The Passion Economy: How to grow your first 50 fans?
Creator Series with Archana Manoj
100 True Fans is the topic of the first episode of the Imagination to Creation series, and Archana Manoj's insights could be beneficial to you whether you are starting your brand or building a community of fans. 100 True Fans was originally an idea written by Li Jin, a pioneer in the passion economy where she says by serving 100 true fans you should be able to make a good living doing what you are passionate about. Archana speaks about her journey as a founder of Beyond Canvas in serving her 100 true fans, from starting 6 fans to now 50 more fans. (She also gets a fan that buys whatever she put out there!)
In the creator session, we learn how Archana found happiness by teaching painting to reach her goal for 100 true fans. She talks about her journey as an artist and expands it to sharing her moment in art with adults and kids. To save your time, here in this blog, I have summed up 5 takeaways that Archana’s story has taught us in her pursuit of passion economy.
Understand your passion
The fundamental key to pursuing a passion economy is to understand your true passion. Ask yourself, what is something I have been enjoying and would love to continue working on and upscaling it? In Archana’s story, she is an IT professional in a healthcare company but her passion for art has never stopped her. Archana sees painting as an activity that has always been intertwined in her life. Her friends, family and colleagues have known her doing paintings as part of who she is. For Archana, painting has always been a very individual activity between herself and the canvas. This commitment to painting is how Archana understands her true passion.
Grasp the opportunity
Observe and listen to people around you is a great way to start discovering your opportunity. Archana realizes her friends always ask her the same questions, “why don’t you do something beyond your own pleasure of doing it? Maybe teaching painting or selling it?”. These questions were always behind Archana’s mind. And at some point, she began to feel guilty for not trying to expand her passion for painting. The pandemic changes her whole perspective, she sees people trapped in their house, feeling stressed out. She wanted to do something for them, especially for their mental health. Painting brings joy and mediates Archana, and she sees this can be beneficial to many others as well. With this mission in mind, she grasped her opportunity and started her first session of teaching painting.
Step out of comfort zone
Having a passion and teaching your passion can be a completely different practice. But in fact, they are just two sides of the same coin. Archana tells us that it’s normal to self-doubt and fear at first. But when she starts teaching painting, she told us she learns so much. It is a completely different kind of happiness to brings people to experience the making of art. She says,
It could take a little bit of effort for the artists. But a person who is doing it already by themselves, it is a very easy transition process for them to be on the other side, like an instructor or a person who guides others to experience the same. I still remember all the happy faces. Some of them were doing their very first painting in their life, and they couldn't believe themselves. That's such a happy feeling to see that.
A unique relationship with fans is the key to passion economy
What is community? We see the word “building community” everywhere and sometimes, it can feel overwhelmed. Are Facebook followers the community that we are talking about here? It is great to have lots of followers to showcase your passion, but it’s even better when fans truly supporting their creators and connect with them.
In a passionate economy, fans and creators have a common connection toward the same interest. For Archana, her connection with fans is the painting that they make together. At the beginning of Archana’s teaching, several fans joined with so much self-doubt about whether they will be able to do the painting. So Archana works with them over several months to build their confidence. She constantly reminds them that painting is not alone but it is an experience that can make them feel good. People who are Archana’s fans now are those who enjoy the process of painting and wanted to improve. They wanted Archana to succeed and their experience to improve. It becomes a process where fans and creators are working together with the same passion. This kind of relationship is a completely different relationship that Archana has never experienced before, a very good and unique relationship.
Set goals and take actions
To continue moving forward and expanding your passion, it is crucial to set a goal, make a plan and take action. Archana’s goal is to introduce this experience of creativity to the maximum number of people she can. Whatever offering that can introduce more people to experience the beauty of painting becomes Archana’s goal. To reach 100 fans, she continues building her community and joining the Spur community. It allows her to easily monetize her offerings and packages so she can focus on her passion and goals, and not worry about all the technological challenges.
If you enjoy Archana’s story and find it beneficial, please share it with your friends! It takes less than 60 seconds, but it really makes a difference in bringing more creators and support them to the passion economy.
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