195: How to Balance Your Needs as a Creative & Business Owner for Success w/ Josiah Moore
An emotional connection often exists between creatives and our creations. We want to have an influence and an impact with what we do. So it’s easy to take it personally when people either like or dislike our work. Yet there are many ways to stay in control when putting your creations out into the world.
Key Takeaways
When presenting early drafts to clients, the less you critique, the better. Second-guessing your work to your clients can lead down the wrong path of unnecessary revisions. Instead, focus on what you’re excited and happy about.
As creatives, we’re trying to strike a balance between sharing what we do with the world while still turning a profit. To maintain that balance over the long-run, you need to constantly reassess your process. Sometimes it means growing a team. Other times, you’ll need to take on more roles yourself.
About Josiah Moore
Josiah Moore is a freelance director and editor from upstate New York. Josiah stays busy in all aspects of music video production, be it client communication, shooting, building sets, and late nights editing.
Balancing Creativity and Business
It can be tough striking a balance as both creatives and entrepreneurs. Josiah knows the experience of creating projects that then become the property of his clients. It’s difficult to create something that is yours only to hand ownership of it to someone else. Josiah finds that making his own behind-the-scenes videos is to share with his followers is a great creative outlet. Passion projects are also a great way to stay motivated to do what you love.
The Value of Good Communication
As someone who handles so many aspects of a production, Josiah finds that upfront communication with clients is paramount. Letting them know the revision process and what it will cost prevents scope creep. Being clear on the shooting and editing schedule will keep things on track. Most of all, being in clear communication about your process and pricing builds and maintains the relationships that will drive your business in the long run.
What’s your long-term plan? Do you have a plan for retirement? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!
What’s your revision process like? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!
In This Episode:
- The process of profiting with music videos [5:19]
- Using behind-the-scene footage to engage with an audience [7:15]
- The emotional vulnerability that accompanies our creative works [11:30]
- Harnessing efficiency to maximize profitability [17:15]
- Different ways to approach the revision process [21:12]
- [25:16]
- How to consider the long-term aspects of freelance work [30:00]
- Why gear lust will stunt your growth [38:56]
Quotes
“How can I engage with and grow an audience that is invested in me as a creative rather than the people I work for?” [8:47]
“I’ve been finding when I really try to strip back and try to do the bare minimum and grind a little bit harder and take on a couple more roles myself, it’s really not going to hurt the project. We’re going to be able to be that much quicker, more efficient, and profitable.” [18:50]
“I think the struggle is that, as a creative person, I often find myself falling into thinking that whatever my latest work is is how I present myself. I don’t think that has to be the case. I still think you can have passion projects.” [37:54]
Links:
Sign up for the free Studio Sherpas Webclass
Follow Josiah on Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Additional Links:
Check out the full show notes page
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