We recently connected with Scott Dergance and have shared our conversation below.

Scott, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I’ve spent decades working for other people in jobs that have at times been less than inspiring. And I’ve worked in creative fields for my entire adult life, so I’ve earned my income from being a creative person. But the first time I sold a piece of art that I alone created, was more satisfying than I would have imagined. This was even more true because it took me so long and so much work to make that first sale happen.

I’d been creating various kinds of digital art for over a decade before I decided to try to earn money from it in 2023. I then put in all the work to not only create the art, but to start a business purpose-built to sell my creations. I created a website, Instagram account, and all the business elements necessary to make this a reality. Then I put in months of work to prepare for my first art festival where I was hopeful to make a big splash. But I didn’t. Not at all. In fact, over the three day festival, I sold exactly ZERO artworks.

Disappointed but not deterred, I redoubled my efforts, reworked my entire website, reimagined my entire sales strategy, and relaunched my business six months later. And spent six more months grinding away on Instagram and online trying to market my work and simply get noticed. Then, in September of 2024, after a small article about my work got published in a local magazine, I finally sold my first piece, a framed micro-collection to a guy in Kansas. The notification popped up while I was at my day job and I nearly dropped my phone. Then I double checked to make sure it was real and immediately texted my wife to let her know the good news. I was so excited…for about two hours. Then I came to the realization that now I had an actual customer, I needed to fulfill his order. Which I did, and as it turned out the orders keep coming in and I keep fulfilling them with the hope that they keep growing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always been a creative person. In my life and in my job, I’ve always been loved to create. With decades of experience creating images using digital tools, I’ve become pretty good at producing interesting and visually pleasing work. On top of that, I’m also a student of popular culture. From art to advertising to movies and TV and social media content, I like to delve into the deeper meaning percolating below the surface. What makes me different in the vast world of art is my ability to combine my digital image creation skills with my popular culture critique into artwork that is both visually and intellectually provocative. And then doing it at a massive scale. I use generative tools and my own digital skills to generate scores of art pieces that delve into dozens of different topics.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is when my art connects with people. Sometimes it’s because they find it funny (I’m always aiming for humor), and sometimes it’s because they relate to my deeper message. And sometimes it’s just because they find a particular piece beautiful to look at. Regardless of how my work connects with these observers, and regardless of whether it’s in real life or online, I find it incredibly satisfying when I see it happen.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing society can do to support the invaluable resource of human creativity is to set up ways for artistic pursuits to be financially lucrative enough that people can make a living wage. With the rapid development of innumerable technologies that stand to make nearly everything in life more efficient and lower-cost, maybe creative pursuits will soon become a viable way to earn a living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dergsart.com/
• Instagram: @dergsart
• Twitter: @dergsart

Image Credits

DergsART Limited