Hello fellow artist entrepreneurs! Lately I've been reflecting a lot on the business and marketing skills I've learned in the past year, and I really keep thinking that I wish I'd learned this stuff in school and I wish artists were taught these skills. If you're like me, you've devoted a considerable amount of time (and money) to get good at what you do. You're plenty talented, you know what you bring to the table, and you are a specialist in your field. No one can deny that or take that away from you. So why the struggle? I'll tell you what it's NOT - lack of skill - lack of dedication - lack of passion Trust me, I know how hard you work and it definitely isn't any of that! We struggle as artists because somewhere along the line, we may have been told to think of ourselves as a business and told that we need to "sell" ourselves - but we weren't actually told HOW to do that. So what does it mean to "think of yourself as a business"? I had a lightbulb moment when I took a business class earlier this year and learned that a successful business must A. solve a problem B. fill a need SO simple but I'd never thought of it that way! Yet it's so true. As consumers, we buy because we need something, or because we have a problem we want fixed. The first step to successfully marketing our art and creative services is figuring out what PROBLEM we solve for our audience and clients. So let's brainstorm! What problem do you solve for your people? Not sure? Comment below and we'll figure it out together :)