I HELP CREATIVES & ARTISTS
EARN MORE MONEY
THAN MOST COLLEGE GRADUATES BY...
(Brace Yourself...)
BEING creatives
& artists!
I HELP CREATIVES & ARTISTS
EARN MORE MONEY
THAN MOST COLLEGE GRADUATES BY...
(Brace Yourself...)
BEING creatives
& artists!
WHO IS
JONATHAN PIERCE
My own journey began when I was faced with answering the following question after graduating high school, how do creatives & artists make money?
Today, the services and products I offer reveal the money making opportunities that are available to every creative and artist in even the smallest towns & communities.
My podcast, How Creative People Make Money, offers an inside look into how creatives and artists are doing just that.
One thing you'll notice about me is that I make sure a "fun vibe" is part of the DNA of anything I do.
It should also be noted that my sheetrock repair skills are so dope, I'm known in some circles as, the sheetrock whisperer :P
WHO IS
JONATHAN PIERCE
My own journey began when I was faced with answering the following question after graduating high school, how do creatives & artists make money?
Today, the services and products I offer reveal the money making opportunities that are available to every creative and artist in even the smallest towns & communities.
My podcast, How Creative People Make Money, offers an inside look into how creatives and artists are doing just that.
One thing you'll notice about me is that I make sure a "fun vibe" is part of the DNA of anything I do.
It should also be noted that my sheetrock repair skills are so dope, I'm known in some circles as, the sheetrock whisperer :P
I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and am the youngest of 3 children. My teen years were spent on stage, which included comedic performances at high school pep assemblies, playing music at parties, and even writing, directing and performing an original play.
It was only after graduating high school that I was able to look back and recognize it for the incredible creative resource it had been: a completely free ecosystem that not only provided built-in access to fellow performers, but the venue and audience as well.
Leaving high school meant entering a new ecosystem...The Real World. It was a wake up call for sure and I was about to find out what it was going to take to be a creative or artist in this next chapter...
EARLY LIFE
I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and am the youngest of 3 children. My teen years were spent on stage, which included comedic performances at high school pep assemblies, playing music at parties, and even writing, directing and performing an original play.
It was only after graduating high school that I was able to look back and recognize it for the incredible creative resource it had been: a completely free ecosystem that not only provided built-in access to fellow performers, but the venue and audience as well.
Leaving high school meant entering a new ecosystem...The Real World. It was a wake up call for sure and I was about to find out what it was going to take to be a creative or artist in this next chapter...
CAREER
Starting out working minimum wage jobs, and pulling from my experiences in high school, my first endeavor was starting a creative entertainment company. The gigs that followed ranged from public speaking, emceeing, and creating and performing original sketch comedy for parties and events. Roughly a couple years in, I was starting to get an understanding of just how tough it was to make a living as a creative or artist. I wanted to continue to follow my dream, but didn't know how to make it work financially - and that's when I experienced my first "shiny object" detour. It began with an infomercial on TV depicting a life of financial freedom by becoming a real estate investor.
Even though at only 21 years old, I was able to successfully purchase a house solely based on what I had learned in the course (and a whole lot of follow through), the truth was, I had gotten waaaaaaayy over my head on a home remodel that had essentially taken over my entire life. Just to be clear, at this point I knew NOTHING about remodeling a house - and all my time was now being spent learning how. I even became a realtor and sold the house myself. It had been a tremendous undertaking and after finally getting through it, I was desperate to get back to being a creative and artist again.
Over the next few years, paying all the costs myself by working two jobs, I went on to write, direct, act in, and edit 4 indie films. Perhaps not surprising, this turned out to be no walk in the park either. By the time I had finished my 4th film, a comedy called The Turtleneck Club, I felt I had honed my craft enough for it to have some real potential and was hoping it could be "the one." I truly expected it would take off and my life as a full time creative would begin. Turns out, when it comes to indie films, in addition to writing, directing, acting in, and editing it, you also need to know how to market it and sell it as well. ;) Something I hadn't considered... doh!! It was the all too common dilemma of the stereotypical creative who saw themselves as the artist - and not the business owner. It was yet another life lesson I would eventually learn later on... (Side Note: Life would be so much easier if we could just START OUT knowing everything we needed to know, right?)
