Creativity

Self-belief is very important when developing confidence to pursue your ideas. Learn to listen to yourself instead of always listening to others. Remember, people may not have an appetite for risk and will persuade you not to jump into your dream. I believe that if your take an artistic leap the net WILL appear. I cover this question in the book Create, Work, Earn so why not grab a copy today.

Sometimes we find that we are close to our goal but not quite close enough. I have often worked alongside my dream but not quite in it. Like the time I spent editing other people’s work rather than writing my own. So, when the going gets tough there is always time to reappraise where you are and where you want to go and in fact, where you should be. Take time out to focus on your own talent. Take photos for yourself, write, draw, paint, make. Always build in time to nurture your own creative spirit and needs. Creatives cannot simply keep taking water from the well without replacing it with refreshing rain.

There are all kinds of ways that work. Getting a website and profile and portfolio are all good ways to prove you are who you are. What really worked for me was creating a profile on a freelancer site. It can be hard work to set yourself up and be taken seriously as a newbee but I slashed my prices to rock bottom. This way I pretended it was an apprenticeship. When prices are low people can’t help but take a risk and try you. Once you are established with a few jobs under your belt you can raise your prices.

This is where workers support themselves. There are no traditional benefits and thus costs are slashed for employers. You might think that sounds rubbish but as a freelancer you can create the life you want. By 2016 there were 2 million workers doing freelance gigs in the UK so you will not be alone. It means workers are more agile and flexible and their contribution to the UK economy was £119 billion. So you can stand on the sidelines or jump right in to a very important part of the economy. There is a whole chapter on the freelance economy in the book Create, Work, Earn. Grab a copy today.

Creativity is just that, creative. It doesn’t come out of a tap. However, neither is it all genius! Looking after the way you view life is important. Taking time out to smell the flowers or whatever can help you recharge. Creativity comes from deep within and it can be knackering to constantly pull stuff out from the depths. Try and take time out to refill the creative well. Think of it as a child. If you keep promising to take them to the beach but never do it think how they will feel. It is the same for your creativity. It’s part of you, it’s part of what makes you tick. Look after it.

Create, Work Earn will show you how to develop the confidence to jump into the freelance economy. It will give you case studies by people who have done just that. Create, work, earn will also help you maintain techniques to help keep your creativity flourishing. It will also help you exploit opportunities and thrive doing what you really want to do. The first step is to pick up the book and start reading.

There are so many ways to exploit your creativity. Look at your strengths. Maybe you see the world in a different way to others. Perhaps people say things like ‘Oh your kitchen is so organised’ or you outfits are so well coordinated or even, your home is amazing you could market that. Your creativity might exhibit itself in the way you design birthday parties or events, repair cars, do gardens, draw, whatever. You have to work out what you want to do and how you want to exhibit and sell your creativity. That might be through freelance websites, portals, a website, leaflets, workshops. There are 101 ways to move forward.

Yes, most definitely. Most of the freelancers I know spend a lot of time on their own offices and workshops. With a smartphone you can achieve anything. It is your mobile office. I have stopped feeling guilty replying to emails or dictating copy when I’m sitting in the sunshine. However, don’t dismiss the idea of working in a co-working space a few times a week or even going to a coffee shop. It does help the creative juices flow and sometimes, home working can feel a little isolating. But the answer to the question ‘can I earn a living from home’ is a resounding Yes!

There are all kinds of ways. First of all evaluate what your skills sets really are. Then think about your target audience. Maybe create a YouTube channel to demonstrate your skills or become a vlogger elsewhere. Try Etsy to sell your home made items, that might be sewing or photography, printmaking, candles, baby clothes….almost anything. Why not teach online classes, there are always people willing or needing to learn something you might thing is easy! Run workshops in your town, approach schools or colleges, run a workshop in a pub or a coffee shop for example. These are just a few ideas to start with.

Monetise your creativity through:
• Selling on Etsy or other portals like ebay
• Set up local workshops using Facebook for example
• Design an online course. You can upload to Udemy and the whole world could sign up.
• Join a freelance site like People Per hour, Fiverr or many others on the market.

There are many ways to turn your creativity into a career. You need to see yourself a s an independent creative. Do some research see if there is a market for the kind of products/services you want to offer. Connect with people. Join networking groups online and offline. Build relationships with customers and learn to upsell to people you have already dealt with successfully. Surround yourself with the right people who will nurture and support you…it might be other artists. Ask for help, collaborate. Keep growing, keep learning, do courses, keep believing and work like your life depended on it.

Great sites to sell creativity are people per hour, freelancenearme.com, freelanceportal.co, freelancer.com, upwork.com, toptal.com. A full list appears in Create, Work Earn. Grab your copy now.