The creative arts sector is a broad and competitive industry with eager talent constantly aspiring to join the market. However during global times of economic downturn the creative arts industry often gets hit the hardest with companies tightening their budgets. As a result many practitioners are left uncertain as to where their next job or contract will come from.
Whilst the need to make ends meet right is always strong in creatives, for many it's not a time to dwell and lament on the losses. It's a time to be doing, creating and connecting and showing the world what you have to offer.
As a creative consultant, there is one thing I know for certain about creative art practitioners and those aspiring to a career in the arts and that is that we as a collective community know how to adopt radical thinking to find creative solutions in trying times.
However, there is a real opportunity for organic and authentic connection and traction for those who are innovating and adapting during difficulty economic times.
4 Actions to Take Now to Level up During An Economic Downturn and Beyond
1. Collaborations are never dead and now could be the time to follow up on any of those ideas that haven't come to fruition. This may be the time now to re-examine old ideas you may have passed on that now have the time to be developed appropriately.
2. If you're a freelancer uncertain of what's next, perhaps it's time to upskill and expand your knowledge in our industry or general business. There are plenty of free and affordable online courses available, that could increase your knowledge and understanding of history and connection to your creative career pursuits. Closer to home many local council libraries offer a variety of business and marketing courses and classes for free through their online portals.
3. If you are a creative practitioner with a product that could be for a global market ie. art this is your time to get multi-lingual online. If you have a website and are little tech-savvy on your website's backend you can have your website published in multiple languages with a few clicks of a mouse and therefore allowing you to expand and connect to a greater target market.
4. Finally and most importantly if you don't know what else to do what better time is there than now to experiment and try something new in your creative field or business. This is a time to think outside the box and craft creative solutions to stay afloat and productive. What better time is there to throw off the shackles of judgement and what others may think. Take the risk and step out with that new idea or approach...…..we're all trying our best out herein this crisis.
Regardless of where you are across the globe, these tips are evergreen and poignant for all creatives regardless of an ecomomic downturn. Sometimes when creatives get pulled away from the physical or hands-on work they are so used to doing we get a little lost about what we can be doing to help ourselves in a trying time.