The fate of The Hungry is in your hands…No pressure
Before we get started, some housekeeping...
I've officially opened the doors to allowing contributors to share their stories in The Hungry. If you have a professional perspective to share, head over to the Collaborations page on the shiny, new Hungry website.
Also, there will be no newsletter on Friday, February 2nd, and returning on February 9th with a test that could have a significant outcome that I'll share in the future. Stay tuned.
This edition of Hungry Friday is in
partnership with Sticker Mule.
Answer Questions / Get Stuff
I'm a decent judge of what is important to most creative business owners, but sometimes, there are nuances that I miss. To help me identify those things, I make an effort each year to find out what parts of the newsletter are the most helpful and practical for your work.
Presenting the 2024 edition of The Hungry Poll, and this year, I'm asking about your likes and dislikes, what you'd like to see more or less of, and why you haven't referred the newsletter to anyone yet, Karen*.
WAIT! I want to sweeten the deal before you move on because polls make you break out in a rash. Anyone who finishes the poll will be entered into a raffle to win a scholarship to the current (or future) iteration of Choose Your Words, my live course for online writing and publishing for creative people who hate to write.
Writing this newsletter takes a lot of work, and I would appreciate it if you could help me with this task because that makes it easier to make The Hungry the best damn creative business newsletter ever for you.
Click Here to decide the future of The Hungry.
*No particular Karens, just Karens in general.
Free Opportunities (Costs Included)
I read this article published by Printify, How to Start an eCommerce Business Without Money, and though the writing is in-depth and contains some solid information on various ways to build a creative business (Print-on-demand being at the top of the list, of course), there's a quiet underpinning of Sunk Costs theory laced between the paragraphs.
You've heard the business axiom, "It takes money to make money." And some businesses will use that as a way to justify costs that must be incurred to operate.
The way I see it, there are only two truths that any creative business should live by regarding finances.
There are no free lunches. If a tool is free to use, then you are the product!
You don't have to make financial decisions based on what you perceive is the best deal.
The other day, my mom (also an artist) asked me for advice. She wants to build a new website that is more complimentary to her work than her Etsy shop. She started building a WordPress site but was quickly disillusioned by its complexity.
I advised her that Squarespace would be a better option because it would be easier to use, and she could design the site like she wanted. She then talked about costs and immediately gravitated toward one of the higher-pricing tiers because it had all the bells and whistles she would eventually need. She also wanted to jump into an annual plan immediately, but I cautioned her not to be too hasty.
Instead, I advised her to start lower at the primary level and only pay month to month for the first few months until she got more acquainted with the platform and legitimately needed the services the higher tiers provided.
Yes, we will incur costs with any business opportunity we pursue. Getting a good deal on those costs is worth considering, but many people get caught up with impulsive choices because they want to save money immediately.
Investing in your business is usually a good idea, but it's also a good idea to do your due diligence.
Art Snacks: Ingrid Murray
Some people do art journals, and then there's Ingrid Murray. I know these things are subjective, but very few artists on Instagram stop me in my tracks, quite like Ingrid, and I thought it was fair time for me to share her with you so she can stop you in your tracks, too.
Website | Instagram | Threads
Biz Bites
Maybe you have a newsletter like me. And maybe you are looking for exciting ways to grow that newsletter. And perhaps you want the most in-depth article ever on the topic.
Say what you want about Stanley Cups, but Ashley Koshko is bedazzling her business all the way to the bank.
Need stickers? Join Sticker Mule today and get a $10 credit on your first order! [Partner]
YouTubers have been asking for A/B testing options on the platform for a very long time. Now they're getting their wish.
Is TikTok coming for YouTube? They're currently testing uploads up to 30 minutes long. It's as if your Gen-Z and Alpha kids needed more time to watch booty-shaking and prank videos.
Art Bites
If you like 80s/90s-style graphics and alt-sports/music/art magazines, you want to pick up the latest issue of Monster Children , guest art directed by Chris Ashworth.
Embrace the chill of this array of esthetically pleasing fishing huts.
Do you want your resolutions and goals to mean something beyond the platitudes you share on social media? Draw them instead of writing them.
We often get caught up in ensuring our visual identity and style are consistent because consistency provides trust. Illustrator Josh Patterson thinks it's a good idea to shake up your style now and then.
Creative Boom is one of my favorite online resources, and one segment of their site is dedicated to publishing, which I know is a hot topic for many Hungry readers.
