In today’s digital economy, how we define the term entrepreneur has changed. In the past, up until the turn of the millennium, entrepreneurs were a rare breed of business focused individuals who started their own ventures. An image of a man in a suit and tie, holding a briefcase as he exits a highrise after signing his first client may pop into your mind. Nowadays, the definition of who an entrepreneur is has broadened to include individuals from a range of different industries, particularly creative ones. Musicians, chefs and many artists are now modeling themselves after entrepreneurs.  

Why the shift to entrepreneurship for artists?

Promoting your work and yourself as a brand is key to success in this competitive economy. It isn’t enough to record a catchy rock song, or create a gourmet ramen recipe that would give chef David Chang a run for his money -- you need to promote your work. Some may view this approach as selling out based on the old stereotype that a true artist is isolated, driven by an almost spiritual power and struggling to make ends meet. I would argue that some artists of the past, most notably writer and eccentric, Oscar Wilde, knew how to get people excited about his work. Known for his witty repartee and boisterous misadventures, Wilde was one of the first artists to use his charisma and infamy to entice the press. The notion of an artist as entrepreneur is not necessarily new, but what is new is the array of technological tools available to anyone. Understanding how to use these tools to promote your work is key to success -- of course, talent helps too.   

Portrait of a creative entrepreneur

The passion and drive usually begins when they are young. Musicians, for instance, may have  spent afternoons after school practicing the piano, or impressed their friends by freestyling rap rhymes. Likewise, being an entrepreneur requires focus and sacrifice. A day in the life of an entrepreneur is not a traditional 9 to 5. Some days will be hectic, including lots of meetings and running around. Other days will be slow, giving you time to strategize your next move. If you love what you do and are pursuing your lifelong dream, you’ll welcome the day to day hustle of making connections and promoting your work. The synergy between creating and getting your work out there will make you feel like you’re exactly where you need to be.

Gaining the right tools to connect

Artists are modeling themselves after entrepreneurs who know how to use marketing strategies to promote themselves as a brand. There is no better example of integrating talent with business than in marketplaces. A few months ago, Karmen Buttler, founder of the app Primpt and musician, reached out out to us on Twitter after I curated an article she had written. In addition to building a marketplace that helps stylists share their work and connect, she is a talented singer and songwriter who promotes her music on different social media, including Youtube, and Twitter. Much of her skill and drive comes from her father, a multi-instrumentalist musician. She was raised with music as part of her life, but was able to transfer her abilities to reach a wider reach with social media and staying true to her art. It’s inspiring to see someone balancing a startup and a musical career.

In this digital age, artists can reach an unprecedented amount of fans by using social media and networking to promote their work. This does not substitute for talent but is merely an additional skill that some individuals have and can utilize to great lengths. With the Internet, everyone is connected and it’s becoming easier for artists to model themselves after entrepreneurs. However, success doesn’t happen overnight and being CEO requires a great deal of work. From big names to independent artists, it pays to promote yourself on the key social media channels. There might be thousands of other artists just as talented as you, so it pays to go out there and connect with people. How do you stand out from all the other creative entrepreneurs on the rise? That’s for you to contemplate and discover.