the creative entrepreneur’s guide to creative risk … creative entrepreneur’s guide to creative...
TRANSCRIPT
The Creative Entrepreneur’s Guide to
Creative risk taking
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3How to take CalCulated Creative risksdondrea owens, owner of Jenkins rose Co. + the Creative’s CFo, shares 3 ways you can grow and transition in your business by taking calculated creative risks.
1key tips
2reCommended podCasts, videos, and books.
5How embraCing Failure will make you a better risk-takermartha bitar, director of business develop-ment at Honeybook, shares three ways that embracing failure can make you a better risk-taker with a competitive advantage.
7Creative risk takingterri baskin, of terri baskin photography, ex-plains the importance of the three questions she asks herself every time she evaluates a new risk or decision in business.
8sweet riskswedding Cake artist and owner of sewell sweets, Cat sewell, recounts the first time she took a big stylistic risk and how that gave her the confidence to grow and refine her business.
10tHere is no risk-Free optionwriter and photographer, peace ofuré, encourages creative entrepreneurs to view risk-taking as innovative opportunities that allow us to live creatively.
143 ways to re-tHink risk taking in your business amy Hanan of amy Frances photography shares the 3 ways she re-thought risk-taking after moving to new york City.
16tips From tHe Community
21Creative risk taking worksHeet
22Community annouCements
23our story
11Creative risk taking: tHe artist’s Journeyemily Harvey, of emkat design, writes about her experience with tragic loss as a catalyst for a new creative project drawing a parallel between Joseph Campbell’s the Hero with a thousand Faces and an artist’s creative risks.
table of Contents
SUBMIT CONTENTwe need articles and excerpts for business planning via therisingtide-society.submittable.com/submit.
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KEy TIpS
Just go for it! so, you want to do this unattainable thing, and it feels too scary or risky. Just go and do it! don’t wait around for permission. we only get one chance at this, and we owe it to ourselves and our businesses to take the leap.
see “risk” as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. learn to accept failure and challenge as a natural part of the process of being a creative person. loving the process just as much as the “result” allows for a happy, motivated, small business owner to thrive!
Don’t Doubt yourself. intuition, following your gut, knowing yourself, and being aware of what is right for you is a priceless lesson in risk taking. Follow your heart. you know deep down inside what is the right choice for your business!
1 | Creative risk taking
As creatives, entrepreneurs, trailblazers and risk takers, we must face fear and risk in growing our businesses. This month we are so excited to be bold and address the topic of Creative Risk Taking. Read on for more tips, tricks, and amazing input on celebrating the creative journey, learning to take risks, and teaching yourself to be courageous in your business endeavors.
Photo by Kat Alves | www.katalves.com
Recommended Podcasts Recommended Videos
the unmistakable creative
taking the risk of a Career do-over with Jon acuff
https://unmistakablecreative.com/podcast/taking-the-risk-of-a-career-do-over-with-jon-acuff
Recommended Books
tales of passion
ted talk: isabel allendehttps://www.ted.com/
talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion?language=en
arianna huffington on creativelive
Chase Jarvis livehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzZpZse5bnk
your elusive creative genius
ted talk: elizabeth gilberthttps://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius/transcript?language=en
okay, let’s be real here. there are some amazingly inspirational women out there just crushing the dream chasing. let’s watch these and re-define the Creative economy together, shall we?
Design*sponge
after the Jump : the importance of taking risks
http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/after-the-jump-the-importance-of-taking-risk.html
the acciDental creative
brian wells on risk, entrepreneur-ship, and Criticizing by Creating
http://www.accidentalcreative.com/podcasts/ac/podcast-brian-wells-on-risk-entrepreneurship-and-persistence/
podcasts are the best way to multi-task and inspire yourself while working. we love these ideas for Creative risk taking from designsponge, the ac-cidental Creative, and the unmistakable Creative!
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rocket fuel: the one essential combination
gino wickman + mark C. winters
you are a baD-ass
Jen sincero
creative bloc
danielle krysa
big magic: creative living beyonD fear
elizabeth gilbert
taking a risk toward following your dream is no easy feat, but these books help to outline actionable steps that make it a *tiny* bit less scary! enjoy some of our favorites books related to Creative risk taking below.
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How to take CalCulated Creative riskdondrea owens
as entrepreneurs we take creative risks every single day. it’s in the way we set up our client experience, the way we present ourselves and our business brand, and even in the way we perform our expertise. Creative risk taking can simply be delivering your professional service or goods in a way that is uniquely you. it’s the freedom that we, as entrepreneurs and small business owners, have to challenge industry norms and be disruptive for the better of our communities and industries as a whole. it’s also the freedom to claim greater rewards for both our clients and ourselves.
so, how can you take creative risks that will truly pay off in your own busi-ness?
survey your clients. start at the source! ask your clients what they need most. what do they think you’re supposed to do in your area of service? what products are you supposed to provide? the beauty of being a small business owner is having a personal relationship with the client. it’s often one of the main reasons clients choose you. so, hear them out and then take creative reign in how you highlight yourself. take creative risks to make the experience uniquely yours to meet or exceed their expectations. think about where along your process you can deviate from the client’s expectation of what is normal to deliver above and beyond for them and place your business in a rewarding position.
