The Gig Economy is about thinking outside the box, exploring your interests and turning them into a way to make money that is not a traditional “job.”
For some people, it’s a way of life, for other’s its about augemnting their income. For those who find a true niche for their work, it leads to a new life of pursuing their passion and finding multiple streams of income to support that work. For those with an artistic bent, the Gig Economy offers a wide range of money-making opportunities. Taking advantage of the opportunities that free software, the internet and smart phones offer, many have become digital artists, web designers, coders, artists, musicians and more.
Morgan Harper Nichols is a new kind of artist, one who marries her love of art with her penchant for writing, and together, makes the kind of art that doesn’t just make you think, but also makes you feel.
With half a million followers on her Instagram account and multiple businesses that have sprouted from it, such as a print shop and self-published book, there’s a clear consensus amongst the thousands of comments that accumulate beneath her posts: people are grateful for her work. Nichols writes motivating pieces in a way that’s so artistic, you’d never mistake it for typical self-help. But that is precisely what Nichols is doing — helping people — and it started with her figuring out how to help herself.
Practically, Nichols suggests that aspiring artists explore via freelance gigs, at which point they can decide whether or not it’s right for them full-time. For her part, Nichols tried many different creative avenues before landing on what worked best for her. “I just started messing around in Photoshop, designing for artists, doing wedding photography…” she tells me. “The great thing about freelance is that you don’t have to decide to do just one thing for the rest of your life.” And all of that experience? It’s relevant, even if you don’t think it is. “It’s all going to teach you how to work with people, how to challenge yourself, show you what you want to do, what you don’t want to do,” she concludes. “I’m grateful for the gig economy in that way. You don’t have to be so afraid when things don’t work.”
