THE coronavirus has brought the world to a complete standstill and there are many industries that will suffer as a consequence.
The freelancers in creative industries like photography, graphic design, film, fine art and other creatives who generate their income through commissions and doing independent work for various companies have also been effected by the pandemic.
It’s no question that most creatives generate their clients and income from social media and other online platforms like Linkedin.
Although freelance creatives are used to working from home and handling their clients from the comfort of their bedroom, they will definitely experience change from their day-to-day work.
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Meetings have been reduced to Skype or FaceTime, other tasks like delivering work to clients, going to gigs and doing work outside of your house has been put on hold. This will without a doubt put certain creatives under pressure.
Some creatives, who don’t have as many financial struggles, have the opportunity to complete other projects they’ve been working on and they may see this as a silver lining. There’s no more excuses to procrastinate on projects that didn’t get your full attention.
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Support creatives by buying their art, music and other projects that they can monetize.
Upper Highway area creatives share how they’ll navigate the pandemic
Callan Grecia (Fine art, Westville): I work from home already so it hasn’t really affected my general workflow. However, sales have slowed because people are less likely to leave home to collect work from the post office (I use Postnet to send paintings to buyers).
I live at home so it’s not ideal to leave the house in case I contract the virus. I’ve been social distancing and at home for just over a week. I’m sure I’m on the lucky end of the spectrum where I’ve got enough savings to last me through the next two or three months, but I know it must be tough on artists and freelancers who don’t have that luxury and live paycheck to paycheck.
Many of my friends are artists, freelancers or musicians and right now, it is possibly the most important time to support creatives who don’t have steady incomes. Emerging artists need support and whether that be buying their music on bandcamp, ordering prints or artwork online to be posted at a later date etc, these are the things that need to happen to support young creatives during this pandemic.
Hendrick Joerges (DJ/producer, Hillcrest): I’m lucky enough to be earning a large proportion of my income through working from home, so the virus hasn’t affected my current income situation.
However, if I was a touring artist like many of my friends, it would have a devastating effect on my source of income.
Many of my friends in the industry are in a frenzy because touring is their livelihood and now they have to find alternate ways to make money.
However, there are a few worth mentioning: if you’re a music producer, the door is opened for you to make money online through doing feedback video streams or production breakdowns on live-streaming platforms that allow for viewers to ‘tip’. Other ways include formulating a monthly patreon subscription for one’s followers or other eager producers to follow for a price, including all the latest song releases downloadable, production tutorials, and exclusive content.
It’s also a great time for producers to reach out to singers and rappers who will undoubtedly be working on new music and offering your services to them. It’s a strange time for everyone in every industry.
Katherine Kali (Graphic designer/illustrator, Gillitts): As an artist I’ve had to market myself with even more focus and intention and not rely on being approached by agencies and businesses.
It’s also highlighted the fact that eCommerce is not the future of business anymore it’s the present, for all professionals alike.
I’ve been redirecting my energy into creating vehicles online that automate my income – either partially or completely. It’s vital that we educate ourselves as a community in eCommerce and find the platform that fits our modality best.
Rallying for support online is a form of social media marketing (SMM) which is a start – the real wins will be made when we master the art of SMM in relation to our product instead of stumbling into it haphazardly.
It’s a time to upskill, teach and form new local and global communities and create avenues which will hopefully change our financial landscapes – which often aid South African artists – for the better.
We just need to approach this new norm with the right attitude and willingness to learn and grow. Of course there is the problem of creatives not having access to tech and internet connection – but hopefully this gap in the market will be recognised and restored quickly by various startups and the government acknowledges that WiFi should no longer be considered a luxury accessory but a necessary utility and have it priced as such.
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
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