Photo by Chi Chi Ari | www.chichiari.com
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4 | Creative risk taking
DonDrea owensowner of Jenkins rose Co. + the Creative’s CFo@jenkinsrose | @thecreativescfowww.jenkins-rose.com | www.thecreativescfo.com
Don’t be afraid to grow and transition in your business. Where we begin in entrepreneur-ship is often not where we end. Growth and evolution are natural by-products of the cre-ative risk taking process, and they often hap-pen very organically.
form a peer group. Form a small circle of peers who act as a sounding board when you need a second opinion. i’ve found peer groups to be most helpful when determining what’s the norm and if i’m meeting the standards of my particular in-dustry.they help me to maintain my integri-ty amidst the sea of professionals providing similar services, and ensure that i’m provid-ing the utmost value to my clients. Having their sound input gives me a good idea of how certain creative risks, especially ones that challenge industry norms, might reso-
nate with my clients and provide them with more value so that i achieve maximum impact.
allow yourself space to evolve. don’t be afraid to grow and transition in your business. where we begin in entrepreneurship is often not where we end. growth and evolution are natural by-products of the creative risk taking process, and they often happen very organically. we are chart-ing our own course in so many ways, writing our own business manuals, so to speak. we can find new ways to share our expertise at every turn. so, be open to your own internal shifts. remember - risk is just a reward in the making!
Photo by Kat Alves | www.katalves.com
5 | Creative risk taking
we’ve been trained since we were toddlers to believe that failing is bad and it means you’ll be singled out as a subpar excuse for a human being, incapable of achievement. we barely ever read about failure or see failure, yet we know it happens every day. statistically, com-panies fail eight times more often than they succeed.
it is no surprise then that risk taking, despite being pretty much a synonym of entrepreneur-ship, is a source of anxiety and stress due to the high perceived risk of failure. risk taking as a creative is even more intimidating. if you fail, you can take down your entire business, and sometimes family and employees depend on you.
so you either get stuck on a never ending cycle of thinking and re-thinking an idea, since that seems a lot safer than pulling the trigger, or you pull the trigger before embracing fail-ure.
the problem with the first approach is that if you never try, you never win. someone wise on the internet once said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. the problem with the second approach is that you’re missing out on an entrepreneurial super-strength and competitive advantage.
Here are three ways embracing failure will make you a better risk taker:
1. you’ll be better prepareD for the future
embracing the possibility of failure lets you prepare financially, psychologically, and social-ly in case your idea doesn’t work out. google “how to start a creative business” and most guides will suggest that before diving in, you have savings to cover up to 6 months of living in case you’re not profitable or it doesn’t work out.
2. you’ll learn faster
when you celebrate your failures, you get less attached to the idea of being successful and are able to look at your results in a more objective light. instead of avoiding admitting failure at all costs and wasting time and money on an idea that wasn’t going anywhere, you are confident and driven to succeed.
How embraCing Failure will make You a better risk-takermartha bitar
Photo by Kat Alves | www.katalves.com
martha bitar director of business development, [email protected]
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3. you’ll start Dreaming big
Fear of failure leads to creative paralysis, and as a creative entrepreneur, that is a much more serious issue. the truth is, if you’re not at risk of failure, you’re not working on something
Embracing failure will prepare you to take risks confidently. You’ll be empowered to think bigger, learn faster, and take action to become the creative entrepreneur you’re meant to be.
“worthwhile. the most brilliant entrepreneurial minds i’ve met/read/seen, not only own their failures, but carry them like a badge with pride. embracing failure gives you permission to chase the impossible.
Creativity and innovation guru, Joseph Chilton pearce said that “to live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong”. real fears (a bear standing two feet away ready to attack) keep you safe. Fear of failure keeps you too safe, away from amazing opportunities to build the life you want.
embracing failure will prepare you to take risks confidently. you’ll be empowered to think bigger, learn faster, and take action to become the creative entrepreneur you’re meant to be.
if you are reading this then it means, like me, you are a creative! you breathe, eat, and sleep your creative passion. sometimes you may wonder, what can i really do to set myself apart from others? or even better, what can i do to continue to move my business forward in the right direction? think about it, every day that we put ourselves out there for the world to decide whether or not they want to hire us, we are taking risks! no matter how big or small, you owe yourself a pat on the back for the things that you do daily because there is someone else out there afraid to do those exact same things.
Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen. - Wayne Huizenga
on the topic of creative risk taking, i want to share with you what has helped me. anytime i ap-proach a new decision in my business i ask myself the following three questions:
1. is this in line with my “why”?
2. what are the pros and cons of this decision?
