There are a myriad of ways that students at IE show their creative side. From sketches and poems to singing and dancing, creativity is one thing that is not lacking at our school. However, most students don’t take that aspect of themselves seriously, because at the end of the day how can you really make money out of art?
Well, the creativity center is working hard to reverse that attitude, and make it known that creativity is definitely something that can be pursued as a legitimate career. The center recently hosted a seminar called “Monetizing Creativity” at their Segovia location, inviting artists such as Spanish producer Xas and Canadian rapper Rel McCoy.
The musicians provided an array of insightful information on how their passion for the art has motivated them to find ways to make money off of it. McCoy shared how in Canada, the government has programs that subsidises art and even pays artists for their work, suggesting that students should investigate what similar local programs there might be here in Spain. He also talked about how he wrote down the emails and names of his loyal customers in order to build strong relationships with them; ultimately it’s these fans who will see and pay for the value in his work.
Xas spoke more broadly about the music industry, and in fact the broader creative industry in general. As people, specifically Gen-Z, become increasingly entrenched in the online world, many physical firms are either going out of business or merging with larger enterprises. This has led to a real tightening of opportunities and competition among the physical creative landscape, but means that artists are more free than ever to directly reach out to consumers. Spotify, etsy and even TikTok have become mediums through which anyone can monetize their art.
Which brings me to the next incredible lesson from this seminar, that truly any person can create valuable and profitable creative products. As Xas said, “even a baker can be a creative person.” The industry is not limited to music or paintings, if you can think outside the box or add a personal touch to your work, you have already become a creative person. Once you see the value in your creativity, then you can make the steps to monetize and benefit from it.
If you’re interested in learning more about this, then you should definitely consider checking out the next seminar which will take place at the Creativity Center on Thursday, October 24th at 18:30. Xas will return to give his presentation, and you’ll be able to explore all the many ways in which something as trivial as a sketch or a poem can actually contribute to your bank account.
Featured Image Courtesy of Getty Images
