Here's everything you need to know to make your first $1000 as an artist
The complete beginner’s guide for creatives looking to sell their work. 200 pages of business and marketing written for artists, makers, and illustrators. 91 of them are worksheets, so you finish with a plan.
Get the digital workbook for $97
…you’re in the right place.
I realized I couldn't afford to NOT learn business
In 2018, I was in college and finally taking my art seriously. I made a cohesive body of work, applied to galleries and shows, and got into quite a few of them.
My work didn't sell. Nobody knew my name, and I didn't have time to post between classes and work-study. No gallery was going to do that part for me.
So I started reading business books.
But every single business book felt like it was written for someone else. A startup founder tech-bro-type. Not a creative like you and me.
These books assumed I wanted a massive team, and that I could produce an infinite number of products. But every original piece takes time, and some parts of a creative business are fundamentally unscalable. None of the books acknowledged that.
I didn't want sales tactics that made me feel like a sleazy used car salesman. I wanted a different path forward.
“I purchased a business course from a business owner who was on Shark Tank and I followed the advice of running ads.... which didn't get me an ENGAGED audience. Now I have a much more sustainable and authentic approach. Kelsey's book completely changed the way I look at running my business!”
So I spent YEARS developing my own strategy.
I adapted what I could from those books and threw out the rest. I watched YouTube videos, studied famous creatives, and talked to a TON of folks about what was working for them. Then I experimented in my own business, over and over and over.
And as my strategy formed, I started teaching it to other creatives too. How to *actually* identify your ideal audience, how to sell in a way that doesn't feel sleazy, etc.
Somewhere in there I stopped believing that learning business makes you a sellout. This belief we have that marketing our work makes us a "sellout" or "compromises our creative integrity" just keeps us stuck in a cycle of poverty. How can you really make your best creative work if you're worried about how you'll pay for your groceries??
And then I turned ALL of that knowledge and experience into a book. Just for you.
This is a step-by-step guide to starting a creative business.
The Creative Entrepreneur's Workbook is a 200-page digital workbook designed to help you start and scale a business to $1000 a month.
91 of those pages are worksheets. So you aren't just reading about business... you're implementing my advice and having endless lightbulb moments one exercise at a time.
“It's equal parts self-discovery and really good entrepreneurial nuts-and-bolts thinking.”
Worksheets designed to help you implement everything
Every idea in the book is followed by a page where you apply it to your own work. Your offer suite. Your story. Your prices. It's a fillable PDF, so you type or write straight in.
By the last worksheet you've written your whole business plan without noticing it. I'm sneaky like that.
Lecture pages that read like a friend explaining it
I've included chapters on pricing, audience, content, and sales strategies, written for someone who'd rather be in the studio. Real examples from my business and from other artists, and no MBA vocabulary.
I've read endless business books and been SO frustrated by how fluffy and egocentric they are, and so I wrote this with YOU in mind. Every chapter has actionable tactics and approachable language, so you'll never be lost.
Here's a chapter by chapter summary of everything inside.
01Gaining Clarity On Your Goals+
Figure out what kind of business you actually want, and what you want running it to feel like, before you spend years building the wrong thing.
02The Building Blocks of Business+
The different types of creative businesses out there, the pros and cons of each, and advice from artists actively working in them. Plus how to price your work with confidence.
03Understanding What's Possible+
Real examples of artists who built sustainable businesses without compromising their values, so you can pick the path that fits you.
04Marketing 101 for Creatives+
By the end of this chapter, you'll know exactly who your ideal audience is, and why they'd care about your work.
05Crafting Your Artistic Brand+
Study the creators in the communities you want to join, find what sets you apart, and put words to it.
06The Fundamentals of Content Strategy+
Hooks, packaging, and the Content Matrix, so you can brainstorm dozens of content ideas and still have time to make art.
07Your Long-Term Strategy+
Email lists, launches, and calls to action. You'll finish with a 90-day plan you can come back to every quarter.
You'll have secretly built an entire business plan.
Written down, in your own words, on the worksheets. Here are the four big things you'll have figured out by the end of the book:
Buy the Creative Entrepreneur's Workbook
The Creative Entrepreneur’s Workbook
The complete beginner’s guide to building a sustainable creative business, at your own pace.
It’s a PDF, so no refunds. Read the chapters above first.
I'm throwing in two bonuses for free. Because you're cute.
These bonuses are included and will be MASSIVELY helpful at ensuring that you put everything into practice and get the most value out of the book.
BONUS 01
The walkthrough mini-course
Watch me work through the core exercises with my own examples. If theory never quite sticks until you see it applied, this is where everything clicks.
BONUS 02
My Notion templates
The same business planning and content calendar templates I use to run my own business. Duplicate them and you're set up in an afternoon.
Here are some answers.
How long does it take to get through?+
Most people work through it in a weekend. Then they come back to it again and again over the following months as they implement what they learned.
I haven't even started my business yet. Is this for me?+
Yes! Honestly, this is the BEST time to read it. The questions in this book (who you're making work for, what you want to offer, what you want your days to look like) are the ones that save you from building the wrong thing.
I've been selling for years. Is this too basic?+
If you're already consistently past $1,000 a month and want hands-on feedback on your work, the Creative Accelerator is probably a better fit. But if you've been selling for a while without a real plan, this will show you exactly where the gaps are.
How is this different from your YouTube videos?+
My videos give you the ideas. This book is where you apply them to your own business, one worksheet at a time, in order.
Do I need to be tech-savvy?+
Not at all. It's a PDF with fillable forms. If you can read and write, you can use this workbook.
Won't learning to sell make me sleazy?+
Only if you learn it from the wrong people. Everything in this book is about talking about your work like a normal person, to people who'll genuinely love it.
What's your refund policy?+
As the workbook is a digital PDF that cannot be "returned," I’m unable to process refunds for workbook purchases. Please read the chapter summaries and this FAQ before buying.
This book is where you start
It is easier than ever to build a creative business on your own terms. But you have to start somewhere.
By this time next week, you could have a plan for the business you actually want, instead of another month of guessing.
“You will not regret purchasing this workbook, I promise!!”
