Find an audience that wants to support your work.

“When I'm making a film, I'm the audience." ― Martin Scorsese (Source)

In Who Is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz, the author writes about fixing the finances of one of his star clients, Martin Scorsese.

Apparently, Marty’s business manager had not paid the filmmaker’s taxes. Two of his last features, New York, New York (1977) and The King of Comedy (1982), were inspired works that never found an audience.

Ovitz says he did not sign Scorsese for the commission. After all, Marty hardly cared if his movies made money.

For a long time, my idol was Martin Scorsese. I was in film school in 2017. I was fascinated by how different the world was in 1967, when Scorsese released his debut feature Who’s That Knocking At My Door.

I watched it on DVD on a PS4 in my apartment bedroom at Temple University.

I was very quickly beginning to realize that I do need to care about money after college ended, not just watching movies and figuring out movies I want to make.

Artists, especially those who are young, are often deeply passionate about their art. But at some point, they have to put up a shingle and sell their services.

It is a tricky balance between finding creative expression, and doing business as an artist.

THE TAKEAWAY: Find an audience that wants to support your work.