4.1 Share Economies in Creative Industries
The Sharing Economy, a movement largely embraced by younger individuals, denotes a shift away from capitalistic spending an owning, towards a system where goods and services could be shared by a group of people, lowering cost and extending the usage of the good or service.
The growth of the Shared or Collaborative Economy is very much influenced by current changes within creative industries. Just as a service like Uber would not have been able to take off without the innovations in smartphone and mobile application technology, the existence of such new services creates opportunities for the creative industry to expand and evolve new strategies to face the new challenges faced.
One key way that the sharing economy has changed the creative industry is the shift from agency-based design to freelance work. Sites like Behance allow designers to showcase their work to potential clients. Fiverr, a website that gives people "Freelance services, on demand", advertises how easy it is for the "lean entrepreneur" to "get sh*t done".
However, it can be argued that Fiverr "cheapens" the market for design, with prices for services like logo design often as low as $5 (hence the name Fiverr). According to Roshan Perera of Freelancinghacks.com, "Fiverr’s cheap pricing model targets cheap employers (or clients) who browse the site looking for the cheapest freelancers to get their job done at the lowest possible cost. Most of them don’t even care about the quality, they just want the job done for cheap." (Perera, 2016). Fiverr also limits pricing to $5, $25, $50, or $100, and takes away nuance and negotiation that's often necessary in freelance jobs. A platform like Fiverr places emphasis on quantity over quality, with designers and writers often plagiarising in order to meet a deadline.
Thankfully, there are other options besides Fiverr where designers can get better compensation for their time and efforts. Designers and other creatives need to be savvy in navigating the freelancing field, to protect their own interests as well as the interests of fellow creatives.
Social media plays an important role in helping creatives showcase their work and find potential clients. From keeping portfolios in older websites like DeviantArt and New Grounds, to using Instagram to promote art and communicate with your fanbase, creatives need to be aware of what platforms are best suited for their needs.
Instagram is a current favourite for artists and designers that work on a visual medium. The use of hashtags can help group similar works, or make it easier for users to find your specific artworks. Artists can also use Instagram to craft their specific brand, and communicate their unique style to their audience.
Personally, I use Behance as my main portfolio, though I have plans on eventually creating my own website. Behance suits my current needs as a budding designer, since it already has a large network of designers. The main page showcases a lot of new and interesting works, and it allows people to "appreciate" each others' creations.
I don't have an example of myself using social media for collaboration, but I have used codeshare while working on assignments to ask my old classmates for help on coding issues.
Codeshare enables us to help each other, and the code updates live so we can see what edits are being made. I've found it to be a very useful tool for collaboration, especially when you just need a pair of fresh eyes to find that single missing semicolon.
Bibliography:
Alexander, J. (2015). How Social Media Is Changing the Creative Industry. [online] Available at: https://fstoppers.com/business/how-social-media-changing-creative-industry-91072 [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Artwork Archive. (n.d.). How to Make Money as an Artist on Instagram. [online] Available at: https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/how-to-make-money-as-an-artist-on-instagram [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Davies, J. (2017). Digital creative networks: Why social media is getting creative. [online] Available at: https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/digital-creative-networks-why-social-media-is-getting-creative/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Duque, M (n.d.) Why is Fiverr Bad? [online] thisdesigngirl.com. Available at: https://thisdesigngirl.com/fiverr-bad/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Gross, R. (n.d.) Here’s how to promote your photography on Instagram like a pro. [online] Available at: https://www.canva.com/learn/heres-promote-photography-instagram-like-pro/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Perera, R. (2016). 21+ New Low Competition Freelancing Sites You Should Join. [online] Freelancing Hacks. Available at: https://freelancinghacks.com/21-new-freelancing-sites-you-should-join/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Perera, R. (2016). Why Fiverr Is The Worst Place To Start A Freelance Career. [online] Freelancing Hacks. Available at: https://freelancinghacks.com/fiverr-worst-place-for-freelancers/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Saporito, N. (2016). Fiverr is Bad for Designers? Not Necessarily. Here’s why… [online] Logos by Nick. Available at: https://logosbynick.com/designers-dont-fear-fiverr/ [Accessed 16 Dec 2018].
