For those of you that don't know, I'm Sophie Tea and I'm an artist. After getting asked I thought I would share my advice on how to make a living independantly. Despite and my weekly ‘what am I doing with my life’ break downs, I’ve collated 5 key pointers to follow if you’re thinking of taking the plunge!
1) Don’t buy shit you don’t need!
Just so we are clear, this includes: MORE ACTIVE WEAR, FIRST CLASS TICKETS, DIOR MASCARA, UBERX (pool it), FIJI WATER. You need to come to terms with the fact that you will be skint, at least at some point on the journey.
For me, I COMPLETELY avoid online shopping. Every single bit of spare cash I have is reinvested it into the business OR into travelling (which for me, leads to more business). Be disciplined with unecassry spending otherwise you are going to make it 5 times more difficult. If you’re not prepared for a change in lifestyle, don’t give up the day job!
2) Focus on building an authentic brand
This is something I live by. Make a spider-diagram outlining WHO you are (or what your business is) and HOW you want to be seen. My key words include: colour, spontaneity, travel, energy, can-do. EVERYTHING you do (artwork, social media, collaborations, business decisions) must be geared towards that brand. Invest in staying true to those principles because your brand is ALWAYS your most valuable asset.
3) Create multiple revenue streams
Try to garner income from multiple sources. I use: 1) Commissions 2) Prints 3) Brand Collaborations 4) Murals. More money, less risk, more money, more money, more moneyyyy. The quicker you build up more streams to get cash from, the quicker you don't have to make the discount section the first place you go to at Tesco.
4) Be open to change
I think this title is the most clichéd thing I’ve ever written BUT it’s SO important. 9 times out of 10, your product won’t be what you first thought it would be. Lose your ego; follow the money, follow the opportunities and be open to trying something you didn’t plan for if the opportunity presents itself. Don't sell your body BUT if you have to paint glitter on your boobs to get your more followers (which leads to more print orders) THEN SO BE IT!
5) START
When someone talks to me about their dreams to, ‘at some point in the future’ become an: entrepreneur/artist/free-lancer I quote: ‘ONE DAY OR DAY ONE’. It’s yours for the taking if you actually just DO something towards it. Press go baby.
Love, Soph x
HERE YOU CAN BUY MY PRINTS
(See what I did there, you gotta lose the shame because if 1 person buys a print from this page then that's £150, think of how much more paint I can buy with that, you know?!)
