As someone who went from spending 7+ hours a day in audition rooms hoping to be seen to building a sustainable creative business growth path on my own terms, I’ve learned that the “business side” doesn’t have to dim your artistic light. In fact, it can make it shine even brighter. ✨
But it’s not an easy path to venture — strategically or emotionally. After all, there was this feeling of being torn between the magical work of *pure creativity* and the seemingly structured realm of business. 🪄
I saw other actors, singers, and performers who “had it easy.” They got their “big break” and were since always known as a performer. They never had to climb any sort of creative entrepreneur ladder to get there — and I wanted that!
But then I realized that I could make growing my creative business feel enchanting, too. It didn’t have to be all harsh rules and structures all the time. It could feel feminine, enchanting, romantic, even.
In fact, I realized that one of the most sustainable and successful paths to doing what you love for work as a creative has to start with embracing being a creative entrepreneur.
But Wait — What is a Creative Entrepreneur?
Creative entrepreneurship is about recognizing your artistic mindset as a valuable business skill. It means using your creative thinking to generate income now, even if it’s not through your dream artistic medium yet. ✨
Maybe you’re using your eye for design to do freelance work, your writing skills to create content, or your artistic sensibility to curate social media. The “entrepreneur” part of this is a state of mind — you can be a creative entrepreneur while working full-time!
Viewing yourself as both an artist *and* a business helps you unlock opportunities to build financial stability while developing your creative career.
Think of this as directing your creative energy into income-generating work that can ultimately fund and fuel your artistic dreams. Instead of waiting tables hoping to be discovered, you’re strategically using your creative skills to build a foundation that will naturally lead to your goals. No guessing, hoping, wishing and dreaming forever.
This can be a guarantee.
This mindset shift transforms “day jobs” into stepping stones rather than road blocks. Each freelance project, each content piece, each design job, each day building your professional experience in your day job is building the financial runway that will let your ultimate creative dreams take flight.
Why Most Creatives Struggle with the Business Side
Let’s be honest. Most of us want to run for the hills whenever someone starts talking about spreadsheets and marketing plans! We didn’t want to live the “boring” life, we don’t want to sit at a desk all day.
We want to spend our days creating, collaborating, sharing our artistic gifts with the world.
I get it.
There’s something almost scary about mixing our precious creative work with terms like “ROI” and “all-hands.” It feels like we’re somehow betraying our artistic integrity, doesn’t it? 😅
But here’s what I’ve discovered: this overwhelm isn’t about lacking business skills, but not seeing that business can blend with our artistic nature.
In fact, it has to if we want our creativity to be a sustainable, long-term lifestyle (and not just a fleeting job or two).
🌞 Related: How to Build a Sustainable Morning Routine *For Creatives*
Reframing “Business” as an Extension of Your Art
Your business is just another space where you express your creative vision.
Just as you pour your unique perspective into your songs, paintings, or performances, you can bring that same artistic energy to building your creative career.
Remember how you develop your artistic skills through practice and experimentation? You studied it in school, in a training program, made lots of good mistakes, and got experience doing it with your own two hands?
Seeing this path as a business can follow the same beautiful pattern as one that you imagined before diving into the business world.
The work you do is still your own “brand,” your own watermark on the creations you have — even if those creations are blog posts, customer support, or ways you collaborate with a full-time team.
It’s kind of like dressing for the job you want, not the job you have.
How would you treat the work you do as a creative? Now how can you infuse similar approaches and attitudes into the work you’re currently getting paid to do?
The Beautiful Balance of Creativity and Strategy
Here’s the magic secret: structure creates freedom.
It’s like learning the rules of your craft — once you understand them, you know exactly how (and when) to break them.
When you have systems in place, you spend less time wondering “what should I do next?” and more time in that delicious flow state where creativity thrives — even if it’s a flow state in more of a business-y collaboration than your dream creativity.
Essential Mindset Shifts as a Creative Entrepreneur
Before we dive into the practical steps, let’s talk about something even more fundamental: your creative mindset.
Because sweet friend, the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality more than any business strategy ever could!
Moving Beyond the Starving Artist Narrative
The “starving artist” myth has had its time in the spotlight, and honestly? It’s ready for retirement.
Look around at the thriving creative entrepreneurs of today — they’re proof that you can honor your art while building a sustainable business.
| One example of a creative entrepreneur *in the wild* is Daniella Monet. While she started as a child actor (and didn’t need to have a different job to “pave her way” as an actor) she has a thriving online wellness business — a meal planning and coaching subscription — to support her lifestyle as an artist. While she’s promoting the next movie she’s in, she’s also promoting joining the subscription to Daniella’s Digest. She finds so many cute and creative ways to infuse her most iconic character, Trina Vega, into promoting her business. She doesn’t gatekeep her personality on her “business page,” but leans into it, finding success both in her acting life and her business life. ✨ |
I remember thinking making my own struggle (even when I didn’t have to) was somehow noble.
But you know what’s truly noble? Creating beautiful art while building a life that supports your creativity. Creating and designing a life that’s enjoyable.
We want to choose abundance in all its forms — creative, financial, and spiritual. And yes, it’s possible to have all three! 🙌
Embracing Your Worth as a Creative
Your art has value. Your time has value. Your vision has value.
Monetizing creative skills is about recognizing the unique magic you bring to the world. This comes in the form of:
- Setting prices that reflect your expertise and time — and confidently sticking to them! (This is hard for me)
- Creating boundaries that protect your creative energy — i.e. no work on weekends, no work after 5pm, etc.
