Can you, (‘should’ you?), create for free? Of course you ‘should’. Create anyway. 

I created ten chapters of a comic series, Contentment is for Cows. There were costs to me for supplies, web hosting and other necessities, not including the hours I poured into it. At the time I will admit I harboured a hope that a white knight just looking for something exactly like what I was creating would swoop me off to the magical world of publishing and syndication. Instead, I developed a loyal following of supporters. Not followers. Supporters.

Priceless.

Now I am taking on publishing my mother’s diaries. She did not write those diaries for creative purposes, but taken all together, she did in fact create a lively read about her 1930’s girlhood. It will probably be at least a year before I have a hard copy in my hands. Then I will have to make the best creative use of my hustling capabilities to produce enough sales to cover the costs of production.

And brewing quietly — sometimes noisily, in the back of my mind is an idea for a book… a full blown novel. 

Creating is the fun part. If there is any ‘should’ in the creative process, it should be that the goal of creating begins with the joy of creating. 

The marketing and business side is a different matter. Often, the business side for creative types is a muddle through process. (That’s why agents exist.) Most artists and creators want an audience for their work, and in my experience, most are surprised if/when they get it. If financial reward is the goal, the creative side will likely be compromised. I wrote and drew my comics because I thought they were funny and I wanted to develop my creative skills. 

Again, priceless.

Create for yourself first. (That is an unintended ‘should’.)

Just a head’s up — I will create these posts until the end of June, and then I’m off and away to see as many places and people as possible over the summer months. (You ‘should’ too.)