Artists of Russia , talked about how to realize your creative abilities and learn how to make money from them.

- Maria, there is a stereotype that creativity does not bring money. Do you agree with this?

Money and creativity are mutually exclusive things, but you can definitely make money from creativity. Moreover, creativity helps you develop yourself in other areas of life, including earning money. But it is very difficult to remain true to yourself and art and not be led by money, it is important to try to maintain this balance. My creative path began with St. Petersburg landscapes; at that time I had just joined the Creative Union of Artists, and the first exhibition “Route around St. Petersburg” was held in 2007. At first I was very worried; the works weren’t selling, or they weren’t selling the way I wanted. Therefore, at first I invested in myself, spent a lot of time on training, participated in almost all exhibitions, and made a name for myself in a professional environment. I can say that it took a lot of time.

Today, reaping the fruits of my efforts, I understand that it was the right decision. Now people find me on their own, I try to maintain my individuality and unique style despite the variety of orders - it’s more interesting and pleasant to work this way. It’s the same story with jewelry, I studied to be a jewelry designer, got my hands on simple things, and then participated in international competitions and exhibitions in the format of contemporary art, which allowed me to make a name for myself in this field. Therefore, I would like to advise all aspiring creators to start just like this: invest in yourself, make a name for yourself, don’t be afraid to participate in various competitions and exhibitions, introduce the public to your works and they will definitely find their buyer.

- How to learn to cope with criticism? And was it difficult for you at first?

Very difficult. There was a lot of criticism, including in jewelry, but I personally was helped to cope with this pressure by teachers who gave me one excellent piece of advice - to always trust yourself and your feelings. For 2-3 years there was a troubled period in my work when I took any criticism to heart, alas, this is the path of any artist. Now everything is different, I don’t force my work on anyone, and even more so, I don’t force them to buy my work. It is important to listen to yourself. If you like your work, then learn to disengage from the opinions of others and continue your creative process. This is true in any profession. There will always be criticism, there will be a lot of it, and we just have to change our attitude towards it.

- Where should young people start their journey who have just graduated from educational institutions, are full of ideas and enthusiasm, but do not understand at all how to make money from their creativity?

To establish yourself in this environment, you need to always be on trend: go to galleries and museums, meet artists, continue to study and develop comprehensively. Today, there are a huge number of opportunities to realize your abilities, from exhibitions to collective projects, all this will definitely increase your chances of success. Be active, participate in exhibitions that fit the format. It is possible that today they won’t buy your painting, but tomorrow a buyer who has seen your work will call and order several works from you at once.

- Organizing the entire work process yourself is very problematic. Behind every creator there is a team that helps him in his work. Whose help does any artist need?

There are so-called “project curators”; they help with both the exhibition and the concept; for example, they can be a project curator and a gallery owner rolled into one. He is closer to the masses than an artist, he is better versed in the trends of art, and therefore is a very important person. As a rule, we do not see all the work done by the project curator when we come to the exhibition. More precisely, we don’t notice it. We admire the artist’s paintings and don’t even think about what colossal work was done beyond the process of creating them.

- What difficulties might a young artist encounter on his path? What unforeseen circumstances have you encountered and how did you deal with them?

At some stage, financial difficulties may arise, but the main thing is not to give up and remember that all this is done primarily for yourself. It is also important to be able to separate advice from constructive criticism. The main thing is to believe in your creativity and do what you like.

- What is the most profitable: selling paintings at exhibitions, online sales, commissioned works? What does income depend on?

As for paintings, these are sales abroad, which accounts for almost half of creative income, the remaining 50% are commissioned works, sales from exhibitions and competitions, as well as online sales, which should not be underestimated either. I can note that abroad you may encounter strict regulations, every action is controlled and coordinated, everything is structured. In Russia, things are not always so clear. In some cases, gallery owners simply provide space, and in America, for example, collectors and potential buyers who are willing to spend money on art are invited to exhibitions, as a result of which several of my works from the exhibition went straight to private collections. They have special databases for this. That is, they are interested in selling your paintings.

- In addition to the creative process, it is also necessary to deal with current affairs: searching for premises for an exhibition, negotiations and much more. How much time is spent on organizational issues and do they interfere with the creative process?

Of course I don't want to do it organizational issues, so as not to take away the time allotted for artistic work. But I can say that this does not happen often, so the ratio looks something like this - 70% of the time is spent on creativity, and 30% on organizational matters.

- Over what period did you manage to earn enough from your business to recoup all your investments? Was it difficult at first?

About 5 years. My basic education was not in the arts, which allowed me to have sources of income by the time I began my creative activity that I could afford to invest in the development of my creativity. Therefore, I would like to say that in addition to art, there may be other interests that will initially help you with finances. I love science and perfectly combine these two directions: science and creativity. Develop yourself comprehensively.

- What can you wish for aspiring artists?

Being an artist is a unique lifestyle, with its own unique worldview. I wish you to believe in yourself, not to lose heart, not to succumb to creative crises, criticism, and most importantly, to love your creations. An artist is not someone who knows how to draw, an artist is someone who knows how to see.