In my humble opinion, probably the biggest and best means to build a business nowadays is to assemble the audience first then make a product. Me, I have the products first and an audience of two.

Hi, mom! Hi, Rachael!

Building an audience takes time and effort. If I recall correctly, it’s about two years before there is a consistent revenue stream; about four to five for a livable wage. Expect about a decade for oneself to get a reliable audience with which to draw a healthy income. Results may vary on a ton of factors. Work ethic, competition, how hungry the audience is for you product, advertising, luck, you name it.

I have an income. It ain’t much but it covers food and rent. This art project I’m working on. Well, I expect that to be a drain on income, too. Luckily, years and years of living as a starving artist has left me fiscally efficient with what dollars I come by. As responsible as a squirrel prepping for winter.

Things I’m a little less prepared for are recognizing opportunities… Risks, too.

First things first. Let’s establish a presence. I’m planning on about six months to get into fighting shape. In the mean time, practice will be done in all elements of the game; drawing from reference exercises, without reference exercises, color theory, composition, medium, etc. Writing, too.

It’s a lot and I do wonder if I’m up to the task. Let’s be honest. I’m scared. Fuck if I know what I’m doing. Fuck me if I haven’t been here before. Fuck me harder if I haven’t failed, quit, or been cheated, etc. Is this just part of my larger shittier cycle? Is doom peeking out at me from behind a corner waiting for just the right moment? Paranoia?

Who knows.

Whatever it is, I keep coming back. And at my advanced age, when measuring effort v payoff, I seriously doubt other options will be more fulfilling than this endeavor. I’m nigh certain all my chips on on this waiger. Lord knows, I’m putting in the work.

Which, when you think about it, is a huge risk.