- Saying “no” to projects (and people!) that don’t align with your vision
Learning to See Opportunities EVERYWHERE
Once you shift your mindset, you’ll start seeing possibilities in the most unexpected places. That coffee shop conversation could lead to having a new client. That frustrating experience with a client could inspire new digital creative services that doesn’t include a certain demographic!
That course on freelancing could help you develop creative marketing strategies that feel authentic to your artistic voice while making you money!
Building Your Creative Business Foundation
Now, let’s talk about creating a foundation that supports both your artistic dreams and your business goals.
As a creative entrepreneur, your systems can be as unique as your art, and your path can be 100% self-made and in your control.
👣 Related: Subtle Signs You’re on the Right Path (Even If You’re Doubting)
Define Your “Why” as a Stepping Stone on Your Creative Path
Your “why” as a creative entrepreneur is about how you can serve others with your creative skills right now. As artists, we have unique abilities to understand and help fellow creatives, even as we build toward our own goals.
Your “why” can absolutely become less about the specific work you’re doing today and more about how you’re strategically using your creative abilities to build the life that supports your artistic goals.
I love it also because it helps you see your current work not as a compromise, but as a smart stepping stone toward your bigger creative vision!
For example, a creative entrepreneur “why” might sound like this:
- “I help businesses tell their stories through design because it gives me the financial freedom and flexible schedule I need to record my album in the evenings.”
- “I write compelling copy for small businesses because the steady freelance income allows me to take acting classes and go to auditions without worrying about paying rent.”
- “I manage social media accounts for local brands because the remote work and consistent pay lets me pursue my dance career without being tied to a 9-5 schedule.”
This kind of “why” statement acknowledges that your current work isn’t your ultimate creative dream – and that’s okay! (Although I wouldn’t put this front and center on your resume 😉)
You can fully recognize that your creative skills can open doors to sustainable income now, creating the foundation you need to pursue your artistic passions.
When you frame it this way, even work that isn’t your dream job becomes purposeful because it’s actively funding your path to that dream. 🦋
Create Systems That Make Your Work More Efficient
Think of systems as your creative entrepreneur rituals.
When you’re building up your financial foundation through your creative skills, systems can be a great part of your magical little toolkit.
To take it a step further, systems are the scaffolding that helps you manage the work that makes you money.
Here are some of my fav practical systems to help you balance your current work with your artistic pursuits:
⏰ Batching/time-blocking
Set aside specific blocks of time for your income-generating work and your artistic projects. Maybe Mondays and Wednesdays are dedicated to freelance design work, while Tuesday evenings and weekends are sacred time for your music.
This has helped me a lot with creating boundaries that protect my creative energy while making sure my biz tasks get done.
*It might take some time to find this, and that’s totally okay. 4 years into freelancing and I’m still figuring out what works for me. 😉
🙌 Project management
Use tools like Notion or Asana to track both your client work and personal creative projects. Having everything organized in one place reduces mental load and prevents your income-generating work from overshadowing your artistic goals!
I used Notion for a little bit and then switched to Asana and think both of those platforms can be great for creative planning depending on your style and likes.
💸 Income-tracking
Keep clear records of what you’re earning and how much you’re setting aside for your creative pursuits.
I started using a business banking account called Relay and it auto-sorts my income into different buckets, like tax savings, home savings, business profit, income, and more. Our financial coach recommended it to us and the process has been amazing! It uses the Profit-First Method and it’s been a fantastic way to make sure I’m always spreading out my money in a way that works for me.
💕 Create Boundaries
Set clear expectations with whoever you’re working with to *protect your peace.*
I know, it sounds a little cliche, but it’s true. You need to protect your biggest asset — you! — so you can stay consistently available, make consistent money, and then make consistent moves forward in your career.
Get it? 😉
🌙 Setting Sustainable Creative Goals
Many creative entrepreneurs struggle with goal-setting, but goals don’t have to feel corporate or rigid! Goals are a big part of manifestation — because in order to truly manifest something, you need to take *inspired action.*
💫 Related: How Setting Goals Can Lead to Success (& a Beautiful Creative Journey!)
Goals should include feelings, not just numbers.
- What would you love to create this quarter?
- What skills would you love to develop?
- What dreams would you love to manifest?
A big mistake I used to make was setting goals too far in the future. My maximum is 6 months in advance, but even recently, I’ve been doing goals in quarters (much like in business, i.e. Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4!).
Once you have your goals, all you need to do is break it down into smaller and smaller steps until they turn into clear pieces of action.
Achieving your goals can be simple!
Get a Cozy Girl Job to Support Your Pursuits
While building your full-time or freelance creative “business”, having a stable income can provide peace of mind. A Cozy Girl Job — a remote, consistently-paying job that doesn’t drain you — can provide the security you need to take artistic risks!
In fact, this is what it’s all about. That Cozy Girl Job that gives you the funding to build whatever you want to build as a creative.
I won’t say it’s easy to find ones like these. I spent 4 years in and out of full-time and freelancing jobs before I’ve found the most cozy Cozy Girl Job out there. But it’s not to say that none of the jobs I had before were awful!
👩💻 Related: The Artist Advantage: How to Get a Cozy Girl Job
Grow as a Creative Entrepreneur With Me
Not many creatives think about their journey in creative entrepreneurship as a divine part of their path to their dreams.
Just like any pursuit, some days will be easy, and others might feel like starting over. Both are perfectly okay.
Let’s continue growing together on this beautiful creative journey! Subscribe on YouTube for weekly inspiration and practical tips for thriving as a creative entrepreneur. ✨
