Freedom & Price of Expression in New York City

 The Freedom & Price of Expression in New York

     Two stories of people who expressed themselves here in New York City with side hustling as the theme.

What can possibly be better than freedom of expression?

Answer: The freedom to make money off of your expression.

One through art.

The other, through literature.

Let's take a look at these creative genius's expressions, how they came about, & what has been done with those expressions.

Danny Cortes

     From Brooklyn, while battling depression & other symptoms, Daniel Cortes dug deep inside himself & grabbed onto his passion waiting to be revealed and expressed. 

It was as if all he dark feelings inside dissipated & God was the one he gave a shout-out to.

His expression of art through visual arts as a Miniature Artist, started on mailboxes and dumpsters to sticker-covered storefronts and basketball hoops.

A true visual artist has the ability express his work anywhere, on any surface.

Expertise: Creating Miniatures & Dioramas.

Beginning to throw his work on Facebook, he stated garnering attention.

Cortes then started selling his miniatures online. 

His first sale was a miniature ice box that went for $30.

The more complicating the pieces have become, the higher the price range.

Another piece recently on a website has sold for $2,500.

"We don't take time see the beauty around us. Like, when someone's depressed, with anxiety and has so much stuff that's going on, that's ugly to them ... But everything portrays beauty and everything, just you got to stop and look, look around you," ~ Daniel Cortes.

Gili Malinsky

     You've gotta respect her hustle man. You've gotta respect those hustling/juggling skills.

Especially from her then position.

In 2016, not only did Gili Malinsky freelanced for MTV News, she babysat rambunctious kids on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. 

She also did catering at a private event space in the Tribeca neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan.

She helped an agency with their voting-oriented website & had also reached out to them for future projects.

On a Westside highway in Manhattan she saw one of her pieces displayed on a billboard. 

Expertise: Literature

Those future projects that I eluded to earlier consisted of writing materials for a billboards for storage units in Manhattan. 

A list consisting of 9 slogans in total was sent in by Malinsky.

It took her 90 minutes.

She invoiced the company, received her $45 & moved on with her side hustles.

One of her slogans:

‘Einstein knew a bit about space. Whatever. So do we.’

was seen on billboards in Manhattan months later.

She spotted them.

No one knew she had written this because there's no bylines on billboards, unlike articles.

Multiple billboards & multiple slogans, and sh only got paid $45.

Now with a google search when it pertains to billboards in New York City, the price they actually pay is much higher. 

How much do companies pay for your work on a billboard in NYC?

As of 2023:

$2,000 to $20,000 per 4-week period.

   

   Two inspirational stories of 2 individuals who felt seemed down and out.

One depressed, the other broke, at two different points in time.

Both used their natural born talents.

Both Artists' works have been seen by many across New York City.

Do not be afraid of expressing your inner talent, you could make a living off of it. 

Let's give these two artists a major shout-out.