So last week we talked about the 3 instances when artists and creatives are most focused on their finances. We identified the “summer money” blues as the time of year when teaching artists see the most fluctuation or lull in their income as their income is predominantly tied to the academic school year. And we offered solutions to avoid singing the same blues next year. Click here to check out that blog post.
This week let’s talk about the “my production/program/operation needs a bit more funding” blues.
It happens to all of us! We’ve appropriately budgeted for the project (or so we thought), applied for a grant to help with funding, begged family and friends to support and even got additional funds from our Indiegogo campaign. Now you’re thinking…”Maybe I can just charge the additional expenses on my credit card”.
Wait a minute! How much have you and/or your collaborators already personally invested in this project? It’s easy to justify constantly investing in our creative works but then, your personal finances suffer.
There are other ways to access funding from an even broader network of lenders who could possibly become customers and overnight fans of your work. Microloans is one such way. And, in some cases the micro loans carry a 0% interest rate! Of course, you have to repay the loan within a certain amount of time.
Consider KivaZip, a project launched by Kiva.org. KivaZip connects a community of lenders and borrowers, facilitates the lending process and supports small business owners. You need time (to move through the application process and raise funds), so plan ahead!
Disclaimer: I am not a 3rd party vendor for KivaZip.