Want Freedom? Create Your Own Job

There are basically two types of jobs.  One is where you work a number hours and report to someone else in order to get a paycheck.  This could be an hourly job or a salaried career.  Either way you have a pretty set income with maybe a raise or a bonus if you’re lucky.  Most people have this type of a job.

Then there’s the job you design for yourself.  This is the kind of job where you follow your passion and do the things that inspire and motivate you to JUMP out of bed every morning.  Rather then being paid an hourly wage, this kind of job allows you be a creative spirit and still earn an income.  An example of this type of work might be that of an artist.

An artist gets to be creative all day long, designing as much or as little as she wants.  She can then sell her artwork for whatever she deems it is worth and earn an income.  Many types of creative works can also be duplicated, made into prints, digitally copied, etc. and bring in a residual income.  A residual income means you can spend one day creating a design and have it continually bring you income over the course of your life time.  So instead of getting paid say $100 for a day’s work at an hourly job, the artist can earn thousands of dollars for that day’s work over her lifetime.  See where I’m going with this?

So what’s the catch?

Well, there’s always the possibility that some creative works won’t sell.  There are a few of my Girls Can’t WHAT? designs that haven’t sold.  I have no doubt they will sell eventually, but the other 250+ designs ARE selling.  Some designs sell a lot and some are less popular.  The takeaway here is not to focus on the few that don’t sell, but look at the overall picture.

But I’m Not Creative…

That’s a load of crap.  Everyone is creative.  Your creativity may not be in the “arts”, but you have talents and abilities that are unique to only you.  It’s time to think about turning those talents into residual income and stop being a slave to hourly wages.  If you think you only have “hourly skills,” think about what you have learned from all those hours you put in.  Invent a new product. Write a book.  Make a video.  Become a keynote speaker.   Knowledge sells.

I’m not the “starving artist” type!

Me either.  I like food and I prefer my pantry be well-stocked.  So how does one go about being creative and still pay the bills? Learn to be prolific.

To be prolific means to “produce in large quantities or with great frequency”.  Take a look at some of the famous folks we consider to be masters of their craft….Georgia O’Keeffe, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Marie Curie, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Michael Jackson, Carol King or think about anyone else that comes to mind when you think of a creative person.  Are they one-hit wonders?  NO!

What do they all have in common?  They were prolific.  They didn’t just produce one invention or one masterpiece.  They continued to churn out one creative work after another.  They focused on their passion every single day.  Not everything they created earned them an income, but it lead to something else that did.  And the more they created, the more their skills increased as did the opportunity to earn a living.

Need some proof?

When I started Girls Can’t WHAT?, I only had a few designs.  I was still new to digital art and I made a lot of mistakes so I went very slowly.  I didn’t make much.  The following year I really started to push myself to be creative every day.  That year my income got a huge boost.  The more I created, the bigger my income stream became.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

In this digital age, creative works that can be reproduced have a distinct advantage.  You don’t have to market them exclusively through one vendor.  When I started, I focused on marketing my items through a single vendor.  The result?  I got a single income from that one vendor.

Today, I have 2 vendors and I’m working on adding a third and fourth.  The result is multiple income streams and the one providing me with the greatest profit margin and bonus options is always the one I promote directly from this site (for obvious reasons).  I have customers who have never visited this site, but have purchased Girls Can’t WHAT? items through my other vendors. Make yourself known in as many places as possible.

Be a Slave to Less

The title of this post asks if you want freedom.  Freedom is not about having more money.  I know I’m covering a lot of ground in regards to income, but one of my biggest motivators is that I don’t like being told what to do.  Sure, I do hourly client work to help pay my bills here and there, but I keep that to the bare minimum.  I want to be in charge of my own life and do what I want to do.

I read a great quote recently that said “The less you owe, the less you have to do things you don’t want to do.”  This is true on so many levels.  If you don’t have a lot of subscriptions, loan payments, prescriptions or other recurring payments, you don’t have to spend so much every month.  If you don’t have to spend so much, you don’t have to work as much.  You no longer become a slave to the hourly wage.

In other words, simplify your expenses.  I do this frequently.  I often compare the cost to something else I really want and decide if I want to trade an item I really want for the item currently in my shopping cart.

Now, take money out of the equation.  Consider time commitments.  The less you commit to, the more time you have to focus on your creative work.  Is this selfish?  You’ll have to decide that for yourself based on your commitments.

Also, take a look at the material things in your life.  Are they sucking up your time and energy?  If you start to feel you “owe” them something and hate the task of maintaining them, then they are stealing time away from doing what you want to do.  Time to purge.

For me personally, I don’t like to be a slave to the clock. I don’t mind having a few obligatory events on my calendar, but I try to keep them few and far between.  I want my freedom so I can focus on my passion.  When I’m in the flow of my artwork, I don’t want to be interrupted by a timer from a predetermined schedule telling me to move on to the next thing.  I want the freedom to decide for myself.  Don’t you?

Turn Your Passion into Compassion

Is it selfish to control your time?  Not when your passion spills over into helping others.  You can benefit others no matter what you do.  Take a look at the people I listed above.  They have all contributed to society in some way by filling physical, emotional and spiritual needs for people with their creative works. What needs will your creative work fill?  Who can benefit from it?

Comments are open.  Talk to me.