We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeffrey Markowitz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jeffrey , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
In my book, Business School For Creative People, I talk about how artists can make money. You want to become a successful artist making money doing what you’re good at, what you love, and what gives your life meaning. But you don’t know how, or if it’s even realistic.
Many people think of the creative arts as an occupation where they can’t make money, but that’s not true. You can. It’s just hard.
Think about this: I have a young friend who is a great starving artist. That’s literally her identity, and it’s holding her back. But she doesn’t see herself as anything else. So, neither does anyone else.
She asked me who she should get to do a logo for her website.
I started to tell her she needed more than a logo, she needed to start building a brand. She said, “I’m an artist, not a brand.”
That was me once. I always considered myself a creative person. I wanted to make things, and I didn’t understand the basics of business. But I learned, and most importantly I learned it’s not just about making money, it’s about managing people — including yourself.
Where are you going to go, how are you going to build this, how is your work different than someone else’s, and how are you going to explain it, sell it, and get paid for it?
Being a good artist doesn’t make you a successful artist; being good at business does that.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In my book, Business School For Creative People, I talk about how artists can make money. You want to become a successful artist making money doing what you’re good at, what you love, and what gives your life meaning. But you don’t know how, or if it’s even realistic.
Many people think of the creative arts as an occupation where they can’t make money, but that’s not true. You can. It’s just hard.
Think about this: I have a young friend who is a great starving artist. That’s literally her identity, and it’s holding her back. But she doesn’t see herself as anything else. So, neither does anyone else.
She asked me who she should get to do a logo for her website.
I started to tell her she needed more than a logo, she needed to start building a brand. She said, “I’m an artist, not a brand.”
That was me once. I always considered myself a creative person. I wanted to make things, and I didn’t understand the basics of business. But I learned, and most importantly I learned it’s not just about making money, it’s about managing people — including yourself.
Where are you going to go, how are you going to build this, how is your work different than someone else’s, and how are you going to explain it, sell it, and get paid for it?
Being a good artist doesn’t make you a successful artist; being good at business does that.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I have searched for books and videos to help me, and found very little teaching artists how to be business leaders. That’s why I wrote my book, Business School for Creative People, as well as the nonprofit Marko.org to help the 50% of artists who are in poverty.
I recently ran into an old friend of mine at a grocery store. She’s a photographer that started about 10 years ago and now she’s one of the bigger portrait photographers around. She photographs celebrities all over the world, has a unique brand, a huge studio, and her photos are also in museums.
When I saw her at the store, I said I can’t believe what’s happening to you, you’ve built such an amazing brand. You and your work are unique.
Her response to me was, “I’m no longer a photographer. I couldn’t make any money from it.”
That was hard to believe considering her success, but she said now she’s a creative director building her own agency. If she wants to hire herself, she can. If not, she will oversee the project and make all the money.
That is what I have done- and made a living from it.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I have searched for books and videos to help me, and found very little teaching artists how to be business leaders. That’s why I wrote my book, Business School for Creative People, as well as the nonprofit Marko.org to help the 50% of artists who are in poverty
Contact Info:
- Website: www.creativecompound.com
- Instagram: @jeffmarkowitz
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-markowitz
- Other: Business School for Creative People book: https://a.co/d/7I6mSpp Nonprofit: Marko.org
Image Credits
Jeffrey Markowitz
