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Lately, when I run into a friend or aquaintance they ask, "How's your business going?"
To which I reply, "Which one?"
I sew made-to-measure garments for women, edit nonfiction books, create content for clients, and teach writing workshops. Oh, and I sometimes shop sit for local businesses, in addition to my steady gig as an office manager for a small business 20 hours a week.
And I feel like I'm just getting started.
I've yet to fully roll out my creative advising services for folks who need help starting or restructuring their business and creative endeavors. I just started offering natal chart readings for people who want to learn more about their astrological chart and the energies they brought into the world. I'm in talks to teach a series of astrology workshops. And I love styling for photoshoots, personal styling, and providing one-on-one sewing lessons.
There's an oft-repeated claim that Americans will have an average of seven careers over their lifetime. Given changes in the economy and job markets, Millennials are expected to job-hop every three years or so. Traditional wisdom says this can make it harder for applicants to land a job, because recruiters or HR personnel see it as an indication of instability.
But I've never really been a fan of tradition. And I've always been a fan of multiple passions, so much so that an average of seven careers seems low. Instead, my goal is to have multiple streams of income so I never have to depend on any one thing, or get bored with doing the same thing each week.
I know it's not for everyone, and I also know I can't help it. I started my first company on accident at age nine. As the legend goes, my third grade teacher called my mother to complain that I was drawing all over the pages of my religion textbook (hello, Catholic school). Instead of punishing me, my mother signed me up for painting lessons with a local folk artist. She could have easily stifled my creativity and told me to stop, but she saw that I needed an avenue to channel it.
Within a year, I had commissions for paintings, mostly of people's pets. I painted idyllic New England farmhouses and relatives bought the framed pieces. For my school's Career Day, I dressed up as a painter, wearing a paint-splattered sweatshirt and carrying a palette in one hand, a finished canvas in the other. Since I was already earning money from paintings and had seen my painting teacher earn money teaching, I considered it a viable career path.
You probably know what comes next.
There are books upon books about unblocking latent creativity. If I had a dime for every time someone recommended Steven Pressfield's The War of Art to me, I'd have a lot of dimes. Another well-known book is Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, where she outlines a twelve-week program for "blocked or injured artists." Not physically injured, but psychologically so. Sometimes there's an evil teacher or a misguided friend or well-intentioned relative who tells the child that their dream of being an artist is 'cute' but not 'practical.' Sometimes these figures are also blocked artists, and thereby perpetuate a string of hindered creatives.
Recently, a friend announced they were going to leave their job to be a full-time artist. I was over-the-moon excited for them. And yet this little voice popped up that was like, ya, good luck making a living as an artist.
What the fuck, right? Like where did that voice even come from?
It has nothing to do with the artist in question and everything to do with what I've been led to believe by family, friends, culture, and society: that art is a hobby, not a career. Though on an intellectual level I understand that artists can earn a viable living, there's obviously a persistent emotional block.
Like most conditioning, it's slow and unrelenting. It comes in the form of microaggressions from well-intentioned people—like how someone asks "What are you studying?" and when you say "creative writing," they say, "But what will you do with that?" I used to joke that I majored in creative writing and Tibetan studies to ensure I was fully unemployable, and people would laugh.
There's a beautifully staggering poem by Morgan Parker, who writes:
art is nice but the question is how are you
making money are you for sale.
All this to say, we live in a society and culture that perpetuates the myth of the starving artist; adults tell artists to choose realistic careers because they are concerned for their well-being; and yet the economy has shifted so much so that "realistic careers" don't quite exist for Millennials.
My first job as a painter happened accidentally. A few years ago I accidentally started a bookstore after I launched a book club and realized there wasn't an independent retailer dedicated to books. Then I accidentally started a clothing line when people asked me to make them the garments I made for myself. And now I've somewhat stumbled upon being an astrologer, having edited for other astrologers and studied it for over a decade.
You'd think that I'd have this down by now, but every time I start another endeavor, a new layer of conditioning crops up. Another little voice is like, good luck getting people to pay for your expertise.
My reaction is twofold: (1) fuck off and (2) you're totally right.
Who am I to be a [fill in the blank]? And not only that: Who am I to be a [fill in the blank] plus [fill in the blank] who is also launching a [fill in the blank]?
Because if we as a society don't take kindly to artists, we also distrust the multi-passionate woman. Sure, we ooh-and-ahh at Bradley Cooper when he writes, directs, acts and sings in a feature film. But when women do it, out comes "yeah, but..."
"Her album is great but her acting career? Meh."