3. what is the end goal?
let’s face it, the one thing about taking risks is that often the outcome isn’t always apparent. one of the risks i have taken with photography is to create a referral-based business.
why? i want to love my clients, and i want my clients to love me so much that they share my name and their client experience with their friends.
pro / cons? in order to do this, i have to be selective in who i take on as clients. in some cases, if i feel that a potential client isn’t a good fit, i have to make the hard decision that i will be unable to work with them. Can i confirm they are not a good fit if we never worked togeth-er? absolutely not, but i can confirm that the clients that i do take are my ideal client, so i can’t worry about the ‘what-ifs’ of a client i chose to decline.
enD goal? i am fueling my passion to create a memorable client experience and not allow-ing myself to be stressed out by clients that aren’t a good fit! now it’s your turn!
what creative risks can you take today, and what questions can you ask yourself prior to diving in head first?
Creative risk taking terri baskin
terri baskinowner & principal photographer, terri baskin [email protected]
8 | Creative risk taking
sweet risksCat sewell
about what sugar works i would create that night.
dinner dishes would get washed, kids put down for bed, and then the powdered sugar and mix-ing bowls would come out. let’s be real, my first cakes were not ones i would be proud of today, but i am so thankful for them!
i remember feeling the pressure to always say “yes” to clients and wanting to please them regardless of my opinion on their design ideas. sure, my clients were happy, but i wasn’t. over the first year and a half of business, my art form had instead turned into work. i started to dread my full email inbox and would procrastinate each order. i felt so torn! Here i was, literally living my sugar dream, and i was miserable and extremely annoyed with myself!
in the midst of trying to figure out where i went wrong, i received an email asking me to collabo-rate on a styled shoot. what?! a talented wed-ding coordinator had seen my work and actually thought i could produce a photo shoot cake that could stand next to her name? i thought i was years out from styled shoots and fancy wedding cakes! even more, i couldn’t believe the email said i could create whatever design i wanted.
as an artist, i can’t help but pour myself into my sugar creations, transforming each batch of eggs, flour, and sugar into a mix of edible colors and hours of emotions. Cake just happens to be my method of release for my frantic, creative energy. before cakes came along, it was acrylic painting and modeling clay. i remember even as a young child, feeling the need to add color to things, to create something. adding in my love for the kitchen, cakes just came naturally.
at first i started with basic frosted cakes with fluffy sides and swirls of cream and sprinkles on top. then came the kiddy cakes and pinterest copy cats. somewhere along the way, people other than friends and family started asking me to make cakes and a business began to form. i couldn’t believe that people wanted to pay me to do what i loved! i had just given birth to my twin girls 10 weeks before i took my first public order under my new business name, and al-though it was a beyond-crazy personal time for our family, it gave me something all of my own to invest myself in. my days were spent attempt-ing to convince my older two boys that their new baby sisters wouldn’t always cry this much, microwaving my coffee for the umpteenth time, and taping my eyelids open while i daydreamed
Photo by Austyn Elizabeth | www.austynelizabeth.com
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cat sewellwedding Cake artist, sewell sweets @sewellsweetswww.sewellsweets.com
As a creative person, I have a tenden-cy to get in my head too much. I have no idea why I did it, but I completely ignored what I thought I should do, what I thought was expected of me, when working on that cake. Instead I chose to risk new territory and just trust the creative process.
“
Huh? i was scared and ridiculously excited as i typed my ‘hell yes’ response, albeit a little more professionally worded.
it took me every last second to create that first styled shoot cake, over-analyzing each detail and changing my mind a half a dozen times. i was so nervous arriving with my two tiered sugar creation. it was unlike anything i had ever created before, and certainly not like anything i thought i was capable of! did i go outside of my league too much? would the coordinator even
like it? i am so not ready for chic weddings and photo shoots! there’s just no way! i had made 4 little kid birthday cakes the day before. How could i pull off a wedding cake worthy of being professionally photographed?
but something magical happened in the com-ing months...that cake took off! 18 months later, it’s still my most pinned, shared, and requested cake! and the coordinator loved it! i actually
started saying no to clients whose cakes i didn’t think fit with what i wanted to create, and it was scary as hell! turning away paying orders for a difference in aesthetic styles was a privilege that i didn’t think i could afford. i took on a lot less paid orders for a while, but my calendar was booked full of styled shoots with vendors i had admired from afar, and i couldn’t have been more tickled! poor, maybe, sure, but pleased as a pickle!
that cake was an amazing lesson for me in not
when i’m struggling with a new design concept, i always take myself back to those middle of the night hours creating that cake. Questioning my every move, but forging ahead nonethe-less. it truly has been the starting point to what my business is known for today. Color, modern styles, touches of the unexpected, and every-thing opposite from where i started all those bags of flour ago!
only my own self worth, but my art’s worth. as a creative person, i have a tendency to get in my head too much. i have no idea, but i completely ignored what i thought i should do, what i thought was expected of me when working on that cake. instead i chose to risk new territory and just trust the creative pro-cess.
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one of the biggest mistakes we make in our understanding of the creative world is sepa-rating the risk of living and the risk of creative living. the honest truth is that life is a gamble and we are not in control. From time to time, things happen in our lives that remind us, yet again, that we do not run things.
