Introduction

Hey everyone👋, I hope you're all doing well. This blog is a little different from my other blogs, as today I want to share an experience with you that very few people knew about or say no one knew. Many of you might think of me as a coder or tech person, but there's more to the story. Before getting into this field, I was an artist, a digital artist as a hobby. From my childhood, I've had a keen interest in art. However, it was during the lockdown that I discovered something new - digital art. I saw a video on YouTube where a person was showing a time-lapse of his digital art, and it was so impressive that I became interested in trying it myself. Besides my attraction towards digital art, one more reason why I started was that art supplies are way too costly, such as pencils, paper, colors, etc., especially if you're not earning😅. With digital art, you just need a mobile phone or laptop to get started. Don't have a stylus? No problem, your fingers are enough. So, I grabbed my mother's mobile and tried drawing on it.

This is an example of my art.

I used to share my art on Instagram, but I don't have many followers. Here's my Instagram. I think I deserve more. In today's blog, I'll be sharing my experience of achieving credibility and making money despite having a small following on Instagram. I'll give some tips that will be helpful no matter what field you're in, and you can earn a lot. These tips are not difficult; you just need to be aware and do the right thing at the right time.

The Importance of Credibility💪

No matter in which field or domain you are working in it is very important to build credibility. You may have a lot of followers but you are not credible and vice versa can also be true. If you are not credible people may follow you they may like your posts it'll make you happy but that's not what you ultimately want. You also want money and that comes from credibility. One person who will pay for your work is better than Thousands of not paying people. Being credible helps you make sales and build a client base.

Selling online

For a few months, I was just posting my artworks online, with the thought in my mind that I wasn't ready to start selling yet. Although I was seeing progress, I was always comparing myself to other artists who had been in the field for a long time. One day, I received a direct message from a guy who said he wanted me to create his artwork. I got so excited, and then he asked me for my rates. I said 150 rupees (which I know is way too low). At that time, I wasn't aware of what other artists charged. I worked for a few months for very little money. My price was less than half of what other artists charged at that time, which is why I got lots of clients.

Clients who come back to you are better than those who come to you just because they don't have other options. To do that and get more clients, I used some tricks, some of which are:

• I asked for their review and shared it on my Instagram story.

• I asked them to share my art on their social media and give a review or suggest me to others.

• I also asked them to mention or tag me wherever they posted it.

I know these won't work every time, and people may refuse, but unless you ask, the answer is always no. I told this to all my clients, but only 5-10% of them did it, and that was enough for me. As long as I'm getting clients, I'm good.

NFT🖼️

Here comes the turning point in my digital art journey. Yes, you heard it right: NFTs. Although they are not as trendy these days, a few years back, they were all the rage. People were crazy about them, and everyone wanted to invest in NFTs. This was my chance. No, I didn't invest in NFTs, but I still made a lot of money. Do you want to know how? Listen to me. But before I explain how I earned from NFTs, you need to understand what an NFT is.

What is NFT?

NFT stands for "Non-Fungible Token". It's basically a unique digital item that you can buy, sell or trade just like a physical collector's item. But it exists only in the digital world. NFTs can be anything from artwork, music, videos, memes, and more. When you own an NFT, you have ownership and proof of authenticity of that specific digital item, and you can sell it or trade in it like any other valuable asset.

Did I make my own NFT?🤔

Well, yes and no. Let me explain. NFT was a new trend in which everyone was investing, and artwork NFTs were a significant part of it. From big influencers to politicians, everyone was saying that NFTs were going to be the future. But I became a little bit suspicious. I didn't know at that time what was going to be the future, so I didn't invest in it. Instead, I sold my artwork to people who wanted to invest in NFTs. To make an artwork an NFT, you need to list it. I didn't sell NFTs; I only sold artwork, and later that person made an NFT out of it. I only charged for the art, but this time I charged much more than for my previous artwork. I charged almost 4k-5k rupees per piece, and people were actually buying them. Of course, if you can become a millionaire from something, 4k-5k is a very small amount. So, in this way, I made and sold many artworks. You can consider this the turning point of my journey. Although I can't share how much I made, I had enough in two months to buy 1.5 iPhone 14s.

Why do I have fewer followers?

Now you may be wondering why I have so few followers despite doing so many things. Am I lying? No, I had fewer followers because when you work for clients, most of them want to keep their work private. They didn't want me to share anything on my social media. Hence, no one knows about them. As long as I am getting what I desire, it's okay to keep things private. I was so involved in working for them that I had very little time to do something creative and be active on Instagram. Although I shared the reviews, I hope you now understand my follower count.

Other Income Streams

As I was so focused on earning and selling my art, I discovered some ways to earn a lot of money regardless of my skill set. You have to figure it out for yourself, but going outside of traditional ways can be very rewarding.

• One way is creating content for influencers. If you don't have a large following, you can work for someone who does. Whether it's content writing, graphic design, web development, or any other skill you possess, there are opportunities to earn from this.

• Another way is working with businesses. Instead of targeting individual clients, target businesses. They will earn money from your work, so they are willing to pay more. In my personal experience, businesses pay more than anyone else.

How I found clients?🤔

You might have a question in your mind from the beginning about how to find clients and work with businesses amidst so much competition. And you may be wondering how to get discovered. The answer is simple: you don't. Yes, you heard it right. You won't get discovered automatically. You have to do something that sets you apart from everyone else. You may be excellent in your work, but if you don't know how to sell yourself, you won't be able to earn. Here's my approach to selling:

Cold emails. Yes, you heard it right. I know many of you already know about this, but I'll tell you once again. I cold-emailed and DM'd many people, businesses, and influencers who I thought could be my potential clients. I sent almost 50 messages daily, out of which 5-10 replied, and 1-2 paid me. You just need to find those 1-2 people; that's enough.

Here's one more tip exclusively for my audience. Don't share it with anyone. 🤫

What you need to do is figure out who your client may be - a clothing business, a person selling property, a restaurant owner, etc. Then search for them on Google. Don't just look for the big ones; consider moderate-sized businesses. You can find their social media accounts on their websites and send them a message that includes some of your work to show them what you've done. Do this on all platforms, whether it's Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Never target the big ones. On YouTube, consider messaging someone with around 20k-30k subscribers.

Dear [Recipient],

I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name] and I am a digital artist and graphic designer. I came across your business and I was impressed with the work that you do.

I am reaching out to you today to see if there are any opportunities for us to collaborate. I have worked with various clients in the past and I believe that my skills and experience can bring value to your business.

If you have any design projects that you need help with, I would be happy to discuss them with you further. Please find attached my portfolio for your reference.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

This is the email that I sent most of my clients, and it did the job.

The thing to remember

No matter what I was doing, I always worked hard whether it was to achieve credibility or make money. It takes time and effort to establish oneself as a credible person and build a client base, but by consistently hustling and putting in the work, anyone can do the same with limited resources.

Networking with other people who are on the same journey and potential clients, exploring different things, and having a clear vision of what you want (in my case, I wanted money, not followers) can help you be proactive in your approach to marketing and selling. After all, it's a skill that anyone can master.

Ultimately, the value of hard work and determination lies in the satisfaction of seeing your efforts pay off. By pursuing your passion and putting in the work, you can also do good in your domain and achieve financial independence.

(I continued doing it for quite a long time, but currently, I am not focusing on it that much as there's something more important going on in my life. This was just an experience that I wanted to share with you all, so I wrote it.)

If you also want to earn from your skills don't wait any longer! Follow the tips and strategies that I've shared in this blog and start reaching out to clients today. Remember, success comes from taking action, so don't be afraid to put yourself out there and seize opportunities.