Is It Too Late to Launch the Creative Business of Your Dreams? (Nope!)

If you were to jump off a cliff and launch the creative venture of your dreams, what would it be? Would you make films? Exhibit and sell your art or photography? Write a book? Motivate, teach and educate from the stage?



The possibilities are endless. So are the excuses not to make it happen. 



How do I know? I've been there.




Two years ago I made the decision to close my successful creative management agency and pursue my passion for coaching creative professionals, full time. And it was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. 



For months and months, I wrestled with doubt and fear. After all, the choice to follow my intuition flew in the face of all logic. My agency was my primary source of income and I had dedicated 10 years to building a roster of top talent, as well as great relationships with high quality clients. Was I really about to let all of that go to pursue what I knew I was meant to do?




For months, I listened to the logical voice. I tried to maintain and grow both businesses (crazy town). I even tried to merge both businesses into one (not one of my better ideas). But I knew, deep down, if I was going to fulfill my potential and have the impact I knew I could in the world, I had to make the leap.




Does any of this sound familiar?




If you're teetering on the edge of sticking with what you know and jumping off the cliff (or perhaps you've been unceremoniously pushed off), I'd like to share some tips on how to take back your power and make the transition as smoothly as possible.




1) Embrace uncertainty



EVERYONE feels like this at times, sometimes during the course of one day! I'd even go so far as to say it's what gives entrepreneurs our edge. Being OK with being uncomfortable is the key to taking action on your big ideas, even in the midst of that roller coaster ride.




2) Test it out





When I made the decision to close my agency and focus solely on my current business I had been running both businesses for 4 years. While it was far from big enough to sustain me entirely, I'd proven it was a viable business, there was a need for what I had to offer and I could build it, if I had the time to devote myself fully to it. If you have an existing business or job, it's great to build your dream business on the side, so you can maintain that security while you build. If you've found yourself out of a job, there's no shame in taking a part time gig to bring in income while you build. There are no extra points for stressing about making your mortgage payment or putting food on the table. 




3) Lean into your future




I recently learned this "Paint a Picture" exercise from executive coach, Cameron Herald. He recommends grabbing a pen and pencil (I know, you creative love this one already!) and simply visualizing what your new business would look like in 3 years. Let's use the example of the photographer. Who buys your art? Where do you exhibit? What are the press saying about your work? How much do your pieces sell for? Who else is involves in producing your art? Do you have a studio or staff? What does your studio look like? What is a typical day for you? Who works for you, and what does their day look like? And so on. Go to town on visualizing your dream, you can figure out "the how" later. 




4) Do your homework




One of the most valuable exercises I did during my career change was research my new industry and figure out where I fit in. How did other coaches, speakers, writers and business consultants differentiate themselves? Who were their ideal clients? How did they package and present their services? How did they market themselves? What did they charge and how? What was their brand image and voice like? What did their website look like? Getting really clear on the landscape will (a) help you figure out where you fit in and (b) inspire you with lots of new ideas. I LOVE seeing others do what I do really, really well. It means it can be done and it inspires me to come up with new ideas and test them out. Don't be afraid to model (not copy) what others are successfully doing. There are no prizes for re-inventing the wheel! 




5) Tell your story in a new way




Transition can be a rocky time. It's also the perfect time to challenge all the assumptions you have about yourself. Can you really be defined by the label you've worked under for the last however many years? Does your resume really do justice to the unique blend of expertise, experiences, influences, successes (and yes, failures) that make you, uniquely you? This is your story, so why not tell it the way you want people to hear it? It means being transparent, sharing your vision freely and inviting others to join you (I know, scary!), but your audience will respect you for putting yourself out there and engage with you on an entirely new level. 




6) Hang out where your ideal clients are




Chances are, if you're launching a new venture, or entering into a new industry, your ideal client profile will change too. Find out where your ideal clients hang out and go fish where the fish are. Show up regularly. Start building relationships. Reach out to organizations that serve your community and offer your services (which gives your greater exposure). Before long, you'll have a dynamic network of prospects, collaborators, clients and referral partners to support you as you grow.




7) Get support




Venturing into uncharted territory isn't for the faint hearted and the more support you have the better. You WILL have bumpy days/weeks/months, as well as the GREAT times when you start to really fly. A good accountability buddy, mastermind group, or coach will be there for all of it. 




8) Get inspired by the AMAZING creators who found their calling (and success) later in life.




Here are a few to get you started: 
- Louise Bourgeois reached her greatest artistic success in her seventies and eighties. 
- Vincent Van Gogh had his first exhibition at age 32. 
- Vera Wang was a figure skater and journalist before entering the fashion industry at age 40. 
- Julia Child wrote her first cookbook when she was 50, launching her career as a celebrity chef. 
- Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, began her painting career at 78.

If you're ready to jump off the cliff, but would like some help building that plane, take action on these 8 tips! Your new life is waiting!

Guest Author: Justine Clay

Checking In With Yourself

You are great at asking other people how they are. Whether it's your friends, coworkers, neighbors, or family, you ask, "How are you," without a problem, but you never ask, "How are you doing," to the one person who needs it the most...yourself.

You go through your days, weeks, and months and never even think about asking yourself how you are doing. The same thing happens when you're taking care of everyone else and forget to take care of yourself. When you don't check in with yourself on a regular basis so much can go wrong.




What does checking in with yourself mean? Make sure you are okay. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually find out where you are. Is everything aligned? Are you off balance somewhere? Where are you out of sync? How do you feel about your life? Your work? Your future? Money? Time? Dating? Where do you see yourself in a year or in five years?