However, we do have the opportunity to stew-ard what we have well. to take smart risks, to do or not do, to decide. we have the power of choice, and it is wonderful and alarming. if you are anything like most people, the prospect
of making a mistake can sometimes be enough to give you cold feet.
i want to offer the perspective that taking a risk in your creative journey is no riskier than most risks you take every day. by waking up, crossing the street, applying for work, attend-ing school, hiring a babysitter, purchasing any item, or signing any kind of a contract in your life . . . you name it, there was risk involved. no one lives a risk-free life. life’s a gamble. a huge one. and the way it is set up, no one gets out alive. we spend every day taking bets on how to live our best life, how to secure our financial status, how to keep it together, and the reality is that even our most “secure” plans are risky at best.
if you have to take chances every day simply because life requires it, then why not take a chance on your imagination? why not give yourself a shot? the worst that could happen in this creative scenario is no worse than what could happen if you did it the “normal” or “cor-
rect” way. in fact, you may be more successful since the less traveled paths are not as con-gested as you think.
the reality is that a lot more people dream of living creatively than those who are actually living creatively. so much of that has to do with the misguided understanding that creative risks are somehow a bigger risk. training your-self to see your creative ventures as an innova-tive opportunity will help your perspective.
there is no one way to take any risk in life. some people dive into the pool right away, and some people start out with their toes inching closer to submersion. no matter your method, i encourage you to try. take your job for ex-ample. no matter how “safe” you deem it, there was Zero guarantee you would land it. you had the experience (or maybe you didn’t), you went to the interview, you crossed your
fingers and hoped for the best, but you had no control outside of your part. once you did all you could, you had to wait. you had to bet on yourself, and wait to see if they would too.
taking a chance on yourself creatively is prac-tical. it’s practical because the process is no different than your day to day life. we can plan, we can prepare, we can perform, but then we just have to wait. we learn and we try again. we keep showing up, we keep taking chances on ourselves and our crafts, and we do not give up. it’s the only way, really. where you are is no more or less risky than anywhere else, so embrace it. live a lot, not a little.
tHere is no risk-Free optionpeace ofuré
“We learn and we try again. We keep showing up, we keep taking chances on ourselves and our crafts, and we do not give up. It’s the only way, really. Where you are is no more or less risky than anywhere else, so em-brace it. Live a lot, not a little.
peace ofuréwriter and [email protected]
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Creative risk taking: tHe artist’s JourneYemily Harvey
the Hero’s Journey, or monomyth, is a common template used in literature and movies based on Joseph Campbell’s theory in the Hero with a thousand Faces. an artist’s creative risks also follow these steps. my personal journey through the most important creative risk also loosely follows this path.
call to aDventure
my boyfriend died of an accidental overdose in may 2015. i was stagnant for months. around 18 months after his death, i heard a story on npr’s radio show, this american life , about a man in northeastern Japan who built a phone booth in his garden so that he could feel connected to his cousin who passed away. my ex-boyfriend and i talked on the phone constantly for two years, so i related to the people in the story longing for an avenue of connec-tion with their loved ones. as i listened, i felt called to set up a similar booth in memphis to help myself heal, and to help heal my friends and neighbors who also had to say goodbye to their loved ones too soon. after a quick search, i found a phone booth for sale on Craigslist only 20 minutes outside of town, and the phone was the perfect shade of pink. i knew it was my booth. gandalf arriving at bilbo baggins house and asking him to come on the journey to find the ring. Harry potter receiving his letter to Hogwarts. aladdin finds the magic lantern.
refusal of the call
i doubted whether this was the right choice. the few people i spoke to did not understand my message. should i really set up a phone booth? bilbo does not want to leave his home. neo does not believe that he is part of the matrix.
supernatural aiD & meeting the help
soon after visiting the booth, i pitched my idea to my Church Council at st. John’s united methodist Church in midtown memphis, and they enthusiasti-cally agreed to give my booth a safe space in the community garden. a few women from my church were especially enthusiastic and helpful. meeting them was vital to my confidence in the project. obi wan kenobi gives luke
Photo by Chi Chi Ari | www.chichiari.com
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Standing at the dedication ceremony, I qui-etly wept for the first time in months. Like rain, tears fall when they decide to. And in that moment, they fell because I had accom-plished this — and I knew then that I could accomplish anything.
skywalker his father’s lightsaber. aladdin meets the genie. mulan meets mushu. Har-ry potter receives the invisibility Cloak and discovers it was a gift from dumbledore.
crossing the thresholD/accep-tance of Quest/beginning of transformation
the church assisted me financially to pur-chase the phone booth. to prepare for the installation, we dug a square, poured con-crete, and had the phone booth delivered.
then, we cleaned the exterior and interior diligently, replaced the seat cushion, and added a pink leather-bound guest book. bilbo baggins taking a step out of the shire. neo taking the red pill and exiting the matrix.
abyss & transformation
i doubted my project constantly. this project was especially difficult because i am not close with my ex-boyfriend’s close friends or family. what will they think? am i bringing them more pain? i realized that i had to live my truth and complete this project in order to grieve. neo being shot and thinking that he was immortal, therefore becoming unstoppable. bruce wayne conquers his fear of bats and becomes a symbol of justice as batman.
roaD of trials
speaking to groups and media interviews allowed me to share my story to raise awareness about the heroin epidemic not only in memphis, but across our country. through this journey of many speaking engagements, i was able to overcome my fear of public speaking so that i could help others. i am confident that i was saved from the fate of heroin addiction, so that i can share my ex-boyfriend’s and my story. Harry, ron, and Hermione getting into trouble at school, which made them into better wizards. mulan is forced to leave the army and then must convince her friends that the Huns are coming.
