Realising your people have your back and that they believe in you is undeniably priceless. They are your feedback, your sounding board, usually your first customers, and they can see things in a different light.
20 February 2023 • 2 min read
You don’t have to be on your own if you’re working for yourself. You don’t need to feel like you are the only one carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you don’t need to employ a whole bunch of staff to make it feel less daunting. All you need are your people.
Coming from someone who never envisaged becoming an entrepreneur, there were times when I felt completely overwhelmed by all the roles a business owner needed to undertake. I would often feel like the role was too big for me, or my ideas weren’t good enough, or I just couldn’t do this! I never wanted to have a business, I never wanted to do the accounts, or make a website or think about forward planning, it just didn’t feel like a natural transition for me. I felt like I was going against my skill set as an artist and I would very quickly sink.
The trouble was, I was also following my passion and it was a calling I couldn’t fight against. You always see messages of following your unique path and doing what you love. Well, my journey took me by complete surprise. Without realising it, my tribe became the foundations of ArtistAnd. They believed in me more than myself and helped to show me the route to making the company work.
Realising your people have your back and that they believe in you is undeniably priceless. They are your feedback, your sounding board, usually your first customers, and they can see things in a different light. They help generate ideas (free of charge), they help motivate you and inspire you and they pick you up when you feel like you can’t do this anymore. When you question if you need to get a full-time job, all you need to do is share your worries, look at your scenario objectively and get an outsider’s perspective from the people who love you most. Your tribe are incredibly invaluable and make you feel held and confident.
My tribe have always pushed me to be the best version of myself. Whenever I’ve doubted myself or my ideas, I would share them with my friends and family and always get the feedback I didn’t expect, or the questions asked that helped me to consider different scenarios. They also offered me opportunities to trial services, get a foot in the door, and help spread the word of the business.
If you truly have a passion and a skill, it becomes infectious, and your nearest and dearest would love nothing more than to share that with you and be involved however they can. And if you truly love what you do, you will want to share that with them too. If you have a small vision and have even an ounce of a feeling that you want to turn it into a reality, start talking about it. Start sharing it and see what happens. Trust your tribe because you will never be on this journey alone.
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Personal growth
Ideas & stories are incredibly important, but great experiences often come from a new and unique combination of the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ hacked together then refined.
20 February 2023 • 7min read
It can often take years to find our grooves in employment, or even to take that first step into being freelance. It can be particularly difficult as a woman when there is a lack of role models in senior creative positions. Finding women-led communities can provide you everything you’re missing in permanent employment, and ultimately drive your professional development to the next level.
20 February 2023 • 4min read
A renewed focus on employee experience as organisations grapple with engagement in a hybrid post-pandemic world has led to jobs in People gaining more exposure across the board. Avalyn Kasahara shares how just as the world of work is changing, so too should our approach to how we interact with our employees, and what People teams should be learning from the creative industries.
17 February 2023 • 4min read
It’s more impressive if someone quits their job to start a business. For me the decision was easy: I was unemployed. Also, trying to go back to what I did before gave me pain.
20 February 2023 • 2min read
The art of problem-solving requires the ability to think outside of what’s directly in front of us, in order to find a particular outcome or solution. Sometimes we can be too close to a project or issue to see what needs tweaking, which creates bias in our quest for a solution. What is the most efficient question we should be asking to find the winning outcome?
20 February 2023 • 4min read
How can you future-proof yourself in a VUCA landscape and booming freelance economy? Take a closer look at the skills, tools and adaptations that make up your unique offering. In a complex world, not being a specialist can actually be a great advantage. Dot-connector Duane Holland explores why you should embrace your interdisciplinarianism (try saying that one fast).
20 February 2023 • 4min read
Ever wondered what the difference is between a specialism and a niche? And what does it mean to you as a freelancer? Jenna St John explains the difference, and why it is important.
20 February 2023 • 7min read
How are you communicating your value, uniqueness and purpose through your profile? Nuno Martins shares some quick tips and tricks that have helped him not only increase the number of cold requests for expertise he gets, but also to make them more relevant.
20 February 2023 • 3min read
Where do you draw inspiration from as a freelancer? Do you experiment with different methods and environments to inspire your creativity? Barbara Stewart shares how she sets a routine that supports the inquisitiveness of her inner child.
22 February 2023 • 3min read
For a team to operate with Radical candour, they must intersect on the positive side of two parameters; caring personally about your team/project and being willing to be challenged directly.
20 February 2023 • 3min read
At the end of the session, our tutor would give us feedback and suggestions on what went well and what didn’t. I listened and wrote it all down. Always be learning. If you can’t take feedback, you won’t grow.
20 February 2023 • 4min read
23 May 2023 • 0min read
23 May 2023 • 0min read
23 May 2023 • 0min read
It is easy to overlook one of the most important aspects of design – life design. To truly live a life of happiness, fulfilment and purpose, we must first consciously design it to match our values. To do this, we have to consider far more than our mental health and instead focus on our health, energy, longevity and performance.
20 February 2023 • 4min read
Our processes of creation are in constant flux, but never more rapidly than they are now. Alec Christie explores the impact on the film industry, and in particular the key skills that different creatives can develop for the future.
17 February 2023 • 5min read
Take risks, grow, live a little. The unknown is invigorating. Don’t waste the time you have before you return to the known of death.
20 February 2023 • 1min read
If you want to make a difference, the time is now. In today’s fast-moving, technology-filled world where we’re being pulled in many directions at once, finding your focus appears to be more critical than ever. Strategy Director, purpose-advocate, change-agent Paulina Lezama talks about the significance of getting to grips with the various layers and complexities of issues that matter most to you in her article for the FSC Mag.
20 February 2023 • 2min read
Knowledge becomes a lot more powerful when you start applying it. You learn even more when you put things into action. And you remember it better. Hopefully, that will give you some kind of positive feedback that will start you on an endless curiosity loop.
20 February 2023 • 5min read
