Kevin Kelly’s written a beautiful post on what artists can do to avoid the long tail:
One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. While some artists have discovered this path without calling it that, I think it is worth trying to formalize. The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply: A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author — in other words, anyone producing works of art — needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.
For the longest time I’ve had a challenge convincing myself that I can actually follow my dreams and be an artist (meaning primarily writer and typographer/designer). It seems almost unfair that I could do something I love every day for the rest of my life and get paid for it. Isn’t work supposed to be boring? Doing something that delights me feels like it skirts around the rules of life.
But I really can’t not do it. The life of the artist is tugging on my mind and heart and won’t let go. And I’m tickled to think that I can actually pull it off. Now to find a thousand true fans… ;)
Throw in your two cents