We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shana Roark a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

No one wants to pay for art. Besides the bougie collectors or true fans, the masses aren’t interested. And a big mistake creatives make is wanting to charge. a premium without having a brand. An established brand, specifically. I started out doing poetry for free. I wrote custom poems for people, and then I branched out to doing it at private events. Social media outlets, in combination with sharing my poetry on the streets of New York for FREE (I know, so cringe to artists now who demand to be paid for all work! Sorry Charlie, you have to give it away for free OR have another marketing technique to reach people) allows me to do the dream: Make a full-time living from my art. I now receive hundreds of custom poem orders a month and am booked for weddings and other private and corporate events. I love my life, and I love the hustle it took to get here.

Shana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I always loved poetry. I’m talking, OBSESSED. Since I was a kid. And I believe, as Paulo Coehlo said, that we all know our life’s goal when we are children. It’s just that some of us don’t make it there for reasons outside of our control. Luck plays a part. I was a full-time teacher and did custom poetry on the side. I transitioned to be a full-time poet by marketing myself to event planners who book me for private events, and by using the POWER of social media. That is your marketing. It’s free, it’s accessible, and after years of figuring out your brand, audience, and message, you can (and WILL) have a hefty following who is willing to support you. And yes, I’m talking financially.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Pay them. Tip the busker. Venmo the dancer. Buy the painting you like. Money speaks.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Artists create because they have to. That’s what makes an artist different from a hustler. A hustler is in it for the money and the glory. But an artist will create whether or not there is a reward. It’s a need. Eating, sleeping. It’s in THAT category. People in my life often try to discourage me from doing my art–“Why don’t you get a real job?” You’re too smart for this.”–but what they don’t get, is that getting to make a living off my art, even if it’s a struggle sometimes, even if it’s not as bougie or fancy as other paths, it is what I want. And artists and their willingness to help you see the world differently–they should be appreciated. And cherished.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shanaroark.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supergirlreject/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperGirlReject/
• Twitter: SuperGirlReject
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYcNywscwungVQTIYJfqdBQ