Sustaining the work.
WHAT MAKES CREATIVE CAREERS FAIL
Income that never becomes sufficient Burnout Losing the audience through inconsistency Signing away rights early Isolation
WHY SIGNING AWAY RIGHTS EARLY DESERVES ATTENTION
Work created early can earn for decades, and early contracts are signed without advice.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
That significant agreements are reviewed before signing.
WHY EVEN WHEN URGENT
Urgency is how unfavourable terms are accepted.
WHAT SUSTAINS A CAREER
Multiple income sources A body of work that continues earning An audience relationship you control Continued development
WHAT TO BUILD
A catalogue: work that earns after it is made.
WHY
It is what separates a career from a series of jobs.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT DEVELOPMENT
Time for work that is not commissioned.
WHY
Commissioned work alone produces no distinctive body of work.
WHAT TO PROTECT
Time and energy for creating.
WHY
Administration and chasing work expand to consume everything.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Separation between creating and the business of creating.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ISOLATION
Maintain contact with others doing the work.
WHY
It is where collaboration, opportunity and perspective come from.
WHAT TO REVIEW PERIODICALLY
Whether income is adequate Whether the work is what you want to make What proportion of time is spent creating
WHAT TO ACCEPT
That creative careers are uneven, and that periods of other work are normal rather than failure.
WHAT TO PROTECT ABOVE ALL
Ownership of your work.
