In recent years, there has been more visibility for trans people with celebrities such as Laverne Cox, Elliot Page, Demi Lovato and shows like Pose getting more media attention. It has led to more diverse castings and opportunities for trans artists. 

At the same time, there are still barriers faced by many of us in the arts sector, such as finding appropriate opportunities, mentors, casting agents, photographers and producers. This is not to mention the gender disparity that still exists in the arts.

Combining years of experience of attending various artist development programs and trans-led mentorships, here are some tips that I have gathered that helped me in the early stages of my career that may prove useful to you:

1. Collaborate with your peers

“Don’t reach up, reach across to your friends”
– Issa Rae

There is an idea that we have to look beyond our community for talent and the resources that we need. In reality, many projects were created by collaboration among friends. For example, Broad City was initially a YouTube series started by two friends Illana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson who met in a comedy class. 

We can find producers, videographers, photographers, editors, illustrators, and grant writers, among our community. We can form “mutually beneficial long-term artist relationships”, as well as exchange skills & burrow equipment. Most of all, we can learn from each other and gain support. Trans and queer people have always been culture-makers with creative ideas, and it was easier to work with people who may understand the nuance of our art. 

One way to meet other queer people is through community art programs, workshops and open mics.

2.  Say “YES” to opportunities that build a portfolio & an audience

In early stages of an arts career, it is beneficial to seek out opportunities to build a portfolio.  A mentor of mine, Vivek Shraya, once said that “even if you send a publisher with a perfect manuscript, it is unlikely that they would be interested unless you already have a few articles written and you have built an audience”. A way to build that audience is through smaller opportunities first. 

For me, it was easier to get a paid writing gig after I had contributed 2-3 pieces to a volunteer blog and had built a portfolio. People also tend to sometimes write off open mics, but open mics are an excellent way to meet other musicians, get a monthly performance practice and experiment with new art and a different audience. 

By the time you do a round of your local shows, or open mics, or galleries, you will have more connections and people who are invested in your art. Of course, it is important to know at which point to charge for our services and which opportunities we are simply taking for learning.

Some ways to gain experience:

• Volunteering at conferences is a great way to network and attend panels for free
• Acting in local student films
• Contributing to blogs or saying yes to free blog features
• Contributing your music to local shows, films, coffee shops and galleries

3. Don’t wait for others to promote you

“Don’t wait to be discovered, discover yourself”
– Steve O

I know that self-promotion often can feel tacky and disingenuous. It does help to reframe it as “a way to share your art with more people who can benefit from it”.  

In reality, a lot of our favourite books, tv shows, albums have had some sort of promotion and thousands of dollars behind them before they were able to reach our eyes.  In addition, it is hard for people to hire us if they don’t know what we do.

Nowadays a lot of commissions and gig opportunities come from online and people discovering our website and social media presence. It is important that we invest in promoting our art. 

Often promotion by other media outlets starts after you have started to promote yourself. As a writer who features trans artists, I am actively looking for artists to feature and the first place I start is social media.

Ways to promote ourselves:

• Have your social or websites updated with your art projects
• Post snippets of what you do/your past work – it can be a work-in-progress
• Take time in a week to look for submissions/callouts
• Contribute your content on pages/events that share similar art and audience

4. Empower yourself 

As trans artists, we may not always have the budget to afford huge creative teams. Sometimes we are forced to learn those skills on our own. That is not always a bad thing; learning to empower ourselves in areas such as financial literacy, project management and other skills also teaches us to be more self-sufficient and allows us to protect ourselves.

Don’t be afraid to learn new skills and empower yourself by learning video editing, legalities, marketing, project management and rate negotiation. 

There are a lot of online resources and organizations to help you with that: 

List of Canadian Arts Organizations & Councils

Artscape Daniels Launchpad Toronto’s hub for creative entrepreneurship that provides workshops, mentorships and art space.

LinkedIn Learning online learning platform comes free with Toronto Public Library.

BIPOC FILM/TV is a grassroots nonprofit organization and collective of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in Canada’s TV and film industry. 

Blank Canvas Gallery Arts organization for marginalized groups offering workshops, panels and mentorship

Unity is a national charity that uses Hip Hop art forms to promote resilience and well-being among underserved youth, creating healthier communities. They provide programs in songwriting, beat-making, MCing, graffiti and spoken word. 

