CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS

It is never too late to make your dreams of being an entrepreneur come true. A good start would be to go freelance. All it needs is creativity and guts.

 

In Wikipedia’s own terms, Creative Entrepreneurship is the practice of setting up a business – or setting yourself up as self-employed--- by investing in talent (either your own or other people’s).

DIY fanatic April San Pedro turned her hobby into a business
and has ventured into paperie and graphic design

 

People with artistic capabilities have a strong advantage in starting a business through services such as advertising, public relations, photography, crafting, painting, makeup artistry, and more. To be successful, you must first be able recognize the opportunities you have in the market, and develop and manage the right mix of creative know-how’s to maximize and utilize those opportunities.

 

Ayie Hernandez discovered her love for photography through the use of mobile phone cameras,
and now she has become one of the most sought after lifestyle photographers and stylists in Davao.

 
The creative industries are gradually becoming a significant element in our economy, even here in Davao. In establishing your own creative venture, creativity must then meet what the market demands. You must introduce something new to the market, and these products and services should be valuable or useful enough to sustain and/or increase the market’s demand. To stand out, you must “step in and out of character” and develop innovative processes or ideas. Novel ideas are welcomed by all, but you have to always remember how they will benefit the market, promising long-terms advantages and returns for your business.

Multitalented multimedia artist Aidx Paredes started apprenticeship at the age of 16,
and became a resident photographer for  a clothing brand before he turned 20 years old.
He also helped establish an online lifestyle magazine called Lieu.

So, what can you do? Believe it or not, there is a myriad of opportunities around you. Ever wonder how the business in blogging started to boom? Writers and visual artists are in the business of communicating ideas, images, and experiences. All these are in demand in industrial companies and even among individuals.

 

Wedding photographer Marlon Advincula started out as photo editor
for one of the country's top photographers, Lito Sy.

Take this for example. A photographer captures memories for generations to remember. They also come handy in advertising, since this industry relies heavily on images, whether still or moving. A professional advertising photographer makes hundreds of thousands of Pesos in just a few hours. A wedding photographer can even make half a million with just one event.

Makeup artist Melody Tinoy sidelines as content writer for several websites.

 

Fashion styling has branched out into advertising and public relations as an additional arm in establishing branding and image. This goes the same for makeup artists.

 

Fans of Martha Stewart also have a place in the industry and have a big chance in becoming successful. Crafters are highly skilled and not everyone have the patience and passion same as they do. Crafters have a wide range of potential clients for different purposes. They can customize invitations and reinvent paper goods, event and home décor.

Junnie Artajo's mastery of fashion design has turned him into a local icon after
getting recognition here and abroad.

 

These are just samples business opportunities that you can explore. You just have to trust your instincts, dig into your think tank and turn your hobby into a money-making venture.

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Story published on my newspaper column, Metro Mom.

A1, Indulge, Edge Davao, Vol. 6 Issue 73, 13 November 2013.