To say I felt defeated at this point would be an understatement. I had been burning the candle at both ends for years now, and no matter how many hats I wore, I continued to struggle financially. (Sound familiar?) I decided if I was going to put in that kind of effort into something I might as well get paid for it. So pulling from what little experience I had remodeling that first home, I started a remodeling business.
It ended up being the first experience I had applying my creativity to something that actually brought in good money. It was also a chance to distance myself from the deep disappointment I felt about the fact that my film hadn't taken off the way I thought it would. Looking back now, I had actually been so close and simply needed to complete a couple more steps - however as the saying goes, "you don't know what you don't know." So I turned to remodeling. As my remodeling business grew, I went on to make the best money of my life, and continued with it for many years.
THE REALIZATION
Eventually I came to a realization that I had had the unique experience of living two completely different realities. I knew what it was like to be a creative person experiencing extreme financial struggle. And I also knew what it was like to be a creative person experiencing extreme financial success. I wanted to take what I had learned and figure out how to make sense of it all. If I could go back to that first day after high school, how would I do things differently knowing what I knew now? Here's what I concluded...
1. I would need a way to make great money that also still allowed me to have lots of free time to work on my creative and artistic endeavors.
2. It would also be super important that what I was doing was something that allowed me to use my creative and artistic skills - otherwise I knew I'd hate the journey.
Even though I knew I couldn't go back in time, nothing was stopping me from making those adjustments in my life at that exact moment. So I did. Turned out, it was as simple as changing my remodeling business to a handy person business. The handy person business was much less demanding. The jobs were much smaller and the pay was still really good. The best part, was not only having a lot more free time to work on my creative and artistic endeavors, but the ability to fund them as well.
Today, I teach creatives and artists how do this in their own lives in all kinds of niches and genres, through a course called Camp Shark Smarts and other products and services. I now split my time between pursuing my own personal creative endeavors and providing resources for creatives and artists who want to do the same.
CAREER
Starting out working minimum wage jobs, and pulling from my experiences in high school, my first endeavor was starting a creative entertainment company. The gigs that followed ranged from public speaking, emceeing, and creating and performing original sketch comedy for parties and events. Roughly a couple years in, I was starting to get an understanding of just how tough it was to make a living as a creative or artist. I wanted to continue to follow my dream, but didn't know how to make it work financially - and that's when I experienced my first "shiny object" detour. It began with an infomercial on TV depicting a life of financial freedom by becoming a real estate investor.
Even though at only 21 years old, I was able to successfully purchase a house solely based on what I had learned in the course (and a whole lot of follow through), the truth was, I had gotten waaaaaaayy over my head on a home remodel that had essentially taken over my entire life. Just to be clear, at this point I knew NOTHING about remodeling a house - and all my time was now being spent learning how. I even became a realtor and sold the house myself. It had been a tremendous undertaking and after finally getting through it, I was desperate to get back to being a creative and artist again.
Over the next few years, paying all the costs myself by working two jobs, I went on to write, direct, act in, and edit 4 indie films. Perhaps not surprising, this turned out to be no walk in the park either. By the time I had finished my 4th film, a comedy called The Turtleneck Club, I felt I had honed my craft enough for it to have some real potential and was hoping it could be "the one." I truly expected it would take off and my life as a full time creative would begin. Turns out, when it comes to indie films, in addition to writing, directing, acting in, and editing it, you also need to know how to market it and sell it as well. ;) Something I hadn't considered... doh!! It was the all too common dilemma of the stereotypical creative who saw themselves as the artist - and not the business owner. It was yet another life lesson I would eventually learn later on... (Side Note: Life would be so much easier if we could just START OUT knowing everything we needed to know, right?)
THE REALIZATION
Eventually I came to a realization that I had had the unique experience of living two completely different realities. I knew what it was like to be a creative person experiencing extreme financial struggle. And I also knew what it was like to be a creative person experiencing extreme financial success. I wanted to take what I had learned and figure out how to make sense of it all. If I could go back to that first day after high school, how would I do things differently knowing what I knew now? Here's what I concluded...
1. I would need a way to make great money that also still allowed me to have lots of free time to work on my creative and artistic endeavors.
2. It would also be super important that what I was doing was something that allowed me to use my creative and artistic skills - otherwise I knew I'd hate the journey.
