This blog post is a compilation of sorts. It includes all the things I’ve learned over the past few years that have helped me adapt to this digital world, Microsoft salesforce battle to revitalize customer and find my niche as someone who creates content for the Internet.

The first tip, probably one of the most important, is to start small and don’t get too ambitious right off the bat. A daunting task can only lead you to frustration and discouragement when you’re unable to complete it; this way, if your efforts prove unsuccessful, it never looks quite so bad because you’ve only lost 15 minutes or an hour versus days or weeks that more accomplished artists in their field might have needed.

1. YouTube

I’ve been dabbling in YouTube for several years now, with videos that range from the serious to the silly. This is a great place to start because it’s likely that you’ll have a community of people who are interested in what you’re creating, even if they won’t be able to pay you for it (or get the chance to). For example, when I first started out on YouTube I was using screen recording software for instructional videos about web development and digital art tools. Since there are hundreds of thousands of aspiring artists and potential employers online looking for people with skills like this, I was able to amass a good sized following within just a few months or so by consistently producing high quality content on a regular basis.

2. Create a Community

I encourage aspiring digital artists and developers to start a community of their own on Facebook. A community is composed of people who share common interests, whether that be screen-capture software tutorials, digital art tutorials, or even just people who love creating things in Photoshop. I’m yet to have any luck with doing this on Twitter because I end up dead-tweeting every hour about social media marketing for websites, but Facebook works great for group chats and chats with friends who live in different time zones.

3. Medium

This is a great site for writers and artists who want to share their work with a broader audience. It’s also great for networking and meeting people who are interested in collaborating with you or sharing your interests with your own followers. Since I just started using Medium, I haven’t had much luck getting views or likes on my articles so far, though I imagine it will only improve as time goes on.

4. Reddit: /r/PSArtOfCharacterDesign

Reddit is another popular place to network and make friends with people who share the same interests that you do. The /r/PSArtOfCharacterDesign subreddit is a great resource for artists who are interested in learning all they can about the art of character design in video games, illustrations, comics, and so on. It’s also a great place to post your work or some rough sketches and get feedback from other artists.

5. Creative Market

This online marketplace was created by Austin based designer Daniel O’Leary as an alternative to sharing digital designs with the rest of the world. Small indie businesses can buy graphics for their websites, social media posts and more at an affordable price that leaves more money in the pockets of designers who are creating them. It’s a great way to establish a portfolio for those looking to showcase their work, and it has a function where you can upload your designs here directly without having to create an account on the site first.

6. Get Freelance Work

I’m fortunate enough to work full time as a web developer in Atlanta, Georgia as my day job. Since I also have plenty of spare hours to design websites and other digital assets every week, that means I frequently receive opportunities from clients who would like my services. I usually set up a company and distribute my contact information to the client (email address, phone number and Skype account) so they know who they’re working with, then I send over a portfolio of all the work that I have done. This helps them get to know me and helps me get hired again in the future.

7. Infinite Red

I’ve been using Infinite Red for years now, both as a designer and as a freelancer who works on graphic design projects. It’s what I use for creating mockups for clients and clients also use it as an all-in-one tool for getting feedback quickly on their websites or social media profiles. It’s a great tool for developers and designers.

8. Dribbble

I find Dribbble to be a great place for digital artists to showcase their work, as well as learn about new tools, techniques and ideas from other designers who are constantly producing new and interesting images that the rest of us can look at and learn from. It’s also great for networking with other artists (interviews, photography, etc.). 9. Know When to Say No

For those people out there who are just starting out in Internet marketing or graphic design, this is incredibly important: do not be afraid to say no if you’re not interested or if it doesn’t fit within your skillset.