Hello! This week we have another guest blog from A. L. Michaels. Always glad to welcome her voice here at The Thriving Creative. Without any further ado…
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After having a conversation with a friend who’s recently become a self-employed artist- and as yet, has not freaked out about the insecurity and living day to day that comes with such a career, I hit on two main points. The same two we’ve been talking about over and over again:
Know Your Worth
This isn’t just about knowing how much your work costs and how much you should be making, but knowing how much your time is worth. I have a severe issue turning down work, mainly because, as a young creative, I’ve been sucked into The Glorification of Busy. We should be working. We should be working our arses off, because we have loans, and we’re artists, and things should be tough. Which is probably why I’m currently typing this in my pyjamas with a chest infection. If we know how much we’re worth, and we hold out for that, even if it seems like we won’t make as much- we are getting the customers that deserve us, we are investing in people who will continue to invest in us, and we can do three projects and get paid well, instead of fifteen projects to get the same amount, which when you factor in the amount spent on travel and caffeine, means you’re at a loss. Work less, and work smart. And look after yourself.
I also recently found price guidelines on what I do, so find out what other people, charge, or better yet, find out from clients what they normally pay. Somehow, finding out a standard has excused me from saying ‘Oh, well, he charges that, but maybe I’m not as good as him’. If you’re doing a certain job, for a certain amount of time, you deserve to get paid the right amount. Don’t sell yourself short, don’t be embarrassed to ask for more, and don’t feel bad about turning down work. You’re going to be in this business for a long time. Burning out won’t help anyone.
Know Yourself
This is more the ‘life’ part in the work/life balance. Everyone, not just artists, is having to make sacrifices right now. In an ideal world I could have a swanky gym membership and an organic vegbox delivered to my house every week. But am I willing to work more and forsake my meet ups with friends or my dinners out for that? Not right now. Know what you need, know what you want, and know what isn’t necessary. Everyone’s doing it! Especially in the run up to particularly expensive holiday.
If you really want tot do a project and you know it won’t bring in the bacon, is it worth it? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes the passion and excitement you feel for a project will outweigh the panic about money. In which case, knowing yourself will come in handy- knowing how to adapt and live cautiously in a way that works for you is important. So make a little back-up plan. ‘Here’s how I’ll live if I absolutely need to.’
There’s nothing like a plan, is there?
A little update on my money diet: I’m slowly working my way into saving, each month is building up better and better. I’ve had a few slips; the drunken buy of a second bottle of wine, a few too many stops by the co-op to make dinner because I didn’t have the forethought to defrost things. Thinking ahead and making a plan- that’s where the power lies.
Author Biography
A.L Michael is a writer and workshop leader from North London. She has a BA in Creative Writing with English Lit, an MA in Creative Entrepreneurship and is starting an MsC in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. Because you can never learn enough. She’s currently the Writer in Residence for Red Door Studios in East Ham, and her debut novel Wine Dark, Sea Blue is available to buy in hard copy, and on kindle. Not that she’s sick of talking about it or anything. Look out for the lit fest Words With Edge coming up in January. @wordswithedge
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Many thanks to Andi for her latest post.
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I’ve been working (with some help from the amazing Alexandra Franzen) on a better description of my Lean Into Your Voice ecourse. Here it is:
Lean Into Your Voice is an ecourse for hesitant public speakers.
On the surface? It’s about learning to use your speaking voice with more skill, to be heard and understood in large spaces, and to deal with the panic that comes with public speaking.
But really? It’s about confidence. The confidence to add your voice to the world, to speak your truth, to share your passions with the world.
It’s designed for people who are hesitant about speaking up or speaking out – people who struggle to promote themselves and their work in the world.
By the end of the 30 day ecourse, you will understand how to…
: channel anxiety of public speaking out of your body and allow you to soar above the panic
: feel more confident in your body when you stand in front of others
: breathe deeply and effectively for optimal voice use (and in the process feel more energised and alive)
: never run out of breath when speaking
: make your voice louder and project better in larger rooms
: engage your audience and make it easy for them to hear and understand everything you say
And best of all, you’ll have the experience of feeling empowered to share your true self with the world.
Grab your calendar, slot out 20 minutes a day for the next 30 days and get ready to roar! Get ready to speak up and be heard, and to share your message with your colleagues and the world.
Interested? Head on over here to learn more. The course is delivered entirely online giving you the freedom to learn, develop and practice in the privacy of your own home. Join me, and learn to Lean Into Your Voice.
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