Guest Post: Creative Action

 

Hi there! My name is Brigitte, and I blog over at Covet Chicago about how I’m finding happiness through creative living. Heather asked me to write a post for you on the things I’ve learned about starting a creative business.

And I’ve spent a week agonizing about it.

You see, I don’t have a creative business yet. So I thrashed about coming up with alternative topics to propose and just feeling like a big phony. Until I realized that I may not be working for myself (yet), but I am setting about founding a creative business, and I’ve already learned a lot about the topic.

The craziest part is that I never even considered myself a creative person until this past year. But people like Heather are helping me to realize that creativity comes in all forms, and my inability to put brush to canvas is not an indication that I’m a helpless left-brainer. Even if I am right handed.

So here are my oh-so-reluctantly-acknowledged tips for starting your own creative business.

1.       Decide that you want to turn your hobby into your vocation. For many, this is such a no-brainer, but I urge a bit of caution before you turn your passion into your j-o-b. I have many friends who lost love for their art when they built a career out of it. Where they once had freedom to play and abandon, there became expectations. For me, that’s ok. I thrive on stress, on pressure, on deadlines. But that’s not for everybody. Know thyself.

2.       Work your way through a business book. I highly recommend The Boss of You or The Anti 9-to-5 Guide for providing incredibly thorough and pragmatic advice. If it’s inspiration you need or a kick in the butt to get moving, buy The Fire Starter Sessions (full disclosure: I’m an affiliate, so you support me by buying it) or The Art of Non-Conformity. These books will help you get really clear on what you want out of your life/career (because let’s face it, there’s no difference) and put together a business plan that takes you there.

3.       Get to work. I started blogging with a particular business in mind. I went so far as to meet with a SCORE counselor (if you’re serious, you should get one too), and began laboriously putting together a business plan. Guess what. The business I’m now building is completely different. And that’s ok. I never could have uncovered the need for the service I intend to provide without my blog, and I lacked essential pieces of experience as recently as a year ago.

4.       Embrace uncertainty. Roll with it. Again, my plan has completely changed. But I don’t feel like the work I put in was wasted. It helped me get to where I am today. I’ve come to realize an essential trait of an entrepreneur is an eagerness to embrace and, more importantly, act on new ideas. They won’t all work, but they’re worth a shot.

And that’s it. There are so many smart, successful people that have written concrete advice on getting a business of any kind running. But my experience as a creative person – and speaking with other creatives – is that moving from ideas to action is the most difficult step.

All you need to do is start.

 image: eva juliet

Comments

[Kristie @ The Decorologist]

i love the candor of this post. i think we all feel like big phoneys sometimes, especially when we are in the initial stages of a business. thanks for your honesty, brigette!

[lou]

interesting post, brigitte. it's so hard to move from ideas to actions. not impossible but damn difficult. especially when you have a million ideas per day that you really want to realize. another tip from me: one step at a time helps as well. one by one. :-)

[Nuit]

fabulous post!

Great tips :)

[Brigitte]

Thank you for having me today, Heather!

And thanks for the wonderful feedback to all the commenters! I was quite nervous putting this post together.

[Ginny]

Thank you so much, Brigitte. I just had this very phone conversation with Heather yesterday: how do I get started doing what I love to do and leave behind the j-o-b without losing my love for what I love to do in the process? (If that makes any sense at all.) I appreciate your (timely) advice and further appreciate your wit and humor...it comes through, and I don't even know you! Thanks for "feeling the fear and doing it anyway." It has/will make a difference for me.

[Lori]

Great post! I feel like I have somewhat of a start on this as I'm working my way through 9-5 and I'm going to meet Chris when he comes through Atlanta! I hadn't thought about SCORE but that's great advice. Again, great post and advice!