This year is the beginning of a new chapter and a new journey in my business and creative career. After almost 11 years in corporate America, I finally took the leap of faith and decided to leave my full-time job and go after my dream of building a business as a full-time artist. Yes, you read that right! I’ll be working on For Tha Masses Design on a full-time basis to build it into a sustainable full-fledged business.
This decision was far from easy and a long time coming. I still remember so vividly sitting in my office 2 to 3 years ago, deeply unhappy and in a state of distress. One of my best friends was sitting with me listening to me vent about how unfulfilled I was. I told her that I was dissatisfied with my life, the state of my career, and how I didn’t want to stay at our current job past 10 yrs.
With tears rushing down my face, I felt so lost and hopeless. I knew what I didn’t want, but pursuing that dream felt far off in the distant future.
At the moment, I didn’t know what I would do. I knew that the path I was heading on by showing up daily to do a job that I had no drive or desire to do was unsustainable but at that time it was the only thing I felt capable of doing.
If you’ve been a long-time reader of the blog, then you’re familiar with my artist story and journey. Seeing myself as an artist and being confident enough to call myself one isn’t something that happened overnight. And to be honest, sometimes it’s still a struggle. I’ve had to overcome constant self-comparisons and feeling like my work wasn’t adequate enough.
Through therapy, consistency, and focusing on my own path in life, I started slowly dispelling these negative thought processes.
2022 was the year I stepped into my power, recognized my strengths, and started being more strategic in my approach. I allowed myself to create what I wanted when I wanted and started branching out to create a sense of community within my city. I began going to local events, meeting other fellow artists and makers, and got more comfortable talking about myself, my work, and my journey to others. This opened the doors for opportunities to come my way but would not have been possible if I did not put myself out there.
We all go through moments of feeling that our best doesn’t match up to the capabilities of others. We all go through moments of self-doubt, questioning ourselves, our ideas, our plans, and our ability to see it through. But if we all stopped and allow these thoughts to hinder our actions, that’s when we become stagnant and cease to actualize our possibilities.
As I look back at that moment in my office, in desperation for the life I wanted that felt so far out of reach, I recognize that the pain I felt was really just fear materializing. I was afraid of being stuck in a job that was unfulfilling, afraid of never being able to find “a way out”, afraid that my desire would remain as that … a desire, and I alas would one day succumb to those fears.
Though I have taken the leap to pursue my dream, my focus for the year is not my business. Don’t get me wrong, business decisions will still happen but I feel that my career needs to take a secondary seat to my everyday life which consists of my family, friends, and most importantly… myself. Over the years of trying to make this dream a possibility, I’ve noticed that the hyperfocus on achieving this goal has led to more feelings of anxiousness, doubt, stress, depression, and lack of fulfillment in my life.
My business is not something that has a singular form and will ultimately evolve and grow alongside me. Nurturing the other parts of my life like my relationship with my child and spouse, building a community of friends as a support system, and taking care of my mental and physical health will fuel my creative life.
I’m willing to play the slow game and take strategic steps to make huge gains long term. I want to have a life that is abundant. Abundant in finances, abundant in joy, abundant in connections and creativity.
With that said I’m curious to see what the next year will look like. As I write this on the 2nd day of my new self-employed life, It’s clear that I have to nurture myself and my thoughts. I have to speak highly about myself, to myself and do my best to avoid spiraling into negative self-talk.
Self-Compassion will be essential!
So I ask you…
What are you inviting into your life this new year? More abundance. More connection. More opportunities to say yes. More rest. More peace. More moments of stillness.
More moments of joy.
How will you make space to allow this to manifest?
How will you find support in difficult times?
How will you face obstacles and hurdles that will come your way?
How will you stay connected to your purpose and why?
How do you want to feel throughout the process?
Whatever you chose to invite in, set action to these wants and cravings. Center yourself at the heart of it and know that you are deserving and capable of receiving it. I put a worksheet together to help you answer these questions and serve as a guide for your intentions this year. It will also help to keep your desires of the year at center gaze (if you’re signed up for the newsletter it’s already in your inbox!).
It’s one thing to have a goal, it’s another to have a goal with a plan of action to go along with it.
I hope this quick exercise serves you well and wish you many blessings in this new year!