Running A Creative Business During A Pandemic

We'll there’s no denying it’s a crazy world right now. It is scary, anxiety ridden and there’s no easy way out.

But I like to see the positives at a time like this and the biggest is that we will come out of this closer and more connected than ever (even from a social distance.) 

How to make the best out of COVID-19

So what do you do when you run a creative business at a time like this? Well you use your superpower, creativity.

There are certainly days where those artistic juices are not flowing but there is always something to put even anxious energy into.

5 Tips and Tricks to stay Sane

Here are the 5 things I’m focussing on to stay afloat financially and mentally during this time.

1. Write lists

Write what you want to create, experiment with and achieve. There can be multiple lists for example I currently have:

• Commissions
• New print range designs
• Christmas designs
• Ideas to explore

2. Give yourself the permission to experiment

It’s a good time to give yourself room to try new things even if it’s just sketching out new ideas.

I am lucky that my designs require mainly  time and minimal materials where I know other artists that work with oil or sculpture experimenting can be an expensive exercise.

But if we don’t give ourselves the chance to try new things we don’t develop or keep ourselves engaged in the joy of development.

3. Your support is still there, use them

I’ve noticed many of the businesses we rely on for every day have put things in place to help us through, utilise them. Here are some we are thankful for:

• Markets moving online allowing us to connect with the customers we would usually see once a month or each quarter. 
• Our local courier company has put in place social distancing measures to her parcels to customers safely from door to door with minimum handling. 
• Paypal have waived instant transfer fees during this time meaning you can access your funds in your bank instantly if you need them.
• Telstra and other providers are handing out free data to help with working from home.

4. For the days creativity doesn’t strike

It goes without saying that creative people often focus on the visual and less on the technical side of business.

There is however a load of moving parts on your website, etsy of socials back of house that can benefit from some screen time on your part.

SEO, and socials analytics play a huge part in how people find you.

Even the simple task of writing down related words or relevant hashtags can mean you have something to draw on each time you tweak your website or post a photo.

The more time you send researching and implementing these the better you will be.

This month alone our Etsy sales have jumped up 50% on last year because we have put the time in.

Likewise we have seen a huge spike in social engagement because I’ve put the time and effort into share the more interesting aspects if isolation as an artist and chat to my community.

5. Talk to other business owners

It can be isolating enough as a small business owner working from home without the rest of the world doing it too.

We are all navigating the same sea in different boats.

Reach out, send a message, share your struggles or admiration, it all makes the world and struggle a little smaller.

Here for a chat if you need!