Photo by Angela McConnell | www.photographybyangelamcconnell.com
emily harveyowner at emkat [email protected]
achievement of the Quest
in april 2017, i hosted a dedica-tion ceremony for the phone of the spirit and opened the phone booth for public use — a sanctu-ary for grieving, prayer, and quiet communication. i named the phone booth the phone of the spirit because this phone booth is powered by prayer to lift our messages to the dearly depart-ed. luke skywalker destroys the death star. the one ring is cast into the pits of mount doom.
freeDom from the fear of failure
standing at the dedication cer-emony, i quietly wept for the first time in months. like rain, tears fall when they decide to. and in that moment, they fell because i had accomplished this — and i knew then that i could accom-plish anything. the hero can choose how to spend the rest of his days without fear of death. Frodo goes across the sea with gandalf and bilbo. neo chooses self-sacrifice to kill agent smith.
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“The Artists Journey”
Custom Illustration by Emily Harvey
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doing something i really did not enjoy. i found myself in meeting after meeting making plans for the next meeting, but all i wanted to do was edit my beautiful client photos. it was then i realized that keeping my office job was pre-venting me from keeping my personal busi-ness going. at that moment i made the choice to put my happiness first. my mind immediately ran through all the absolute worst-case sce-narios in my head and fell down the rabbit hole of self doubt. “what if nobody books me? am i going to fail, have to eat ramen forever, and come begging for this job back in a few months?” ultimately, the possibility of “mak-ing it” in new york out-weighed every doubt. by over-thinking the negatives, i was able to clearly see the positives and the amazing pos-sibilities that could lay ahead.
take a practical anD selfish look at your situation. the most recent eye-opening moment in my business was taking the (huge) step of hiring an employee. For so long i pushed myself to do literally everything,
when i was younger, i was never a “risk-taker” or someone who would take chances. as i grew up and grew into my new career, i changed my tune. risks have become the big-gest asset to my career. risks, especially when it comes to business, are scary beyond belief, but how you look at risks and how they could affect your business is your choice.
i am a small business owner who moved to new york City, knowing only a handful of people and an inkling that i could continue with photography here. being a self-employed artist is an ever changing market and such a rollercoaster of a life already, i decided to give it a go in tHe new york City?? Ha. the thought of it still makes me laugh. but with the risk, there was a huge potential for greatness. so for once, i took the potential and ran with it. this is when i really started taking chances in my business. along the way i learned about re-thinking risks and the fear that looms behind them. Here are 3 ways you can re-think risks in your business and take control of your poten-tial for greatness along the way.
go aheaD, overthink it. one of the largest risks i have taken was quitting my “of-fice job” with a steady salary and health care to run my business and indulge in my passion. i was stressed, and not comfortable in where my life was headed. i distinctly remember working on a project, ready to pull out my hair
3 waYs to re-tHink risk taking in Your businessamy Hanen
Photo by Kat Alves | www.katalves.com
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Sometimes, it’s worth it to just take the leap. If deep down you know that this is a good move for your business, trust yourself. It might be something life changing, but you won’t know if you don’t try.
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amy hanen owner and photographer at amy Frances photography @amyfrancesphotowww.amyfrancesphotography.com
because that was what was within my means. i never thought i would need to rely on anyone else to help me, because i am wonder woman and i can do it all! wrong. this is when your personal life becomes deserted, and you start to lose steam. i decided that i needed to be a little selfish. yes, i could do it all, but at what expense?
Hiring an employee is a risky move. However, by choosing to do so, i’m not only investing in my business, but also investing in time with my family and friends, and in myself to have time to care for my personal
well-being. as i have gotten older, i am appre-ciating how valuable this is. with the help of my studio manager, i have the time to enjoy life more. my studio manager manages my tasks, client communication and contracts in Honey-book, and has really saved me from late night “office work”. this is one risk that saved my sanity, one i know will be beneficial not only now, but for time to come as well. when you are taking a risk to invest in yourself, the jump doesn’t seem so insane anymore.
my business. i was scared beyond belief that it was too big of a risk, but felt deeply that it would work out. i just knew it. i trusted myself, and couldn’t deny the right opportunity when it came along. and i haven’t regretted the deci-sion since.
sometimes, you have to take the leap and look past your fear. trust yourself, it might be some-thing life changing. you won’t know if you don’t try.
trust your gut. Fast forward one year and there i was eating regular food (not ra-men) with a steady business. when my good friend, megan of @artbymegan, invited me to see her new studio space, and oh so subtly implied that i should move in and share the space with her, i immediately said “yes”! i knew deep inside that this was the next step up for me and that it would change the way i run
TIpSFrom The Community
16 | Creative risk taking
erica liu williams san Francisco, Ca tuesdaystogether@gr8nola
tHree steps to overcome Creative risk taking. since graduating stanford in 2008, i’ve always had a straight and narrow path working in tech startups. it wasn’t until 2013 that i took my first “creative risk”—starting a granola business out of my home kitchen to sell at the local farmers’ market. Fast forward to today and you can find my granola brand, gr8nola (“great”nola), supplied at some of the biggest bay area tech companies like google, twitter, dropbox, square, slack and Honeybook.
i’ve been building my granola brand for over 4 years now … with a full time job. today, i’mnearing a critical juncture in my career path and life: sh*t, or get off the pot. there are some people that are high risk taking and jump into entrepre-neurship 100% from the start. but me? i struggle with the whole “go for it and be fearless!” attitude. risk taking is especially difficult for me because i am so logical and pragmatic. but i’m excited to share that i am finally taking the leap to pursue my granola business full time by the end of 2017.
while everyone’s journey is different, here are four steps i followed to overcome creative risk taking. this process was critical in making me feel comfortable with taking what i would consider to be the ultimate creative risk—leaving a steady career to pursue my passion full-time:
1. Connect with your purpose: First, identify and fully understand why you want to do “it” (whatever “it” means to you). what i am doing is creating a food brand, but the why is much bigger than that. For me, i want to create flexibility and freedom for myself, especially when i have kids in the future. more importantly, i want to create a product that people love and that promotes the belief that we should be fueling ourselves with foods that are both great tasting and great for you.
2. Find ways to build your confidence: in face of doubt or fear, there are so many tactics to help stay positive and keep your mind in the game. Create a sup-port network and find other people who are a little further than you or in similar shoes for moral support and encouragement. reflect and appreciate progress, no matter how incremental it may seem. Celebrate small wins and positive cus-tomer feedback. Find data or case studies that prove to you that “it” can be be done.
3. assess the risk/reward: Here’s where some pragmatism can actually help you move forward with your creative risk taking. the questions below are a way to help assess whether your fear is truly warranted, or simply irrational. once you do this exercise, you may actually find that the “worst case scenario” isn’t
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lisa congDonlisa Congdon art@lisacongdon
being a creative is a series of risks. being a creative entrepre-neur is an exercise in risk. you cannot separate the two. sometimes i think my entire career has been a series of risks. i look at that as an entirely good thing, but it can also feel scary, even now. For one, i have no formal training as an artist.
my very first risk when i started ten years ago was even to think that i could make it as a professional artist when i had no schooling, no small business ex-perience and very few connections in the art and design world. i’d been working on my own to become a good artist for years, but i thought there might not be a place for someone like me. lucky for me, this was all happening at a time when the internet was becoming a space for taking risks, and so gathered up the courage and i dove right in, leaving my full time career in education to become a full time working artist. the internet provided me a place to build an audience (and a community), sell some stuff, and promote the stuff i was doing at a very low cost. of course, i did not experience overnight success (people rarely do), but because i continued to take risks (even when previous risks failed), i began,
inger mcDowell-hartyepdX tuesdaystogether @withlovefrompdx
creative risk taking. in 2013, i decided to start a business with a col-league and friend. our story goes something like this: we had a great idea for a gift subscription business. we applied for a business incubator prize and won $50,000! not 3 months into the program, our friendship and business were in jeopardy. in 2015, we closed shop and parted ways. but that’s where my story of creative risk begins.
what going into business teaches you about risk.
what i learned by going into business with a friend is that risks are inevitable. i learned firsthand what it was like to grow a business only to see it fail after put-ting in countless hours, money, and love. risks are as common as breathing if you’re an entrepreneur. giving yourself permission to try something, even at the risk of failure, is imperative.
what makes my story unusual is that even after the failure of my first business, i started a new gifting company, with love, From pdX, in the same industry. i was taking a creative risk by starting over, but i wanted to do things on my own terms this time around. i wouldn’t have to compromise, feel insecure about things i couldn’t change and most of all, i could build a company that offers a great ser-vice and reflects my personal style.
be willing to sacrifice.
a friendship was lost in my entrepreneurial journey and that was a difficult sacrifice. it was a risk worth taking, even though i had to start again from the beginning building a new business. i couldn’t be happier with the decisions i’ve made, despite the challenges i have faced along the way. while building my new company wasn’t easy, i’m still in business two and a half years later with dozens of clients.
that bad, and often the risk of not doing it is a much worse outcome.
a. what’s the worst that can happen?
b. if the worst happens, what will/can i do?
c. if i don’t do this, what would i potentially be losing?
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in the beginning, it’s all a risk. in the beginning, when you are try-ing to get your brand or name out there, everything is technically “creative risk taking”.
· you are taking gigs that you never thought would align with your style. · you are giving out your business card to anyone and anything with a pulse. · you are playing with how you edit, what you shoot, when you post, and so on.
this chapter of your business exposes you to so many important new people, opportunities, and perspectives. you can then keep those that align best with your brand and run full speed ahead with them.
i am actually currently right in the middle of this chapter. i have done photog-raphy for about ten years as a side job and am now aiming to take it full-time. i know my work is good, if not great. i know i can compete in my market. but taking risks to find my niche (it could be interior design, newborns, weddings, who knows!) is fueling my creativity like crazy and people have started to notice. they’ve noticed that my image quality has gone way up, that my editing styles have become more consistent,and that i’m only sharing the cream of the crop on social media; and they are drawn to it like i’ve never seen!
all of this to say, i think being in a season of change and discovery will un-doubtedly lead to risk taking. Just think…you could be the next successful dog photographer! but you’ll never get there until you say “yes” to lisa down the street who won’t quit asking you to take pictures of her dog for her daughter’s birthday.
taylor prinsenaustin, tX tuesdaystogether@taylorprinsenphotography
over time, to see what parts of my business resonated with people. those were the parts i focused on growing.
ten years later, i have a successful, self-sustaining business with multiple in-come streams. some of the risks i’ve taken over the years have been financial. i have invested money in equipment and production and time making things that i wasn’t sure anyone would buy (and sometimes that turned out to be true). some of the risks were emotional. worrying that i was going to look like an idiot if i tried this thing and it failed, and then working through the range of feelings when things i tried did fail. in some ways, the most significant risks i’ve taken have been creative.
art is enormously personal, and putting your work into the world day after day can feel like an incredibly vulnerable experience, especially when you try new approaches and new mediums and stretch yourself to new places. what i have come to learn after ten years is that risk taking feels less overwhelming than it used to, it’s sort of built into the fabric of what i do. i’ve learned to deal with the emotional ups and downs, and to embrace following crazy ideas, and under-standing that not everything will work out, but that some things will. that’s what keeps me in the game.
also, i love what i do.
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ashley nicolerichmond, va tuesdaystogether@elegantambianceweddings
ella sophie oakland, Ca tuesdaystogether@ellasophiephotographer
finDing creative flow anD taking risks with your art. when you hear creative risk taking, often you think of business strategies, mov-ing, or starting a new podcast, product line, or financial investments. but what about creative risk taking at the purest definition?
in your art form, yes i said art.
if you are part of the rising tide society, there is a pretty good chance that some part of what you make is an art form. even if you don’t consider yourself a traditional artist or make work that would go in a gallery. so how do you keep your work fresh? by taking risks. get into a state of creative flow, fill yourself with inspiration from areas outside of your bubble. if you are a writer look at photos, music, or sculptures. if you are a florist go to a painting exhibit and be inspired by new color combinations, etc. once your mind is filled with snippets of images, visuals, sounds, words, and emotions, get to work - and by work i mean play.
play with your tools - your camera, your computer, your pen, or paints. i like to call this process ‘go with the flow and make some cool shit’. i suggest you build time into your business regularly to do this. there is a reason why art schools pump out a ton of incredible work, and why most of those students never make another piece after they finish their graduate thesis. it’s because there is a built-in structure for creative risk taking in art school.
personally i think the key to having a successful career as a creative entrepre-neur is to make space - structure - for creative experimentation and risk taking. so if it’s an hour every day, or once a week, or just giving yourself one purely creative, fun project per year, give yourself a structure to continue to push your boundaries and perspectives. a recommended book: ‘art & Fear’ by david bayles & ted orland
simply starting is taking a risk. as business owners we are con-stantly taking risks. the fact that we are at this point and you are reading this is because you took a risk. we jump one hurdle and shortly after we approach the next. if we are completely honest, each risk we took to get here was a bit daunt-ing, but we somehow overcame our fears and ended the task with success. in this article i am going to share with you a few of the risks i took and how they were all a necessary part of my growth.
as stated previously, merely starting a business is a risk. For some reason the unknown and doing something for the first time is horrifying. when i started my business i knew i had a passion for weddings, but i wasn’t sure that i could actu-ally be a wedding planner, as i’m not married. i thought to myself, if i was going to help brides through this process i was going to have to first educate myself. so, i enrolled in a course to teach me the fundamentals of wedding planning and attended the Creative at Heart conference. the information i gained from the conference allowed me to feel a bit more confident in my skill set, but i still wasn’t convinced that i was ready to plan an entire wedding. starting with styled shoots, i found what designs spoke to my heart the most and also met some wonderful vendor friends through that experience.
i then wondered how i would reach brides and how they would be attracted to my business. my next hurdle was getting a website that would best represent my business brand. of course, you can imagine how nervous a person can be when they have to trust someone else to build a website that will attract an ideal
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client. you first have to find a brand designer that fits your aesthetic. this will ensure that you will more than likely be on the same page. once you find the perfect fit, be sure to fully express yourself so that your ideal client can connect and see the message you are conveying. Creating a website is definitely a risk you can have fun with, finding the colors, font, and images that speak to your work and personality. with guidance from the perfect brand designer your web-site launch will be a success!
what i believe to be my biggest hurdle of all was actually doing my first wed-ding. everyone has heard the timeless saying, “experience is the best teacher”, and this is absolutely true. we all know that weddings can take months, some-times over a year to plan and you have only one shot to get it right. the big day was near and i was really nervous. i had put in so much time selecting the per-fect vendors for my clients and getting the timeline as precise as possible. plan-ning is pivotal, but the execution is the only thing that matters when it comes to weddings. after making it through the rehearsal alive, i felt better knowing the wedding party could make it down the aisle to their respective places. the big day came and after several deep breaths and meditation i executed the wed-ding confidently, even if everything didn’t go exactly according to plan. overall, the wedding was a success and my first couple was pleased with my services.
taking risks in business is inevitable, no matter how big or small they may be. the key is to never quit on yourself and don’t let fear deter you from your dreams and aspirations, because it waters our skill set and causes growth. every new venture we commence will have its own set of hurdles; we just have to re-mind ourselves to stay focused on the finish line and never stop running.
mary phanCreative director of very mary inspired | the sketchbook series@verymaryinspired @thesketchbookseries
rely on your intuition. i’ve always prided myself on having pretty good intuition. as a creative business owner, i find that one of my strengths in business is being able to intuitively know when something is a good match or not. a lot of owning your own business means being able to take risks. i don’t consider myself much of a risk taker, but when i pivoted my career as an event designer/wedding planner to now an educator, i knew deep down in my heart that there was a bigger purpose that was intended for me. it takes being honest with yourself and knowing if being good at something is enough or whether you can be great at something else. although i was good at planning and design, my first love has always been sketching.
Having my two sons became a pivotal point in my transition. i knew then that i wanted to build a life where my family was part of the equation, too. it was defi-nitely a process transitioning from being a wedding designer/planner to teach-ing creatives how to sketch through @thesketchbookseries, but i knew i had found my purpose and knew i wanted to make an impact in an industry i was so passionate about while also raising a family. the path became very clear and it was apparent when the very first class launched and we had creatives fly in from out of state to take my courses. since then we’ve had people from all over the world come. it’s humbling and i feel very fortunate that i get to help inspire oth-ers while also doing what i love.
in finDing your purpose:
1. Check in with yourself and be honest : are you happy where you are?
2. what would make you happier?
3. Follow your heart and passion, but use your senses.
4. it can’t solely be about the money – the mission has to be much big-ger than yourself!
Question 1what is the one risk you have always wanted to take for your business? what is stopping you? How could you work towards taking this plunge? (at tuesdaystogether, ask a friend and work through the idea together to see what they say, too!)
Question 2who do you admire for their audacity, per-spective, bravery or willingness to accept a challenge? why do you admire this specific person? what personality traits do you have in common with them?
Question 3read any of the amazing articles in this month’s guide. what quote stands out most to you? How can you begin applying this to your life and business?
Question 4what tip in this month’s guide is most impactful to you? How do you think you can build upon what the tip is recommending for us creatives?
Question 5make a list of amazingly crazy dreams here:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.Now, pick oNe aNd go make it happeN!
working on creative risk taking
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minDshift ninJa the neuroscience of Creativityhttps://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/the-neurosci-ence-of-creativity/
the Discoverher proJectCreativity as a tool for Change by Jess poon, brittany webber, and lina vallejoshttp://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/international-womens-day/
rebecca moran writing your own storyhttps://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/writing-your-own-story/
alison Jefferiesthe art of the pivot: what to do when your best laid plans don’t work outhttps://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/the-art-of-the-pivot/
lauren watne Creativity is Callinghttps://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/creativity-is-calling/
Recommended Rising tide Blog Poststhe rising tide blog features amazing creatives from within our own community. Here are a few wonderful arti-cles straight from the blog about chasing the dream, daring to be creative, and using creativity for good. enjoy!
click heRe to join us in the cReatiVe community!
ouR stoRy
we believe an empowered creative economy will change the world. by elevating the voices of cre-atives around the world, sharing their stories, and building a thriving online and offline community, we support the creative in their pursuit of a sustainable livelihood.
every day we are on a mission to empower the creative economy to rise together, doing what they love.
Rising Tide is a living library of educational resources by creatives for creatives. with blog content from thought-leaders throughout the creative industry, free educational webinars, monthly guides, and online summits—our members are equipped with the knowledge they need to succeed in business.
we fuel over four hundred monthly meet-ups across the world that discuss a relevant business topic. we believe that magic happens when creatives gather, support one another, and are empowered to pursue their passions.
hoW We staRtedin may of 2015, rising tide hosted its first set of local meetups in twelve cities across the united states. Coffee shops and wineries filled with small business owners seeking a new mindset in the cre-ative landscape—one built on relationships. Creatives who typically spent day after day sitting at their desks with only the hum of the computer and their third cup of coffee to keep them company now had the opportunity to engage in community within their own towns.
one by one we added meetups in cities from the northeast to the southwest, and even internationally. as rising tide and the concept of “community over competition” was welcomed with open arms, we had the opportunity to merge with Honeybook to build an intentional creative community worldwide.
we are only as strong as the communities around us, so we dedicate ourselves to supporting non-profits and organizations we are passionate about. to date, we’ve given over $100,000+ to non-profits including the school sessions, u.s. dream academy, the birthday party project, thirst relief and more. we have also partnered with pencils of promise to build a school in 2018—funded entirely by community donations through our annual rise summit.