Season 1 · Episode 57

What Is a Creative Entrepreneur? Turning Creativity Into a Profitable Business

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0:00Are you a creative entrepreneur?
0:05Now, everyone asks me,
0:08what is a creative entrepreneur?
0:10Are you talking about a creative entrepreneur?
0:14Is it a creative artist, a business owner, entrepreneur?
0:21It's a creative entrepreneur.
0:24And a creative entrepreneur is an individual
0:28who builds a business based on their unique creative talents,
0:35artistic skills, and or intellectual property.
0:41They bridge the gap between artistic expression
0:45and commercial viability,
0:49turning ideas like design, writing, art, fashion,
0:53and most of all, media into a society.
0:58A sustainable enterprise.
1:02And unlike traditional entrepreneurs
1:04who may focus solely on market gaps,
1:09creative entrepreneurs prioritize passion and innovation
1:14as their core business drivers.
1:18And we have different industries
1:21under creative entrepreneurs,
1:24such as design and visual art, media, content, crafts,
1:32and physical products, or that builds physical products,
1:39performing, fine arts.
1:42And I'm gonna get into a little deeper
1:46versus just the industries.
1:48Let me go more inside the industries.
1:51Like for me in media, you have your podcasters,
1:56your YouTubers, photographers, videographers,
1:59your actors, filmmakers, authors,
2:04copywriters, digital content creators,
2:07which has blown up these past 10 years
2:11and being a YouTuber now,
2:14I think podcasting has really taken off.
2:17Everybody wanna be a podcaster.
2:19First it was YouTube, I wanna be a YouTuber now.
2:23Everybody wanna be a podcast and have a podcast.
2:26And then we gonna stay in that media
2:29with the visual arts and design,
2:31graphic designers, illustrators, fashion designers,
2:37interior decorators are actually creative entrepreneurs.
2:42Photography is also in that category as well
2:45as far as visual art.
2:50And we're going to more of the arts and the craft
2:55or anybody to do any type of arts and craft
2:58or even sometimes architecture and construction,
3:07the way things are made and built to woodworkers
3:12and apparel makers like clothing designers
3:16and things like that.
3:20Pottery, a lot of those things,
3:24that's creative entrepreneur,
3:26you're using your creative ability
3:29to generate funds and solve a problem.
3:35So it's a beautiful thing
3:37and going to performing arts with musician
3:42and dancers, actors, painters, exhibitors, digital artists,
3:54live artists.
3:59So it's a thin line between being an artist
4:04who is an entrepreneur or an entrepreneur
4:08who is an artist.
4:11I think that's totally separate
4:14from being a creative entrepreneur.
4:19Like me, I am the definition of a creative entrepreneur.
4:29And welcome, welcome, welcome.
4:31This is Steve Jackson, photographer Jackson
4:36of Alien Eyes Photos Media
4:39and this is Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk.
4:47And I've been getting these questions
4:49on creative entrepreneurship as I speak much
4:54and highly on creative entrepreneurship
4:58and being a creative entrepreneur
5:02who I felt for me was a great definition
5:07on like how to describe me.
5:10Like even being a musician and doing poetry,
5:14I always had that business mindset
5:17in the back of my head.
5:20It was things that I would study and practice
5:24and listen and read different business books.
5:28So it was always ingrained in my head
5:33but I was such an artist.
5:37Now I think it kind of flip-flopped
5:40where I'm more business-minded, more than I'm an artist
5:46but I'm still creative.
5:50You know, I have to be creative.
5:51I have to create.
5:53The solutions I bring to my clients
5:57involves me creating, even creating a plan,
6:03creating how it's gonna look,
6:05capturing it, documenting it,
6:08putting it all together, making sure it's polished visually
6:13because I get my clients visible.
6:20Their brand becomes visible after working with me
6:24and that's always the goal but I have to create them
6:30and through my creation I get paid
6:35based on the results.
6:43So anyone that's,
6:47because I heard it a lot being a poet,
6:49like there's no money in poetry.
6:52There's no money writing poetry.
6:57You know, poets don't make money.
7:00You know, I heard that a lot
7:03when I was actively doing poetry,
7:06performing and writing.
7:09And I mean, if I would've just shift gears
7:15and had the mindset that I had, you know,
7:20like, oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
7:28And I'm saying oh my goodness
7:30because it's something that I could really do right now
7:35because I have a lot of past work
7:37and a lot of unreleased work
7:41that I think y'all may be hearing exclusive.
7:45Like, I just gave myself a good thought
7:48just doing this podcast.
7:50Like, why?
7:52I mean, yeah, I could've done it
7:54if I had a mindset.
7:55Now, I have the mindset right now
7:57and I still have the content
7:58and the poetry and the writing.
8:01So, huh, I'ma put something together.
8:05Yeah, I'ma just leave it at that.
8:07I'ma put something together with my past work.
8:11I'ma add some new stuff too, you know.
8:15I'm still right here and there,
8:19but, you know, that's more so for me
8:21and for, you know, not necessarily for fun,
8:24but just for the sport.
8:26I'ma just not do it here and there,
8:29but not like how I used to.
8:30I used to be up all day and night.
8:33I'm talking about dedicated.
8:35Like, I was making it to the league type of dedication.
8:40That's how I was with music and poetry
8:42and, you know, with my writings and wrote books
8:45that I ended up losing through a bad computer crash
8:52and lost everything.
8:55Yeah, it devastated me for a long time.
8:57Like, I didn't want to write anything anymore.
9:01Like, I had books ready to publish.
9:04I'm talking about books with a capital S.
9:09And it was so much that I lost
9:13and it just damaged me.
9:17And I didn't want to do anything,
9:19especially anything creative alone
9:21when I was like that, like, ugh.
9:25And with music, I just started freestyle.
9:28Like, I stopped writing and just started freestyling
9:32and just doing it like that.
9:36And it kind of took away, I enjoyed it.
9:39I liked it and I was pretty decent,
9:42but not like how I wanted or felt
9:51how I wanted to market myself and be out there.
9:55Freestyling wasn't the way
9:57because I always had a powerful mind and powerful thoughts.
10:03And I wanted to articulate that correctly,
10:07not just by the spur of the moment.
10:10I wanted to actually paint the picture
10:13of what I was saying correctly in detail,
10:17not just the first thing that came to mind
10:19because the first thing that come to mind
10:21is always not the right thing
10:23or the most polished thing or the best thing
10:27or what you should be saying in general.
10:33So eventually I got back to writing.
10:36I had to get out that dark hole
10:43and I mean, even through that process,
10:47I ended up, the studio I was going to,
10:50the engineer closed the studio and, you know,
10:58I was young at the time,
11:00so that kind of set me back to
11:05as far as being creative and actively creating.
11:13So it was like two dark holes,
11:17two negative things around creating
11:22and being an artist and really being passionate.
11:25Like it sucked the life out of me really.
11:29Like it took years for me to get back to that
11:32and have that courage within myself
11:40to pull it through and finding the strength
11:43to actually do it again.
11:45Like it was hard, you know.
11:47You know, I had to motivate myself.
11:49I had to get re-inspired and, you know,
11:59I mean, even to this day,
12:03like I've definitely done things on a lower scale.
12:14Whether this is, you know, this music, poetry,
12:19you know, taking photos, doing videos, of course,
12:24you know, at my own will
12:26and creating what I want to create now for a client.
12:31You know, me just being a pure artist.
12:35I haven't done that in a while actually,
12:37to be honest and I know I should
12:41and they say especially if you do both,
12:45like you're a content creator
12:47or you create content for your brand
12:51and you also serve clients,
12:53you should split that up to 70, 30, 70%, you know,
12:58for clients 30% is for you and your business
13:01and you know, you're creating freely.
13:05And I honestly want to get back to that.
