“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” – Anonymous

I love this quote.  It doesn’t mean you have to be a “starving artist” at any point in the journey.  But it does mean you probably will have different priorities with your “free” time than most when you first start making your goals into reality. And it may mean that you do both for a while – a job and your own thing.  Or if you are lucky, maybe you find a job in the art field, and do great there as well. 

The awesome thing about being an artist, is that there are so many ways to succeed at it.  I know people who spend all day in Hollywood, drawing, painting or creating.  And I know people in the corporate retail space, designing and creating every day there too. I also know fine-art artists who do the festival and gallery scenes and may or may not have a job somewhere else.  None of those options is wrong – that’s the beauty of it.  

No one is saying quit your day job today.  Unless you can, and/or you feel so inclined. I have a friend who instead of quitting his day job, started freelancing on the side.  And then after a while he also started his own website.  Wow – I mean this guy is killing it in two additional markets, while still keeping his day job. And so after 2 years of his website being kicked off, he’s making good money. Enough that if his day job said good bye, he’s be ok. 

But what this meant was while everyone else was out drinking at the bar on a Saturday night, he was home working on projects, working with this web developers and creating an online outlet for his work. And since his day job normally didn’t require more than 40 hours a week, he was able to work a bit a couple nights a week and still enjoy life. Did he maybe turn down a more “prestigious” corporate job, that would have required more hours in order to fulfill his long-term goals?  Yes.  And that’s OK.  I don’t know anyone who knows him who would think he lacks ambition or is lazy.

I remember when I was working “part time” as a consultant at a big firm.  This meant by the way that I would still work up to 50 hours a week at least twice a month. (Crazy I know).  I was accused by management of not having ambition because I didn’t want to be a Partner in a Big 4 consulting firm. But anyone who knew me or worked with me knew differently. They knew I gave my all at the client.  And then I went home and worked long hours on my art. When I got laid off, I began living somewhat off savings, in order to work 100% on my art. Because I had an all-or-nothing attitude at that point.

Is either of these routes for everyone? No. You can sell your art and not worry about making it your sole income and still be considered a working artist.  But, if you are thinking about making art your full-time gig – just know a little bit of sacrifice may be needed in the short term – but rewards will follow in the long term. 

That friend I told you about? For about 5 more years he worked his day job and went on amazing globe trotting adventures a couple times a year. Eventually he had built his website traffic, and his free lance graphic design up enough to quit his day job and be his own boss.  All because he was willing to think smarter, and work weekends and some nights on his dream. And he’s one of the most creatively fulfilled artists I know. 

As for me, I’m currently working 1/2 of the year as a consultant, and the rest of the time I spend  exploring the US with my husband in our RV and working on my art. (I still create art during that non art focused 1/2 of the year, but not to the depth and breadth I do when not working on another income stream.) And there was a year or two in there, that I had saved up enough money working on other things, that I simply traveled and for the most part grabbed a sketch book and some water colors to keep my creativity going. I didn’t worry about selling any of the art I created, I just allowed myself to create, travel and be present with my husband.

So choose your own path, blaze your own trail, and start living the life you were meant to.