We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lily Hansen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lily below.
Alright, Lily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
In my 14-year writing career, I have been able to earn a living from my art for only a few years – and never in a row. While I wish I had better news what is reassuring is that I am still in the minority in a positive way. I know so many writers and artists, all incredibly talented, who have either never made a dime from their work or have only done so in full-time jobs. I feel really grateful to still be a freelancer and never to have compromised my independence which is most important to me. As someone put it best recently, “the freelance life is crazy” and you must have grit in order to sustain the waves.
If I were to give any advice to my new-to-the-field self it would be to have patience, constantly put yourself out there, and do not wait to ask for the pay that you deserve. It took me a long time to raise my rates and there are still some days when I think, am I selling myself short? I am not sure why it is so hard for artists to value their work with a cold, hard dollar sign but do what lawyers, financiers, and insurance agents do: find out what the average going rate is and charge or more if you have some extra special skills. The second I did, my confidence soared. While you might lose some clients, the right ones will come in. Plus, you are doing the rest of the art world a favor by setting a better-than-average standard. It is similar to demanding respect in a romantic relationship.
From day, it has been a full-time job just learning how to make a living as an artist. I am so thankful to have taken business classes and had some kickass mentors who taught me the power of negotiation. I’ve also had guardian angels in my life like my accountant who showed me how to write off everything imaginable. Asking for help and admitting what I didn’t know actually freed me up to make more money. Accepting the gift of supplementary income, even if I had to take on jobs that I didn’t want, taught me the benefits of humility. When I was able to drop my part-time job and do what I loved full-time I know that I appreciated it just a little bit more because I knew the pain of taking precious time away from my craft. Success truly does taste so much sweeter when you’ve had to make sacrifices for it.
The internet makes life and careers so much simpler than they are. If I were to give anyone advice, it would be to know that making a stable income from your art is a process. Do not give up hope if you’re making less money than you expected right away and rather, adjust your financial forecasts by reading some biographies about artists and their respective ups and downs. Talk to other artists who are brave enough to be open about their finances. Most importantly, share your stories with others so they also know that it takes many years to “arrive.” Lastly, separate your self-esteem from how much you’re bringing in every day. Know that if you stick around and show up, the money will as well. It might not be the same year after year, which can really stink when you’re trying yourself as a worthy tenant to landlords, but if you lead with passion a truly satisfying career will emerge. You’ll learn to live with less and feed your soul from those wild, weird, and invaluable experiences that are par for the course. Things always work out. I promise you the universe will continuously take care of you. As for that stress? Let it move you to have faith.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a long-time freelance writer and four-time author who specializes in profiles and biographical writing. In my career, I’ve written hundreds of articles, four books, and over 1,000 biographies. I absolutely love learning about other people’s lives and wrapping this into story form for others to hopefully discover from. The enthusiasm that I still have for interviews stems from my gift for gab. When I really started to find my voice as a writer it was because I asked myself, what do I like best about this craft? It was listening to others talk about what they had been through and how they had found their way to that moment in time. In every person, I can see a twinge of a thread that looped back to my own story which just reminded me how similar humans are.
Perhaps the achievement I am proudest of is wrapping my interviewing philosophy into a 20-minute TEDx talk that I have since used as a calling card. It was difficult to summarize the approach that I had taken to so many different types of people, from CEOs and celebrities to refugees who hardly spoke English and homeless people that turned the sidewalks into their personal nests. The realization that I had while writing this talk was by approaching everyone with kindness and curiosity their chances of opening up had expanded. It was so liberating to look back on my career and realize how many people’s insights I had learned from. I often ask myself, had I not sought out those subjects would I be the same person that I am today? The answer is “no” because it is so easy to get into our own bubbles and socialize with the same kind of people. That is how we contract. So, if I could pass along one granule of wisdom to others it would be to keep exposing themselves to those who are nothing like them. Only by putting ourselves in slightly uncomfortable situations and being willing to take on another’s perspective can we grow. And that, from my own viewpoint, is what we are here for after all.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
The number one action that will propel artists forward, especially in the midst of a financial climate, is to be paid what they deserve. While I did an unpaid internship for a few years as an early twentysomething, once I had transitioned past that point in time I always asked for money. Never would someone go to a new restaurant and ask, “Can I have that burger for free because you only opened last month?” Probably from working in so many restaurants I started to see my own craft in the same way – that I deserved to be paid my going rate, whatever I determined that was, and how important it was for artists to stick together and demand proper compensation for our individual services. If we want companies to do that then it needs to start with us.
To that point, if a client asks an artist that dreaded question, “What’s your going rate?” consider paying it no questions asked. Think beyond that particular service or project and consider how many hours have gone into their craft. Even imagine how much dedication they have put into acquiring that single job. Trust that the price tag is validated by experience and give them a chance to prove it. You will never be sorry that you did and if you are, I might just give you a refund! To help artists as a whole make a living wage we need to normalize it by paying their requested rate. The less an artist hears “hey, how about {insert number here} the more chance they have of being a role model for their peers. If accountants can live in a lovely apartment and take several vacations per year, then why not writers or painters? As a whole, society needs to monetarily reevaluate how we see the arts.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
One of the best investments I ever made in myself was taking a business class. This wasn’t normal in my family of creatives many of whom will openly say, “I wish I had learned more about the money side of my craft.” However, I was lucky to get pulled into the right circles as an adult and listened to what I was told: learn about basic business practices so you never have to associate ‘starving’ with ‘artist.’ While I have still had my rocky financial years, learning to think about my art as a business is still one of the greatest revelations I’ve ever had. One business class I took was $100 and the other was $1,000. I would say I learned just as much in the first as in the second simply because I went in ready to absorb everything that I could. Were I to somehow end up in a room with my 21-year-old self I would give her my credit card and tell her to sign up for the first business class that she saw. While I know that she would roll her eyes and lazily say, “I’m an artist ” I would tell her to stop being so short-sighted. Find that character deep inside of you even if it takes some digging. Tapping into my inner entrepreneur and even allowing myself to see that I had one was transformative. It allowed me to charge what I deserve, without guilt, and see the value that I bring to the world. Though it sounds cheesy, the confidence boost that I received was priceless.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.biographyexpert.com/
- Instagram: lilychansen
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-hansen-7267b227/
Image Credits
I have the rights to publish these. Credits: Ron Manville AVL Photographer