Don’t build your capital off the back of someone else.
What my umma taught me
My mom worked at a restaurant as a waitress for nearly a decade. One day she got made redundant.
Now, this broke my heart. My mom taught this precious lesson:
When you work for someone else, you’re building their capital. You’re not building your own capital.
Build your own platform
As photographers, visual artists, and entrepreneurs, we are building our own creative capital.
We must build our own platform. We cannot build upon the back of another platform, or else we are building our own kingdom on quicksand.
Don’t get suckered by “free”
For example if you build a following on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, whatever– you’re ultimately going to be a slave to that platform.
The simple solution:
Own your own platform.
Own your own website. Own your own name. Own your own store. Own your own intellectual property (don’t sign to a label or publisher. Don’t sign your name and life away).
Build your own label. Build your own company. Build your own sole proprietorship.
Building yourself up
Invest in yourself. Invest in your ideas. Build up your own website and blog.
Make a website via 1and1.com or bluehost.com. Use the open source wordpress.org platform. This will allow you to own your own content.
Build your own distribution channels, by making your own email newsletter. To get started use mailchimp.com or just use Google forms to collect emails.
Avoid closed systems. This is a tip:
Be suspicious of any “free” social media platform.
If the platform you’re using has “likes” or “followers”, you’re gonna get trapped.
Build your own kingdom and Rome!
ERIC