How to Make a Living as a "Digital" Artist | AJ Brockman

When it comes to being a digital artist in today’s world of hyper–connectivity and social media, technology is no longer just a tool you use to create art, it is also the way through which you can get yourself noticed and exposed to people who will pay for your work. Regardless of what medium you use to create, Artists working in our new digital world must learn to leverage the power it holds.

For example, this platform, steemit, is the "holy grail" when it comes to being able to make money from simply posting your artwork (with a great article accompanying it, hopefully). If you are reading this, you are most likely already involved in steemit and know exactly what I'm talking about. But what if you want to explore all options possible? There are many other opportunities out there and this article is meant to give advice on other avenues to make a living as a digital artist, designer, or your artistic capabilities no matter what it might be. For the record, steemit is the best platform to monetize your creativity, but that is an entire article on its own to be published at a future date.

While it may seem daunting to have to try and plant your flag in a space already dominated by so many other artists (not to mention bloggers, models, photographers and celebrities), it would only really take a few steps. Some of these may be easy, while others may prove more difficult. No worries, we’ll take it one step at a time!

Free Up Time for Freelancing

Making money through merchandise might be intimidating for anyone other than professional graphic designers, however. So what else? Maybe you are interested in getting paid outright for your skills? Then freelance websites are for you. In this market, the best way to stand out is with a powerful and persuasive pitch. Some popular sites include Upwork, Fiverr or even craigslist.

Be detailed with what you can do on a fixed rate. Say, a banner or poster mock-up in an hour for $50. Or create a logo for $100. Perhaps, you can whip up complete publicity materials in 2 days for $1000. Create a video of you making artworks and designs in real time. Research other people with similar skill sets and determine a competitive price.