If you're not finding out how you are doing, it's very easy to be driven by emotions and not rationale. When you make emotional decisions, often times they are on a whim, not thought out, and not going to yield the best outcome for you or your family. When you're not finding out how you are doing, you might have a meltdown or breakdown and not even really know why. You're not alone, but it doesn't have to be like that.




It's imperative that you check in with yourself daily. Before you go to bed, sit down and ask yourself how you feel about the day. What happened? What didn't happen? Where are you in it? How do you feel and think about it? How will you act, react, or behave about it?

Aligning yourself daily allows you to know your next course of action. What needs to be done, accomplished, or achieved? Where do you stand relative to where you want to be? Who can help you? Being able to ask yourself where you are and where you stand allows you to insight into yourself so you can succeed, because you'll be in tune with who you are and what you want. It will provide amazing clarity into yourself, your career, your family, and your future.

If something is foggy, you will not only see it better, you will feel it. You will get the answers you seek, the knowledge to go further, and ability to serve others. You will be a better version of yourself. So before you ask someone else how she is, ask yourself how you are....every single day. Then watch the magic transpire, when you start realizing what you're capable of.

Why Prioritizing Really Does Help You Get More Done

We're busy. Work, school, kids, house cleaning, etc. The to-do list seems to be never ending. But with a little prioritization we can really get more done. Working smarter and not harder is the key. Follow these steps to prioritize your to-do list and get more accomplished. 

Ten Steps to Prioritize and Get More Done 

1. Create your to-do list. You might want to break this down into two lists of short term and long term. Keep in mind the time frame which you hope to get everything completed. 

2. Start writing your list in whatever order you think of things. Just get everything down on paper. Don't worry about trying to do it in a specific order that you think it needs to be done. Chances are the things that are of most importance will be the first things you write down on your list anyways. 

3. Break it down. Now take your to-do list and break it down into different categories. Put all of the household chores on a household list. Put all of the work chores on a work list. And so on and so on. 

4. Decide how you want to approach the list. You can reorder it to make sure that the things with the highest level of importance are done first. If everything has the same level of importance, then ordering it alphabetically might be better for you. If it's running errands, then order based on the proximity to where you'll be located when they need to be done. So if they need to get done after work, then the first item should be at a location closest to work and the final item should be at a location closest to home. 

5. Keep it visible. Post the list in a place you are sure to see and actively use it. Check off things as you go along. This way you'll know it's done and you'll be encouraged by being able to see your progress. 

6. Consider your deadlines. Figure out how long it's going to take you to complete the tasks and when it needs to be done by so you can prioritize and set a time for things to be completed. 

7. Do one thing on the list at a time. As tempting as it might be to do multiple tasks at once, you'll be less effective that way and you might not come back to complete one of the tasks you have begun. So see them through to completion so you can check them of as you go. 

8. Delegate. You can't be expected to do it all. So delegate some of the tasks on your list to other people. This way it frees up time to get other things on your list completed. 

9. Sometimes doing the least desirable tasks on your list first (if that's possible) is the most effective way to work. This will give you something to look forward to instead of dread. 

10. Not all urgent tasks will trump important tasks. If the dry cleaning can wait to be picked up another day, then do it to give you extra time to complete that work project.

Keeping a to-do list will really help you accomplish more, so start writing your list to get your life in order.

Growing To Bring Out Your True Potential Doesn't Happen Overnight

How about taking a few minutes of your time in order to learn simple steps on improving the rest of your life?

If you pay attention to what we have to say, that is what this article can do for you. 

Read the tips and tricks that we have provided for you, so that you can start to reach your true potential.  

When dealing with self improvement, not making a decision means forgoing an opportunity. Do not fear decisions that need to be made, even if you do not have all of the information that you need to be sure of the decision. 

Every successful decision that you make yields confidence and assertiveness. Even when your decision is incorrect, you can learn a lot from the mistake that you made. When you make the incorrect decision, learn from this, and make sure that it never happens again.  

Take a notebook around with you to jot ideas in. You could for instance carry a small notebook with you, or use an app on your phone. Just write down what their idea or thought is and then develop it more when you have the time and are feeling creative.  

Self improvement begins with becoming a leader. There are many different facets of leadership, but the one people talk about most is the ability to win friends and influence people. Identify the leadership qualities you possess. 

What events have impacted you the most in your life? How did you use those events to better yourself? What is your best attribute that makes you a team player? By carefully evaluating these questions, you can increase your awareness of your ability to function well in a team setting.  

You should always have an idea as to what you personal values are before you develop a plan for personal growth. Focusing on areas you don't value, doesn't make sense. Instead, focus on all that is important in your life, and work to improve those things. If you do this, you can make lifelong positive changes, both personally and professionally.  

Write up a motivational speech for yourself. Make a self-empowering post-it note or note card. You can take this with you wherever you go, and review it when you want motivation. You could also record a list of your positive traits and watch them on video. What is the reason?  

Accept your limitations before engaging in self improvement. Realizing your place in the big scheme of things is freeing. You will begin to understand that there are many ways to improve. You can then focus your attention on positive growth and development.  

Write a pep talk for yourself. Write down all of your good characteristics. You can take this with you wherever you go, and review it when you want motivation. Another great idea is to recite the list while filming yourself, so that you can view the footage regularly. Is there a benefit?  

Self improvement does not happen quickly, as this article has shown. However, if you invest the effort in yourself, you will surely benefit and grow from the process. These suggestions should assist you on your journey.