Full time Artist: how to make money as an artist

CJ interviews Sheila Chandra about her book “Organizing for Creative People”. How can you make money as a full time artist, whether you are a writer, singer, or visual artist? How do you balance creating art and running a business? How do you make sure you don’t spread yourself to thin? What are some time mgmt tips to keep you focused on your creative passions? Why is creating a network of artists and business people important for your success? An artists brand- What is it? Why is it important? And how can you make extra money once you have established it? How to withstand the natural income fluctuations that come with being an artist? When do you go for broke or abandon a creative project?

Full time Artist: YouTube Interview with Sheila Chandra

About Sheila Chandra 

Born in South London to a South Indian immigrant family, Sheila Chandra discovered her voice at the age of twelve and whilst at Theatre Arts school. From this moment her chosen path was to be a singer. Lacking any real contacts or access to the music business, she nevertheless honed her vocal skills as a labour of love, spending up to two hours a night throwing her voice into the tall, draughty and uncarpeted stairwell of the family home: “I didn’t know how to manufacture an opportunity, but I was determined that when a chance came my way I would be ready.”

A chance did come her way, perhaps drawn by the weight of such unshakable belief. Steve Coe, a writer and record producer, was about to form a band as an outlet for his increasingly Indian influenced material. He came across Chandra’s voice on an old audition tape, lying in a box at Hansa Records and knew that he had found his singer: “The richness, fluidity and quality of her voice struck me immediately. And then when I requested a photo from the file and found that Sheila was Asian, everything else seemed to fall into place.”

‘Monsoon’ put out an EP on Steve Coe’s newly formed ‘Indipop’ label and were signed by the far sighted Dave Bates at Phonogram. The band’s first single ‘Ever So Lonely’ took a song written around a raga and, utilising the new production techniques available, came up with an irresistible but radical modern pop fusion sound