5. Understand what makes you unique 

It can be easy to get caught up in branding (which is also important), but we must remember that people gravitate towards stories and meaning. It is important to ask ourselves, “What perspectives can we offer that no one else can?”; “What problems in the world would our art, experience & expertise help to solve?”

Understanding what makes us unique, and what value our art brings, make it easier for us to pitch ourselves to places that may benefit from our art.  It also allows us to even create our own projects that previously did not exist, for example, Syrus Marcus Ware’s “Radical Love” portrait series that depict Black trans people portraits around the city, or T Time Tips with Moka Dawkins that offer tips and advice to trans women. 

Tips: 

• Take time to discover what unique perspective you offer
• Learn to write a compelling bio or elevator pitch
• Write grants or pitch projects you want to see in the world

6. Don’t be afraid to go DIY

Give yourself permission to not always have the best equipment. Trans people have a history of going DIY – from creating zines, blogs, YouTube channels and to be able to share transition tips and experiences with each other before mainstream media had these conversations.

These days more and more artists produce their own content. According to Wired, Steve Lacey who produced for Kendrick Lamar, has produced his whole album on his phone. Many artists such as Dounia – a Moroccan-American independent R&B musician, goes as far as even illustrating her own artworks for their albums and shooting music videos at home. 

We are living in a digital age, where TikTok and other platforms prove that people are more interested in stories, rather than always having high-end production. 

Tools that can help you: 

• Canva – poster, social media post and ebook maker
• Simple studio setups: microphones, ring light and a camera phone
• Free video and sound editing apps on your phones – youcut (video editing), asr voice recorder (voice recording), N-track (audio editing and production)

7. Get mentors who understand your journey

Finding teachers/mentors – who create the type of art we want to create and understand the realities of trans experience – is crucial.  They can help guide us along our career further because they either have the knowledge of alternative resources that can help us or have overcome the same barriers. 

Nowadays we are not as limited to our geographic region & can seek programs and mentors (trans voice teachers, acting coaches and more) all over Canada and the US.

List of Trans & Queer Programs:

The AMY Project Trans Gemmes Creative Writing Mentorship Program is a virtual creative writing and community-building program for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) trans women and trans femmes of any age. 

Queer Collective: organization uplifting local Queer artists and creating positive representation for the LGBTQ2S+ community. It provides masterclasses, Tiny Desk concerts and other opportunities. 

Lil sis: a grassroots, youth-focused artist resource centre (for 29 and under), queer, not queer, racialized, living in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. 

UNIT 2: is a QT2S/BIPOC (Queer/Trans, 2 Spirit and/or Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) and friends, radical arts and community space dedicated to building community and bridges. 

SKETCH: is a community arts enterprise engaging diverse young people, ages 16-29, from across Canada, who live homeless or on the margins and navigate poverty.

TransTech is an international incubator for LGBTQ Talent with a focus on economically empowering the T, transgender people, in our community.

8. Take advantage of diverse income streams 

Having different income streams is not only practical and helps us sustain our work, especially during hard times like Covid, but it also allows us to bring attention to our art whenever possible. One income stream can be used to bring attention to others. 

If you are a contributor to a blog or a facilitator, you can always direct people to your website and page, where they can discover other art, such as your jewelry collection. 

Here are some potential income avenues:

• Subscription-based platforms: Patreon, paid YouTube access, GoFundMe
• Sponsorships and product placements for businesses 
• Merchandize sales – chapbooks, stickers, etc. 
• Workshop facilitation, panels, conferences
• Grants
• And of course your day job! It can be thought of as a funder of your arts career 

9. Seek opportunities to fail

This advice is overused, but trust me, success is directly proportional to the number of times we fail. It is crucial that we do things before we are ready, otherwise, we do not grow. If there is one piece of advice I would tell myself before putting my work out there, it is to fail as much as possible and embrace being uncomfortable.

We need to be constantly open to feedback from trusted people to improve our art. We have to apply for opportunities even if we get rejected, because often through those applications, we get referred to other projects. Sticking to your art and refining it through failure is bound to lead to results.

All in all, being an artist is a marathon and it is not a linear journey. We need to remember to create for our own healing and self-discovery first. When we should focus on our own self-expression, rather than external validation – and all will fall into place. Trust the process.