10 Ways to Build a Creative Life from Work to Play
Want to be your own boss but don’t know where to start? Have a side hustle but want to turn it into something more? Living a creative life at work and play takes dedication, inspiration, and time. But taking the time to hone your craft can increase your happiness and make you feel more fulfilled, not to mention lead to greater opportunities.
Ready to take your creativity to the next level? Here are the secrets to building the creative life of your dreams!
Find your niche. Whether you want to be a professional in interior design, cooking, fashion or another field, stay curious and explore the hobbies that spark your interest. Decide what makes you unique. “It’s really cool that my brand is so focused on color, which seems niche, but it’s actually very broad. A lot of brands like to associate themselves with color and happiness, and for me, color represents a happy personality and a happy living space,” says Danny.
Schedule creative time. If you work a 9-5, schedule time in the morning, after work, or on weekends to explore your craft or run your business. Marking your calendar and making time for creativity will help you make sure you don’t let opportunities pass you by – the more you do, the more you’ll discover your talents and build your expertise.
Don’t try to do it all. “When you run your own business, you’re practically forced to wear multiple hats,” Danny says. Becoming a small business owner can seem like a one-man show. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Instead, focus on the things you enjoy and let the experts do the rest. Whether a TurboTax expert prepares your tax return or you prepare it yourself, they’ll make sure their calculations are always 100% accurate or they’ll pay any penalties.
Keep yourself inspired. Find ways to build a creative community, visit exhibitions and stores that resonate with you, go on nature walks for inspiration – essentially become a student of yourself, read, take classes and draw inspiration from everywhere. “The coolest thing about interior design and fashion is the overlap between inspirations,” says Danny, who is inspired by vintage designs and mixing different color schemes. Ask questions, too – experienced people are always happy to help and share with others who have similar passions.
Collaborate with others. Host regular creative get-togethers with friends, tap into your local creative community, and look online for people you have connections with and might want to collaborate on projects or promotions. It’s a great way to promote your unique product. Dani turned her fashion business into an interior design and print business, working with brands like wallpaper and shoe design.
Don’t let failure stop you. Mistakes often lead to breakthroughs. Try new ideas and techniques, and see setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. You’ve got this! Don’t feel like you have to achieve perfection before taking the next step. Small business life is a journey of practice and learning. “I’ve learned not to limit myself to what I think I can and can’t do,” Danny says. “I always wanted to pursue interior design, and I thought I had to choose a path when I was younger. But after all these years, I let go of those self-limiting thoughts and finally started practicing interior design and owning my entire life.”
Diversify your income streams. “A big part of becoming an entrepreneur is getting used to the ups and downs of running a small business and the slow periods,” says Denny. She quickly learned to diversify her income streams and pursue other creative ventures, such as licensing her designs and renting out her shooting space. “I would say think hard about how you can capitalize on all the different things you’re doing and be creative,” she adds.
Travel and explore. Have you ever traveled but not been inspired? Not likely! Seeing new perspectives and stepping out of your comfort zone, you’re bound to feel creative and inspired in the process. Traveling means learning new things about yourself and what you want out of life. On a tight budget? Visit new places in your area, have coffee with people in your field, do something out of the ordinary to get inspired and try new things.
When you’re ready, take big action. Dani spent six years creating clothing graphics for a company until she got the courage to start her own clothing line. “It was probably my first really big move and I built it on social media,” she says. She used social media to get the word out. “I used a lot of space for photo shoots for my brand, so I would design really cool hipster spaces, and then people started asking me if I did interior design,” she recalls.
Share your story. This gives us the confidence to share your work and process. “When Instagram stories came out, I started sharing my behind-the-scenes production process,” says Denny. “That’s when people really started to make a real connection with the brand. I realized that my superpower wasn’t about building a brand that looked fancy and looked like it was already established. It was about embracing the fact that I was a solo entrepreneur at the time.”