a guest post...
When I started my career
25 years ago I entered a market with no internet. E-mail was just
beginning. I mainly worked for advertising agencies and book publishers
creating traditional finished art. I illustrated painting with a brush and
airbrush on cardboard that needed to be peeled off the cardboard back and then
wrapped to a scanner cylinder for printing.
My clients were finding
me because I advertised in design books and I would book face to face meetings
with local art directors in Montreal and My art agent in New York. The
illustration and design business was booming then. But I remember there were
artists complaining then that things were not the same as they used to be.
Enter the Internet. Nobody
saw this one coming. It was like a giant came by and kicked the creative
content ant hill.
One thing is for sure it
is not a fad. It is not going away it is growing at exponential speed and
evolving just as fast. Where it is going is impossible to predict but one thing
is for sure it will be incredible. The Internet is like nature it will kill
anything that does not adapt to its system and it will reward anything that
takes advantage of its qualities.
Digital content today is
still booming but how it is monetized is drastically changing.
Example music industry
artists today do not make most of their money selling content but have to tour
to make a living. The content they produce helps market and increase their
touring income. Music artists have been forced to change their business model
because of the Internet.
Retail stores are now
seeing their sales decline because of online purchases through online retailers
like Amazon. Bookstores are going on the same road as the music stores went
through. Album to cd, to digital download no brick and mortar store needed. Paper
Book to e-book no brick and mortar store needed.
When was the last time
you rented a movie at Block Busters? Netflix soaring
Day old Newspapers or to
"up to the second" online news
See the pattern?
In order to adapt to the
new Internet age. How did I change my business model?
When parts of my
traditional business slowed down. Instead of fear about losing past success I
had excitement for the future opportunities ahead. In essence I needed to
become a creative entrepreneur.
I completely retooled my
studio. Transferring my traditional design skills to new digital tools and
applications. I researched a bunch of new online revenue streams. And licensing
content was the thing that was the most intriguing to me because I could create
anything I wanted whenever I chose and then upload it to websites that sell
print on demand or stock or go talk to companies directly and speak to the
decision makers on how my designs on their products can improve their profits.
I would literally
walk into a retail store pick up a product that had horrible looking package or
art and I would contact the company find the decision maker and present my
thoughts on how we could work together. And the amazing thing is finding
clients this way has enabled me to create long-term business relationships.
Imagine a business model
were you decide on how much you will earn. You create content whether it is an
e-book, design, illustration, photography, movie, music etc and you sell a
license fee for anybody that would like to use your art. Creating a large
network of small revenue streams you will end up with an ocean that pays you
dividends in perpetuity.
Somebody once said “there
are people who complain about the wind and others who build sail boats.”
I have made my choice.
Francesco Santalucia
Santalucia Art Inc.
gordongroup Montreal
office
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