Organic Growth vs Explosive Growth for artists

At some point, every artist wants to make a living with his art.

After all, we see so many people doing it online already. Why should you be different? But the problem is that most of them want a shortcut to expload their popularity and become overnight successes.

Here are the pros and cons of organic and explosive growth for artists, based on my 17+ years of experience in marketing and copywriting.

Pros and Cons of Organic Growth

Pros:

  • It’s stable for the long term and makes you very resilient – unless you do something REALLY stupid (like the recent BudLight marketing campaign disaster), this is going to thrive for a long time;
  • You can start for free and it doesn’t require a lot of money to invest;
  • You ease into notoriety and the pressure that comes with it;
  • You can be independent and be “yourself” with no compromises of any kind;
  • It helps you refine your style, your uniqueness and your message;
  • You plant a lot of seeds and, some of them, will take root down the road.

Cons:

  • It takes a long time to see monetary results;
  • It requires discipline and consistency because you are building your success brick by brick with no shortcuts;
  • In the beginning, unless you are young and your parents support you, you are going to do this as a side job;
  • It’s harder to simply “disappear” like most famous people do;
  • You are not going to be as big and popular as Taylor Swift or Justin Timberlake (but, do you really want to?).

Pros and Cons of Explosive Growth

Pros:

  • It is quick and almost overnight (there’s still work to be done);
  • This is what allows you to be in contact with the big and famous people admired by the masses (but is it really worth it?);
  • The Media will be your biggest ally (as long as you pay your dues).

Cons: 

  • It requires a lot of money and too many compromises (the kind that will bite you on the backside down the road);
  • Most of them are appearances (you will be surprised at how many Lamborghinis, Villas and even FunkPop collections are just rented only to keep up appearences);
  • It can be taken away at any moment (compromises are pricy) – how many “famous people” disappear one day to another?
  • You have to appear on shows you don’t like and embrace ideologies that go against your values.

July 18, 2024