Until you've reached a Beyonce level of success, there's the risk of being seen as flighty, fickle, irresponsible, and reckless. I recently watched a show where a comedian joked that his wife is a lifestyle blogger one day, a life coach the next, and a jewelry designer the day after. He jokes, "I can't wait to see what she is when I get back home tonight." And the audience laughs, because they know that trope. The Fickle Woman Trope.
Marie Forleo turns it on its head, calling this the "multipassionate entrepreneur." It was a term she coined when she realized she "didn't (and never will) fit into a conventional box." On her website, she notes she was "passionate about a multitude of seemingly unconnected things: writing, hip-hop, psychology, entrepreneurship, creativity, spirituality, fitness and philanthropy, just to name a few."
"After several failed attempts at corporate jobs and a lot of angst trying to choose just one thing to be in life, I realized that my unusual combination of interests and skills was a strength, not a liability. I gave up the security of the 9-5, began bartending and waiting tables and doing a multitude of odd jobs to keep a roof over my head while slowly building a coaching business from the ground up."
Forleo is a huge expander for people who find themselves navigating seemingly disparate interests, and her online series features interviews with guests who also don't fit into one conventional box. Abby Wambach, for instance, had to reinvent herself after her unparalleled soccer career and is now focusing on closing the wage gap for athletes. In her interview, Franchesca Ramsey talks openly about acting, comedy, blogging, and facilitating conversations about race.
This past year I've been fortunate enough to connect with some incredible women who juggle multiple endeavors. There's the musician, artist, small business owner, graphic designer. The mom, photographer, web developer. The graphic designer, social media maven, toymaker, small business owner. The musician, teacher, and nonprofit founder. The Airbnb host, florist, administrative maven. The shop owner, political consultant, events coordinator, board member, nonprofit founder.
They're more prevalent than you might think. The next time you see them, ask them how their businesses are going—plural. (Oh, and please avoid the term "side hustle" while you're at it.)
Thinking of starting another endeavor? I'd love to hear all about it! And keep in mind two things: (1) imposter syndrome happens to even the most successful people and (2) not everything needs to be monetized. Sometimes we need hobbies, because charging for something can change how you interact with it.
My advice? Offer the service or product to a few of your friends first—people you trust with your life, who won't poo-poo your dreams. See if you're happy with it and ask them if they find value in it. That's what I did with my clothing company, and I just finished offering my friends natal chart readings to see if it was something I wanted to turn into a business. Doing so helped me realize that I'm less interested in the predictive nature of pop astrology (like horoscopes), and more interested in how our birth charts speak to what we bring into the world and what lessons we might need to learn. (I'm not offering these publicly yet, so fill out this form or email me if you want one!)
You also want to give your new endeavor time to blossom. There's a great quote (that I can't find) about how when you have a baby you don't expect it to be able to walk, feed itself, or earn money right away. It's the same for your business. When you're just starting out, you can't expect it to be fully formed. Give it time to grow, and nurture it.
Lastly, hold off on sharing your dream with everyone on the planet. I've seen so many first-time authors share their book idea with someone, only to have it shot out of the sky. Even if they're a bestselling author/award-winning whatever, they have no right to underestimate you. If someone shuts down your idea, it could have nothing to do with you and everything to do with their jealousy or blocks.
A Partial List of Further Reading & Recent Obsessions:
As a reminder, none of the links in this e-mail are affiliate or sponsored links, so I don't make money or benefit from you clicking them. If you'd like to support my work, forward this to a friend, share it on social media, or contribute directly: https://www.paypal.me/cedecreative
You can now find me on Medium & read more at cedecreative.com, including: a comparison of "made-to-order" and "made-to-measure" garments, and the difference between sustainable, ethical, and slow fashion.
Here's where you can find and support some of the aforementioned entrepreneurs mentioned above:
Lindsey Cherek, painting & tarot
Serena Wagner, musician, artist, designer & small business owner 1 & 2
Elle McGee, creative, designer & small business owner 1, 2, & 3
Becca Cooke, small business owner & nonprofit founder
Mikelle Larson, floral designer, Airbnb host & administrative maven
Jill Heinke Moen, musician, teacher, nonprofit founder
+ many, many more!
For more tips and tricks for multipassionate entrepreneurs, as well as interviews with inspiring people, check out Marie Forleo.
For more info on setting boundaries and not talking about what you're working on, check out this article from To Be Magnetic.
Feel free to forward this along to someone who would enjoy it, or share it on social media. And drop me a line — I’d love to hear from you! Hit "reply" or visit https://cedecreative.com/about/
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