So I get asked this question a lot and may even address this in some videos if I ever feel like talking on camera 😜 but recently a friend posed the question " I guess I'd like to know how you stepped out on your own as an artist with such a leap of faith and what happened shortly there after?
Im trying to make this as readable and easy to digest as possible without writing a book - but this may be a two or three part blog.
***(I do not consider myself a business person- I do consider myself an artist. I highly suggest speaking with a business minded person to get an in depth look on cultivating a successful business. I'm just flying by the seat of my pants most days. Real talk)
1. You must hate your job. Maybe they hate you and make you hate them. That was my case anyway. But I used my hatred as FUEL. You now have a clear reason to leave. You are not happy, you are hated-that's not what life is about. No love lost- the signs all point to the door. You have FEAR but that is natural. A little secret- once you jump out of the nest the "Universe" helps you. You meet people who connect you to work, clients, opportunities...it just happens if you are openminded and unafraid to explore. I'm dead serious. I knew no one in the art freelance world till I PUT myself in the art freelance world.
2. Inside you must be a neurotic passion for what you want to do. You HAVE to do. It is you and you are it and there is nothing else. It hurts you when you aren't doing it. For me that was Art. If you do not have this, if your feelings get hurt at "No", if you believe you're going to fail and the first setback is going to make you panic....STOP. This isnt for you. If you have to do this because it is like breathing and you were called to do this- THIS IS FOR YOU. Ok so you have unstoppable drive and some hatred to get the F out...now what?
3. A lot of the starting happens before you leave the job. Patience Grasshopper! First grab paper and pencil or take a look at your bank account- you need to see how much it costs for you to live for a month. You need to think about what all you will need to do, create, sell, etc to make that happen every month. Guess what? It's a LOT OF WORK. But you have unstoppable drive so lets move along.
4. Now you see on paper some idea of what you'll need to make on your own. Now you'll want to make a cushion- because you're going to need it. For me- back in 2010- I decided I needed to save $5,000 and then SPLIT. So with extreme focus I kept at the job and saved. Every spare penny went to my GTFO fund. Every spare moment was spent preparing.
5. Start getting your business ready while you have a job. Maybe you are already selling and that has helped you see that you can totally do this. That was my case. I had an Etsy shop (before the whole world was on Etsy and oversaturated the market) and was making sales through Facebook...to my friends mostly (still the case). Start your business before you quit your job to see what you'll be facing on a day to day basis.
6. Read all the things! I spent my lunchbreaks and downtime following blogs and success stories of people like me who quit their jobs to run their own lives. It is empowering, positive reinforcement and keeps you heading toward your goal. Take notes, follow what they've done succesfully. Yes, be a copycat. The model is there- follow it.
6. Start investing in your business. It all becomes a reality when you start loading up on supplies for your biz! I was buying gridwall- imagining myself set up at art fairs selling. I bought shipping supplies for my records and paints. Think about what you will need for awhile, new computer? Upgraded camera, etc? Stockpile. Order it. You are committed now.
7. So you're saving, researching, stockpiling supplies and selling- all within the safety of having a job. You may have even already picked the date you're turning in your resignation letter. Now what? BUILD YOUR NETWORK- BUILD YOUR NETWORK. I can't stress this enough. Your friends and fans are going to be your saving grace, cheerleaders when you need them, good friends, buyers, shoulders to cry on. I built mine with YEARS of myspace, facebook, instagram and blogging. I was unafraid to be real, to say I need help, to ask for advice and to share my life. People connected with me and I with them. Authentically connect. I would have failed miserably without my support network.
8. Be OPEN. I didn't leave my job thinking I was about to be wildly succesful and a boss babe raking in all the sales. I thought- if this doesnt go as planned Im ALL ABOUT FINDING A PART TIME OR SIDE GIG. In fact Ive done just that MANY times. I still do a little payroll work for a courier company to keep $100 coming to my mailbox a month. I take on odd jobs that are hard and not glamorous and paint things I really rather would not sometimes. I have killed my back on ladders, freezing floors in warehouse environments, had plaster dripped all over me, busted fingers tacking things repetitively, been hot glue burned daily and covered in glitter. You take jobs- you learn as much as you can from them and apply those skills into your own work. You are working harder than you have ever worked before- but it is so rewarding because you are doing it for yourself. Standing on your own two feet by sheer passion, work and drive. Its an amazing feeling.
9. I have a frugal life. It is always scary and an unknown. I have seen eviction notices and utility bills threatening to get cut (or be cut). I have pondered if bollweevils in my last box of rice was really all that bad and I have lived in the same pair of jeans for 5 years and the same shoes for 3. Me and the bus system are BFFs. Being an artist making it on your own is NOT glamorous. If you have an extravagant lifestyle- this isn't for you. You must know extreme humility and be resourceful. You must cultivate an inner peace and not care for material posessions.
10. Make GOALS. Remember that pencil and paper you used to write out your budget? Those are magic tools. Write out your goals- weekly, monthly, maybe even daily. Work towards them like a ninja- hit them...cross them off and make bigger ones. All the things you write down will magically happen because you will make them happen. You are magic!
Ok that's a good start and there's more to impart but that will be for the next blog 😉
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