The Perks of the Gig Economy

Finding a job has never been easier than it has been right now. I know that there are people out there saying, "But wait! Unemployment and all that!"

Traditional employment metrics being what they are, if you have a smart phone, you are truly only a click away from your next job. While plugging into the gig economy might not be for all people, it is certainly an avenue that artists should explore as they work to lead a creative life.

In this post, we'll talk about What, Why, and Where you can begin your search for work in the rapidly developing gig economy.

The Gig Economy: What?

Some of you might be hearing me refer to the gig economy and have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a new generation of job-seeking that has emerged as smart phones have taken over our lives. These are the same things that you might already love as a consumer: Uber, Taskrabbit, GrubHub - you as the consumer punch a few buttons on your phone, and suddenly a service or product is delivered right to you.

These apps that you love on your phone are one of the perfect spots for you to begin your search for side-hustles that will build up and support your creative life. The gig economy, as it is known in business circles, is one that can't always guarantee you a specific amount of money, but like most freelance and sub-contractor work, your income is about as high as you want it to be. Shortly after getting started, you'll understand how much you make roughly in an hour and can begin to plan around that - in general working when you want. This is employment in a very non-traditional way: very attractive for folks that are trying to support a creative lifestyle.

Why?

The gig economy has many benefits for lots of people, but in particular artists who need their side-hustles to fit alongside a non-traditional work schedule. Things like setting your own hours, your work locations, and being incredibly flexible as other things may come up in your creative life.

An example might illustrate this best. If you're an actor, and you're cast in a show - you're going to have rehearsal. You'll have that schedule beforehand. Say as your side-hustle, you also drive Uber. You know that in order to pay all your bills, and help yourself save some money, you need to drive 15 hours per week in addition to what you're being paid to do your show. You block out the time, and make sure that you've got 15 hours scheduled.

Then suddenly, an audition comes up. You can't miss the audition. You've also scheduled yourself to drive during that time. This isn't a problem at all. You can simply find other time to make up those hours in your schedule, and head to the audition with no problem at all. Unlike if you had a traditional day-job, where you might need to get a shift covered or once you're scheduled it becomes very hard to re-schedule your work time. The same is true with all the other apps and services that fall into the gig economy.

Where to Start Finding Work in the Gig Economy

Think about the apps and services that you already use. Most of these apps are going to feature a place where you can learn about working for them. The reason I recommend you start there is because you'll know that service has already made it into your area. If the service isn't in your area yet, then it won't do you much good to go through the process of starting to work on their site.

If you can't find the information in the app, simply google the question of how to get started working for that service - or head directly to their website. The gig economy is great for these companies, but they also always want to be sure they have plenty of workers on their rosters so they are always equipped to meet demand.

Conclusion

The gig economy can be a great solution for many people. While those that have more traditional careers may find them useful to help save for a wedding, buy a new car, or other purchases like that - creative artists can really use them to ensure they have the freedom and flexibility to pursue the art they love.

For more information about building a side-hustle, check out my book: A Life in Art: Building Side-Hustles to Empower Your Life as an Artist