Independent artists need to be a “jack of all trades” when it comes to computer skills. Here are the top 5 software programs that you need to be able to use 1. Word processor, 2. Spreadsheet, 3. Graphics Program, 4. Email, 5. Video editing. Go get some training or schedule some time to learn from Youtube tutorials.
Video:
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Podcast:
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Video Transcript:
Hi Craig Lambie here, the Chief IT Guru here at the Auspicious Arts Incubator and I’m bringing you this week’s Hot Tip Tuesday. This week I’m going to tell you the top 5 pieces of software that you should master to be a successful arts business person.
Number one is your word processing platform. It could be Microsoft Word. It could be some other one. Google Docs is fine as well. This is the absolute powerhouse of your business. You’re going to be writing letters to people all the time so knowing how to format those letters, how to put those documents together is really important.
Number two is a spreadsheet program. You’re going to be doing budgets. You’re going to be working at your finances. It’s really important to master the basics. You don’t need to be an advanced programmer like myself. You just need the basics of a spreadsheet program just to be across all the numbers. I know we’ve talked about this before. I like Microsoft Excel but Google Docs does a fantastic job if you’re collaborating on a budget with a group of other people that you’re collaborating on a project with.
Number three, a graphics program. I’ve recently been introduced to the power of PowerPoint at making great graphics. You can make all sorts of things; flyers, posters, all sorts of stuff inside PowerPoint. You don’t need to go to the full powerhouse of Adobe Photoshop which is my preferred program but you don’t need to go there. It’s an expensive program and you don’t need that much power.
The fourth one is email. Your email software whether it would be MacMail, Outlook, Eudora, any of the software’s that you use as long as you know these three things. Number one, how to file and make folders for your email so you can organize yourself. Number two, how you can flag things so that you can follow them up later and number three, how you can find all those emails again later on. Master those things and you’ll be doing great.
Number five, this might sound like a more advanced thing that you should know but I’m telling you, you should get to know a video editing software. There’s a couple of really easy to use ones that are free and they come with your operating system. If you’ve got a Mac it’s called iMovie and it does a fantastic job. It looks really professional.
In a Windows machine it’s just called Windows Movie Maker. It does a great job. As I said professional looking outcome. You need to be editing video to get it out into YouTube and what have you in this day and age. It’s the 21st century.
They’re my top 5 pieces of software that you should know to be a successful arts business person. If you think that you know all those five then please like this video. If you know somebody that needs to master these five or get to know the fact that they need to know them please share this video with them. Any questions or comments please write them below. What I’d like you to do this week is actually tell me what is your favorite spreadsheet program and graphics program. I’d love to know so please write it in the comments so we can start a dialogue about great business arts business software.
Here at the Auspicious Arts Incubator we want you to more than just survive we want you to thrive so in order to thrive please subscribe and get more of these great tips every week. We’ll see you later.