Even though I knew I couldn't go back in time, nothing was stopping me from making those adjustments in my life at that exact moment. So I did. Turned out, it was as simple as changing my remodeling business to a handy person business. The handy person business was much less demanding. The jobs were much smaller and the pay was still really good. The best part, was not only having a lot more free time to work on my creative and artistic endeavors, but the ability to fund them as well.
I realized there were TONS of niches and genres this approach could be applied to that were at their best when they were being offered by creatives and artists, so I started figuring out what they were and how it could be done. I felt like it was the ultimate life hack for creatives and artists that I had stumbled into learning the hard way. Why couldn't I have known about this from the very beginning?! It literally provided a way for artists to not only make a living doing something creative they could enjoy - but also be their own funding source for all the other creative and artistic endeavors artists are known for wanting to pursue - while also having a ton of free time to pursue them! It seemed too good to be true, but I was LIVING IT first hand. It was an eye opening experience that only made me want to uncover even more answers.
Today, I teach creatives and artists how do this in their own lives in all kinds of niches and genres, through a course called Camp Shark Smarts and other products and services. I now split my time between pursuing my own personal creative endeavors and providing resources for creatives and artists who want to do the same.
JONATHAN TODAY
Scroll down to check out the different ways I help creatives & artists make more money than most college graduates...
JONATHAN TODAY
Scroll down to check out the different ways I help creatives & artists make more money than most college graduates...
Learn how creatives & Artists Are earning more money than
most college graduates
...as creatives
& artists!
Without Having to Spend 4 Years or $150,000 at Art School
Learn how creatives & Artists Are earning more money than
most college graduates
...as creatives
& artists!
Without Having to Spend 4 Years or $150,000 at Art School
Learn From CREATIVES & ARTISTS
WHO'VE ALREADY
ACCOMPLISHED
WHAT YOU'RE
CURRENTLY STRUGGLING TO
FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN
Learn From CREATIVES & ARTISTS
WHO'VE ALREADY
ACCOMPLISHED
WHAT YOU'RE
CURRENTLY STRUGGLING TO
FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN
I Dont Want To Deal With This is my "Bankroll Business" in Tulsa, OK - which allows me to monetize my creative & artistic abilities. Learning about the many different ways you can create a Bankroll Business and the unique way to define and implement it so it serves your goals as a creative or artist, is something you'll learn about at Camp Shark Smarts.
WHETHER IT'S JUNK REMOVAL,
AN ODD JOB
OR SOMETHING YOU WANT DONE
BUT DON'T KNOW
WHO TO CALL...
I Dont Want To Deal With This is my "Bankroll Business" in Tulsa, OK - which allows me to monetize my creative & artistic abilities. Learning about the many different ways you can create a Bankroll Business and the unique way to define and implement it so it serves your goals as a creative or artist, is something you'll learn about at Camp Shark Smarts.
Deep Tropic Threads is my "Biological Business". At Camp Shark Smarts your Biological Business refers to something you're instinctively interested in pursuing as a creative person - even though you might not currently know of a way to earn a living doing it. The thing about a Biological Business is that it often needs a more extensive investment of time and money in order to not only get it up and running, but figure out how to make it profitable in general. The good news is, you can get that extra money and free time by first starting a Bankroll Business. In other words...you can be Your Own investor! (Plus have a way to live comfortably and know how to make great money doing something creative you enjoy, which as it turns out ends up being a really cool way to live.) Even better news, there are an unending amount of Bankroll Business genres that are actually at their best when they're run by creatives and artists. What's amazing about this, is it makes it possible for you to not only earn a great living using your creativity, but also develop your biological business on your own terms...the ultimate dream for every artist. In the end, it's all about answering the following question: "How am I going to get the money and free time I need to pursue the creative things I want to do?" How to make it all happen is what Camp Shark Smarts is all about.
THRIFT STORE INSPIRED
STREET WEAR
REP THAT THRIFT STORE VIBE
WITHOUT HAVING TO
DIG THROUGH THE RACKS
SIMPLE QUICK WINS
THAT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO
START, RUN, & GROW
YOUR ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS
SIMPLE QUICK WINS
THAT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO
START, RUN, & GROW
YOUR ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS
SOCIAL MEDIA
@campsharksmarts
SOCIAL MEDIA
@campsharksmarts