When times grew tough several years ago, I noticed that books about starting a home-based business went flying off the shelves. They included books on writing. Titles like How to Earn a Six-Figure Income Writing Greeting Card Poetry generally circulate well but during times of high unemployment they're especially hot.
At times I really felt for the people checking these books out. Some borrowers exuded such a strong mix of hope and desperation that they seemed to be surrounded by a visible aura. I'd heard of "hope in a jar;" these books seemed to be "hope between two covers."
I read many of the books as a reviewer for a writers' club newsletter. The actual business strategy advice ranged from extremely helpful to "I'm glad I didn't buy this." What a startling number of them failed to mention is the idea that a business in the creative arts (maybe in any field) works best if you'd love what you're doing even if you weren't getting paid for it.
If you don't love it you won't be able to spend ten-hour days (that's the average working day for the owner of a full-time startup) doing it. You won't be able to convinced prospective users or buyers that they need your services. You'll turn out mediocre work. Eventually you'll be bored.
Making a little extra money on the side by freelancing or selling your crafts at fairs is one thing; trying to earn a full-time living running a business in creative services is another. Working from home doing what you choose to do sounds easier than it is. I enjoy working with kids but during the years when I ran a daycare service for children at home, I worked days that were much longer than any of the school jobs I'd held. Even being as frugal as I was, my net earnings were so low I was embarrassed to report them on the tax forms. Child care is one of those businesses that makes no sense unless the care provider loves doing it.
I believe that working in any of the arts, even "applied" ones such as graphic design or copy writing, run on the same principle. If you're down to your last dollar and need money now, they're a risky choice.
But if you're already doing something you love and are willing to start small while holding onto your day job, your chance of eventually being able to leave that job are better than average. Every full-time freelancer or artist I've ever met has started out by doing what she does not for money but for love.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Creative Spaces: A Garrett of Your Own
If you're going to have a serious (or playful) artistic practice, you need a space of your own. This is true even if your creative spells are limited to one or two hours a week, whenever you can get a day off work. This is so important that once you rope off a corner of your own, you'll wonder how you got along without it.
Nearly 20 years ago my family and I were living in a single-wide mobile home on a tiny lot. It was way too small for four-sometimes-five people but it was ours for the time being. My "office" was a small drafter's style desk and a stool in the corner of the kitchen. There were no walls. Half the time I'd sit down to work only to discover that a family member had "borrowed" certain supplies or spilled something on a manuscript. I didn't get much done during our four years there.
When we moved into our current house I got half a room for my office - my husband got the other half - and discovered that if we used a portable screen, we each had a reasonable amount of privacy. For the first time in years I was able to finish projects, partly because I didn't have to pack away partially finished work at the end of each day. It was safe on my desk.
This sense of safety is critical to creative success. You need a place, no matter how small, where you can be free to rough out ideas that aren't ready for the glaring light of public exposure yet, and where you can leave half-finished projects out without fear of others messing things up.
A tiny desk in the middle of a common room isn't ideal. If you live in a shoebox, try to find an empty corner, or empty a full corner of its junk. With a folding screen you can create an ersatz wall. This wall won't shut out noise but it will make a sort of psychological barrier to interruptions.
It's just as important to teach family members or roommates that when you're behind this wall, you're at work. In some households this can be a real struggle - enough to merit an article of its own. Claiming your own space is the first step.
Nearly 20 years ago my family and I were living in a single-wide mobile home on a tiny lot. It was way too small for four-sometimes-five people but it was ours for the time being. My "office" was a small drafter's style desk and a stool in the corner of the kitchen. There were no walls. Half the time I'd sit down to work only to discover that a family member had "borrowed" certain supplies or spilled something on a manuscript. I didn't get much done during our four years there.
When we moved into our current house I got half a room for my office - my husband got the other half - and discovered that if we used a portable screen, we each had a reasonable amount of privacy. For the first time in years I was able to finish projects, partly because I didn't have to pack away partially finished work at the end of each day. It was safe on my desk.
This sense of safety is critical to creative success. You need a place, no matter how small, where you can be free to rough out ideas that aren't ready for the glaring light of public exposure yet, and where you can leave half-finished projects out without fear of others messing things up.
A tiny desk in the middle of a common room isn't ideal. If you live in a shoebox, try to find an empty corner, or empty a full corner of its junk. With a folding screen you can create an ersatz wall. This wall won't shut out noise but it will make a sort of psychological barrier to interruptions.
It's just as important to teach family members or roommates that when you're behind this wall, you're at work. In some households this can be a real struggle - enough to merit an article of its own. Claiming your own space is the first step.
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