Comments on: This Self-Employed Life: Adjusting My Sails

By: Bess | English Muffin

Bess | English Muffin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:47:00 +0000

Hi Adele – great post! I am right there with you, trying to figure out how to take the next step to make my business a profitable and sustainable enterprise. I think wholesaling and outsourcing are really key. Going the “Etsy” route (although incredibly valuable in the beginning) is just not sustainable in the long run for many of the reasons you mentioned; selling low volume, chasing the sale, etc… I think making yourself the head of creative is what is most important, I know for myself, selling, promotion and production are not my strengths. Thanks so much for sharing your process, I look forward to hearing how it goes :) Bess

By: julie

julie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Keep goign Adele. This post came on a day I started questioning what am I doind and my tutor said to rebrand everything in my life . Thought he was mad but started calling myself a designer not a design student, hung a sign on my study door with the name of my future company on it…and then rebranded my study the studio…it has had a powerful effect. Self employed can be so lonely…but blogs like yours makes us realise that there’e many of us striving for a future where we are solely in control. Keep on going.

By: wendy

wendy — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:26:35 +0000

great thoughts adele, thanks so much for sharing. i think you’re definitely on the right track! and very much looking forward to where the wind takes you :)

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:00:03 +0000

Great post – very insightful. All the changes you’ve been making have been leading you in this direction. It will be fun to see where this new direction brings you.

By: Silvia

Silvia — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:21:59 +0000

My experience is most artists have a hard time to find balance between creativity and business. While creativity is something that requests time, inspiration, a look to your inner dimension, business is the other side of the coin, you have to move at fast pace, attend your customers’ wishes, and all of this consume time. These “off course” periods will always happen; the wind will always be there. In my case I didn’t start yet to make that many sales, but I’m already being deviated off my course by having to discover how to set up my business. What we can do is learn how to put creativity back on track. Instead of just adjusting your business you could do the same with your creativity. The question now is: how to work out your creativity? What can you do in a practical way to get those sparkles, to get the excitement when you envision your next design?

By: tara - scoutie girl

tara - scoutie girl — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:09:39 +0000

adele – i think the changes you’ve highlighted sound perfect! i think it can be sooooo tempting for us DIY types to do everything ourselves. but in the end, that only makes us less creative and more like machines, right?

i’m certainly struggling with many of the same feelings. i know where i want to go but the steps to get there seem a little fuzzy and i think outsourcing part of what i do is certainly the answer. i just haven’t figured out what the balance is going to be for that yet!

thanks so much for sharing this journey with us – your insights are going to help A LOT of people!

By: PAWLING | print studio

PAWLING | print studio — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Wow Adele, another great post! We’ve been going through a similar identity crisis. Production was just becoming too time consuming and unrewarding, but for us the reason we started doing what we were doing in the first place was that we THOUGHT we loved MAKING things. But you’re completely right, we only like making things, whereas we love DESIGNING things. I think we were just thrilled to have sales, so it didn’t occur to us to reevaluate when the making started overtaking designing! I think we came to the same conclusion as you but with much less self awareness. We’re testing the waters though and just placed our first order at a print shop last Friday and it feels like a great weight has been lifted! If you had posted this two months ago we probably wouldn’t have waited so long! This post just makes everything seem so obvious!! Thanks again =) Trisha

By: Michelle from Holley & Gill

Michelle from Holley & Gill — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:43:01 +0000

To see someone so talented and creative struggle is always hard but now that you’re in the “zone” and that you see nothing but a clear road ahead, I foresee nothing but bigger and better things for you.

By: PJ

PJ — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:40:31 +0000

I think your introspection is definitely leading you in the right direction. If you can cut back on the administrative work, you’ll have more time and more energy to be creative. And if the foundation of your company is your creativity, finding ways to get back to basics is exactly what you need to do. Congratulations on recognizing the problem and some potential solutions.

By: FormFire Glassworks

FormFire Glassworks — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:32:27 +0000

I have to say that I have taken a similar path. I started out all gung-ho and spent HOURS each day with marketing, online groups, packing, etc. And I got burnt out – I had taken on so much work outside the actual work that I was just making my pieces to get them done and out. I have found that putting my pieces in a gallery/store setting allows someone else to do the marketing and sales for me. I can now spend more of my time working on new pieces and making more of those that sell well. (What little bits of time I have.) Of course, I can’t outsource the actual work for my pieces, but it sure does take a load off of me. Best of luck with your shift!