13:08I know we get caught up in the whole business side
13:10and I kind of lost meaning of
13:14being a creative entrepreneur
13:15and I just became more of an entrepreneur.
13:18Like, oh, I got to make six figures
13:21and that's still a goal, you know,
13:24making my first six figures.
13:28I could say this may not be the year, honestly,
13:32but this has been a big, you know,
13:34catapulting year, a big planning stage
13:38from maybe next year or even the year to come
13:41right after that.
13:45But it would have been lovely to make my six figures
13:48but I know, you know, life and business,
13:53it said I wasn't ready and I've accepted that.
13:58And we're in the third quarter,
14:01so it's still time, but, you know,
14:08realistically, I probably won't get it this year,
14:13which I'm totally fine,
14:15but I've definitely became more of a business person,
14:19more of an entrepreneur versus a joint,
14:24creative entrepreneur, a creative entrepreneur.
14:28So I wanted to get back
14:32and y'all heard earlier on the podcast,
14:38exclusively on Alienize Photos Industry Talk
14:40that I'ma put together something
14:43with my old poetry and I don't know what it's gonna be yet,
14:48but stay tuned, I wanna,
14:50I gotta find means to re-joke my creativity
14:54and I know it will help me in my business,
14:57I just know it will.
15:00And that's why I'm saying it's been catapulted
15:02because I'm not even using my own personal skills
15:05and talents as I should and oh, I'm ready.
15:14So six figures, here you come, here you come,
15:17here you come to me because I'm attracted,
15:21I'm not chasing, but I know the first time
15:24I gotta also kinda put that hustle in and go get it,
15:30but I'm also attracted and attracting the right clients
15:36versus chasing, I've never really been a chaser
15:40in anything in my life or even like chasing women
15:46or whatever, like it's never been my style
15:51or the way I did business.
15:53So I know it's interesting in most situations,
15:58like oh, you have to have that hustle in you
16:04to be at the level you want to be
16:08and that's not always the case and I've seen it
16:11and I've experienced it, I've also witnessed it
16:14with other people and their business
16:17are just like the people they attract
16:19and things and opportunities they attract,
16:23so it's possible.
16:27But to all my creative entrepreneurs,
16:33keep that spark, never lose that spark,
16:37that creative touch, but you also need to be making money.
16:45I know you don't always have to build a business
16:47around your art or have your art as a business,
16:53but you should be getting paid to speak
16:56and I'm saying that as a former performing poet,
17:01you should be getting paid to speak.
17:03If I book you to be at my event, you're getting paid.
17:13So everybody else that books you should pay you
17:22and I am happy to set that tone.
17:25Again, as a former poet, I know
17:29because I've been through it
17:30and so many countless shows that I've done for free
17:34are for a couple dollars, literally.
17:38I know and I know how it is being out in the field
17:41and just wanting to do you and do your art,
17:45perform your art, showcase your art.
17:47I know and I get it and I understand.
17:52It is tough, but stay firm.
17:56If they want you, they would pay.
18:00That's all I got to say.
18:02Never lose your creative touch, that spark.
18:05Be a creative entrepreneur on purpose with a purpose.
18:12Again, this is Steve Jackson,
18:15Pataka Jackson of Alienize Photos Media
18:20and this is Alienize Photos Industry Talk.
18:26And if you want to book me
18:28and have a one-on-one consultation,
18:32a nice strategy call, ideation session,
18:35just to build your business or just to pick my brain,
18:42even to book me as an event photographer
18:44or you want a podcast production
18:48or even some video recaps.
18:51For all of that good stuff,
18:54visit alienizephotos.com.
18:58That's Alienize with a Z,
19:02Photos with a S, dot com.
19:07And also follow me on all social media,
19:11even YouTube, I've been posting a little bit on YouTube.
19:14I got to get better on TikTok, but I'm on there.
19:18But on all social media, Alienize Photos.
19:23All right, y'all, until next time, peace.