Artist's Dictionary: Tech and Business Terms Translated

Photo: Bjorn Bolinder

If you’re an artist of any kind, below are some of my “artistic translations” of business and tech terminology.

Whether you’re looking to make a full-time living from your art, or create a side-hustle for “sustainable and supplemental support” (as I articulated for myself), I hope this is helpful!

Business = Career

Art is a business. Your Career (with a capital “C”) is your business. See what happens when you start to think of yourself as CEO of a business. The tricky part? You’re also the product in a very specific industry and competitive marketplace!

Brand = Humanity

I define brand as: Your Name + Your Identity + THEIR Response

Identity is a loaded word. Branding is about aligning internal and external, online and offline, and dream with reality. You must share humanity in order to connect with the humanity of another.

CEO = Leader

The Chief Executive Officer not only creates a vision, but they also share it with their team. They are in charge of making executive decisions, but they certainly don’t try to do EVERYTHING themselves. They hire and delegate strategically, trusting their team to do the job—or replacing them with better contributors.

Product = Work

Your product may be a particular performance or piece. Just keep “product” in mind as you create and share your work. It’s okay to share the product development, as long as your audience is aware it’s a work-in-process. Once finished, it’s important you move into marketing and (😱) sales; honoring the time, energy, and money you’ve invested in production!

Customer = Audience 

Your customers are the people who pay to watch you do your thing: producers, physical audiences, and digital audiences. Your followers and subscribers on the internet are future customers for your book, album, concert, and other works. Think about customer service and provide an incredible experience for them.

Communications = Speaking + Listening

Communication is critical. In addition to getting our point across clearly and being understood, we must also listen. Your communications include what you say in-person, as well as what you write and share through text, email, and social media. There is so much more to unpack here, just realize you’re communicating constantly, and listening is just as important as speaking. 💗

Marketing = Storytelling

Most creatives hate marketing. But what if you could reframe it as telling a story? Whether it’s your story or a sneak peek of what’s inside your full production, marketing is simply letting people know about what you have to offer. It doesn’t have to be slimy, sleazy, icky, or gross. Check out this free training for some timeless marketing techniques.

Editorial Calendar = Seasonal Plans

12-months is a long time, but goes by so fast! As a creative, an editorial calendar will give you a heads up to plan your communications around specific holidays (such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), but also around specific industry seasons (such as audition and pilot season)!

Offering = Your Special Gift

What if you think of your “offering” (a big business word) as a gift coming from your spirit? Does this make the “selling” of your artistic services and creative productions easier for you? I hope so!

There’ll be times to give away your offerings for FREE (such as social media), and there are times you need to stand in the value of what you have to offer; asking for what your work is worth!

Pricing = Worth

While artists don’t always have control of their pricing, rates, and fees, establishing a bottom-line or minimum for yourself is critical. Have two prices: free and expensive. Know your worth and value what you contribute!

Those rates and fees are entirely up to you. Are you going to be Planet Fitness or Equinox? There isn’t a wrong answer, but for freelancers, it’s usually a better choice to do less work for more money. Building 10 websites for $1,000 each is more work than building ONE website for $10,000. Those aren’t my rates, but I hope it highlights how you can easily spread yourself too thin. When you charge higher rates (such as $175/hour), you show up and deliver at that rate, too.

Pitch = Spruik

Thank you to Jen Waldman for this word. As artists, we’re not here to be submissive! We’re here to contribute and be collaborative. When you’re “pitching” yourself (whether requesting an audition appointment, meeting, or sharing a creative idea), what can you learn from the corporate types? These people create a “deck” (Powerpoint or Keynote presentation) to get the yes. That’s packaging and positioning, strategy and design, or art and copy. Dress for success, henny!

Sales = Booking

I hate selling. You hate selling. We all hate selling! That’s not entirely true (the first part is), but “selling” is necessary to get paid for what you do. You don’t have to approach it feeling like a prostitute. It’s a value exchange. Start by creating something valuable and extraordinary. It will give you the confidence to put it out there!

You = Artist
You = Business

You need to be both! That’s why it’s the mission of my company to teach the artist how to become a healthy CEO.