Shacknow, J. (2017). Sharing Economy Culture In The Creative Space. [online] Smithandbeta.com. Available at: https://www.smithandbeta.com/post/sharing-economy-culture-in-the-creative-space [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Zeller, S. (2016). 10 Instagram Tips for Photographers. [online] Available at: https://petapixel.com/2016/10/24/10-instagram-tips-photographers/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
The growth of the Shared or Collaborative Economy is very much influenced by current changes within creative industries. Just as a service like Uber would not have been able to take off without the innovations in smartphone and mobile application technology, the existence of such new services creates opportunities for the creative industry to expand and evolve new strategies to face the new challenges faced.
One key way that the sharing economy has changed the creative industry is the shift from agency-based design to freelance work. Sites like Behance allow designers to showcase their work to potential clients. Fiverr, a website that gives people "Freelance services, on demand", advertises how easy it is for the "lean entrepreneur" to "get sh*t done".
Thankfully, there are other options besides Fiverr where designers can get better compensation for their time and efforts. Designers and other creatives need to be savvy in navigating the freelancing field, to protect their own interests as well as the interests of fellow creatives.
Social media plays an important role in helping creatives showcase their work and find potential clients. From keeping portfolios in older websites like DeviantArt and New Grounds, to using Instagram to promote art and communicate with your fanbase, creatives need to be aware of what platforms are best suited for their needs.
Instagram is a current favourite for artists and designers that work on a visual medium. The use of hashtags can help group similar works, or make it easier for users to find your specific artworks. Artists can also use Instagram to craft their specific brand, and communicate their unique style to their audience.
Personally, I use Behance as my main portfolio, though I have plans on eventually creating my own website. Behance suits my current needs as a budding designer, since it already has a large network of designers. The main page showcases a lot of new and interesting works, and it allows people to "appreciate" each others' creations.
I don't have an example of myself using social media for collaboration, but I have used codeshare while working on assignments to ask my old classmates for help on coding issues.
Codeshare enables us to help each other, and the code updates live so we can see what edits are being made. I've found it to be a very useful tool for collaboration, especially when you just need a pair of fresh eyes to find that single missing semicolon.
Bibliography:
Alexander, J. (2015). How Social Media Is Changing the Creative Industry. [online] Available at: https://fstoppers.com/business/how-social-media-changing-creative-industry-91072 [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Artwork Archive. (n.d.). How to Make Money as an Artist on Instagram. [online] Available at: https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/how-to-make-money-as-an-artist-on-instagram [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Davies, J. (2017). Digital creative networks: Why social media is getting creative. [online] Available at: https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/digital-creative-networks-why-social-media-is-getting-creative/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Duque, M (n.d.) Why is Fiverr Bad? [online] thisdesigngirl.com. Available at: https://thisdesigngirl.com/fiverr-bad/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Gross, R. (n.d.) Here’s how to promote your photography on Instagram like a pro. [online] Available at: https://www.canva.com/learn/heres-promote-photography-instagram-like-pro/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Perera, R. (2016). 21+ New Low Competition Freelancing Sites You Should Join. [online] Freelancing Hacks. Available at: https://freelancinghacks.com/21-new-freelancing-sites-you-should-join/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
Perera, R. (2016). Why Fiverr Is The Worst Place To Start A Freelance Career. [online] Freelancing Hacks. Available at: https://freelancinghacks.com/fiverr-worst-place-for-freelancers/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Saporito, N. (2016). Fiverr is Bad for Designers? Not Necessarily. Here’s why… [online] Logos by Nick. Available at: https://logosbynick.com/designers-dont-fear-fiverr/ [Accessed 16 Dec 2018].
Shacknow, J. (2017). Sharing Economy Culture In The Creative Space. [online] Smithandbeta.com. Available at: https://www.smithandbeta.com/post/sharing-economy-culture-in-the-creative-space [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Zeller, S. (2016). 10 Instagram Tips for Photographers. [online] Available at: https://petapixel.com/2016/10/24/10-instagram-tips-photographers/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2018]
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