As 2023 gets moving into gear, I am looking back on the lessons that have been bubbling in my "Stew of Success" in the past two years of Self-Employment as an Artist. It has without a doubt, been the most difficult endeavor I have EVER taken on.
Since hindsight is 20/20 - I'm going to use this opportunity to look back with a bird's eye view on the last two years to extract concentrated wisdom from my experiences.
While I am aware of these things, it does not mean that I have mastered them. This early on in my career, I am still very much a baby, and so these lessons are still sinking in. That being said, I am grateful to be aware of them at all, and I hope they are helpful to you in your own journey!
Without further ado - here are my top lessons from 2 years of self-employment:
It's going to be messy for a while - get used to it.
Be patient with yourself as you get organized. It's like moving into a new living space. You don't know what you don't know, so it will be difficult to build systems for efficiency without the "work" experience that will inform those systems. It has taken me 2 years of constant tattooing to be informed enough to have a solid booking policy and all the extra information to make myself a credible source of information in my field.
Don't Suffer in Silence:
Most people won't know that you're struggling - you've got to ask for help if you need it. Our society has groomed us to believe up to now, that being a strong individual is all it takes to really achieve success and you can only truly trust yourself. I call bullshit on that. If you only ever trust yourself, then a truly cohesive team isn't possible with you, and you'll spend undue energy on your distrust. Building a strong team is the only real way to success.
GET FAMILIAR WITH YOUR LIMITATIONS!!
As a self-employed artist with a "vision" I recognize the weakness of my desire to control every aspect of my business for fear that if someone else touches it they may try to overtake it or may not do it justice. So I have tried to juggle every aspect of my business with VERY limited success. It's impractical and unsustainable. This goes back to being to trust others and building a team. Find people you trust to do well the things that you struggle with.
Recognize Small Wins:
Every breath is a gift, every clear breath is invaluable. Every thing you can do beyond that is a privilege. Putting in any amount of work for yourself is commendable. If doing flash tattoo days or playing scrimmage games in school taught me anything, it's that a bunch of small wins in a row build confidence and give you momentum for the tougher battles. Tough battle after tough battle is likely to wear you down as you will inevitably slip up as you learn new things - the same way that muscles "fail" when performing higher weight reps than we are used to. In that same way that many small wins build momentum, well many small failures also slow momentum. Give yourself the ability to have small wins as often as you possibly can. Stop being a masochist looking for perpetual growth and only taking on the hard challenges.
Prioritize Your To-Do List:
This is still one of my personal greatest obstacles with ADHD. Start your work day reviewing the tasks you've completed yesterday (remember those small wins) and the other tasks you have ahead of you this day, and the week ahead. If you don't MAKE time for certain tasks, you are far less likely to FIND time for them. ALSO - MAKE TIME TO MAKE TIME - set aside time weekly / bi-weekly to cross things off of the to-do list and slot new tasks into the schedule.
Spend Less Time Thinking & More Time Doing:
There will be plenty of time to think while doing certain monotonous tasks. Better to multitask there than to paralyze yourself in thought and get nothing done. Have a notepad near by or dictate to your phone if a new thought / idea / inspiration comes to you. The time you spend in paralysis of thought and analysis of what to do next will build guilt due to indecision and is a vicious circle. It's a fucking trap.
Break Down Vital / Common Tasks:
Build SOPs for yourself to have structure instead of starting from scratch on each task or project. Having a standard method of approach for commonly repeated tasks will speed up the process for you - and then also whomever assumes the responsibilities whenever your business grows.
Stay Focused:
A big part of this goes back to knowing your limitations. Recognize your habits of getting distracted. Take a moment to think about your triggers for getting distracted. Schedule time to do what you've got to do on Social Media, then GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE. When you DO find yourself distracted, AVOID GUILT - close your eyes, take a deep breath, and give yourself credit for refocusing. <-- small win! You'll also find yourself wanting to check something quick on your phone in the middle of another important task. That literally just happened to me as the curiosity of what notifications I may have to look itched at my mind. I picked up my phone to see if there might be anything, but also recognized my pattern to get stuck once the trail of curiosity began -- so before even looking at the screen, I turned it off, and set it behind my monitor so it was no longer in sight.
Put in that WORK:
The amount of satisfaction derived from completing a goal / overcoming a challenge is directly proportionate to the amount of energy and passion you pour into it. I don't typically encourage people to push over 40 hrs a week at their normal job...but being self-employed is a little different. Building something to literally sustain your livelihood...out of practically nothing...well that is a feat. SO this is one of those lessons in getting out what you put in. If you put in a lot, it will grow quickly, if you barely feed it, it will grow slowly -- simple as that. If you're not in a rush, well go at your own pace. We all have different life circumstances that require different levels of intensity. There really is nothing wrong with taking your time to build your dream.
Recognize Self-Sabotage:
It's likely that at this point in your life you have realized that we can consciously or subconsciously sabotage ourselves for fear of the responsibility that comes with 'success.' I recognize my own fear of consistent maintenance of the things I build because I might fail, or someone might get jealous and try to knock down my creations. This is probably another of my larger demons that I must face. It is the demon of comfort trying to convince you to maintain the status quo, as doing work is such a hassle and it would be easier to just keep reliving the same programs and habits. This demon gets upset when he is disturbed an asked to do something new and unfamiliar. HOWEVER...there's a hack - that frustration and unease can be channeled. That is energy. You can feel it in your chest and in your head as this demon is confronted. The demon's frustration is fuel for you to redirect if you can be aware of it's attack -- like spiritual Judo. As I redirect that energy into productivity towards the very tasks I feared to complete, I get a high from my accomplishment and confidence in myself. I have taken a step towards self-trust, and in self-empowerment - which are CRITICAL for self-employment.
These are the most condensed I could make it for now without taking another entire year to formulate more. I hope this has been helpful for you to read as it was therapeutic and fulfilling to write for me. Remember folks, sharing is caring!
Love and Prosperity to you all!
-Sin