Hello Friends!
This past week was pretty decent! Work didn’t drag too much & I feel ready to tackle the next four days. With this post I wanted to provide a little insight into how I have the time to attempt to build a business. I also have a new Monday Merger to share! Plus, an update on that Youtube channel I hinted at last week.
My ‘Working’ Week
For those who are curious how I find the time to blog on a Monday, it’s because I am currently working Friday through Sunday as a Gallery Assistant. I then spend the remaining 4 days attempting to build up this business. This ‘free-time’ is spent working on a couple of commission requests, illustrations, creating new products, photographing listings, and for a large chunk, brainstorming & executing my marketing ‘plan’. (I use the word ‘plan’ loosely.)
I have also picked up a few hours of paid gardening maintenance for a bit of extra pocket money, however, my ‘ideal’ scenario for the next few months would be to land myself a full day of paid gardening work. Why gardening? For me, it’s the perfect compliment to my current routine. A day of physical labour to stretch the body, but without the distraction of face to face social interaction, meaning plenty of time to ponder and develop ideas.
Now, I admit I have been fighting a lot of self-inflicted shame about my current employment situation. I struggle to shake the guilt that it sounds incredibly slack to only be working three ‘proper’ days of work. But this is a narrative I am trying to shift. After spending the majority of my twenties working in finance, I wanted to push myself to try something new before I reached 30. Something that puts my natural talents to use. By fluke, I landed myself a part-time job in a gallery – a role I never thought would become available in our small town. I’m fortunate to work for a company that celebrates art, and it feels fitting that this is the role that keeps me fed & comfortable as I throw myself into my first attempt at a ‘side hustle’. After a lack-lustre opening, in terms of interest and sales, inevitably, doubt creeps in. However, last week I spent a lot of time chatting to colleagues, friends & family and have been reminded that creating a profitable business takes time – longer than one month and 4 days. It would be truly remarkable if I was swimming in orders this early on in the game.
So, on the whole, I’m feeling a little more bolstered than last week! I am also more determined than ever to put as much effort in as I can, to make this a success. However, I also want to be very open with the time I am able to dedicate to this business. I’d loathe for others to feel they are falling short in comparison. Not that there is much yet to be envious of. :P
#MondayMerger
Today, I was keen to get started on my drawing challenge as I definitely was feeling a little rusty. (Missed the last post? Read about my Monday Merger challenger here.) After three days of minimal drawing, I needed to loosen up & get the old brain ticking again. Though the results are hardly pretty, by the end of the session I felt much more comfortable with the idea of tackling the projects lined up for this week. (Just a side note, if you’re struggling to find credit, do a ‘reverse image search’).
As you can see I took the idea of the envelope and gave it a tiger-esque spin. It’s a very rough concept, but it was something entirely different for me.
YouTube
Speaking of #MondayMergers, I actually recorded the whole process, with commentary! So, that might pop up somewhere in the near-ish future… In the meantime, I hope to finish up the introductory video I created last week for my upcoming channel. It’s a fast-paced rundown of how I got to this point, in terms of my creative journey, and it’s intended as a fun little taste of what’s to come. I split the recording between my iPhone and Zoom voice recorder. I also put my very, very rusty editing skills to the test as I re-downloaded iMovie. It was fun & the exercise gave me an idea of how I would like to create content going forward. No sneak peeks yet, but keep an eye out!
Talk soon!
Fiona x
