I’ve been designing and creating artwork for a while now, dabbling here and there, but sadly I’m nowhere near my ultimate goals. We all have fun pursuing our passions no matter what, but at the end of the day, it’s important to be moving forward towards your aspirations. I want and need to succeed in more concrete ways. Taking a step back and reviewing my current situation…sort of gives me a headache. I’m all over the place. I feel as if I need to start from square one again.

My goal is a be a licensed artist and I’ve already blogged my intentions to focus this year. I’ve come to realize that I’ve jumped into the sea of creative businesses without actually knowing how to swim properly. I don’t regret anything I’ve done though because it has helped me to come to this point. However, I do feel the struggle of trying to stay afloat and still going nowhere.

There are many creatives out there who have grown up knowing what they want to be. Then there are those like me, who sort of fall into related fields of work and struggle when it comes to breaking open the doors and saying, “Here I Am” and by the way I’m selling my work, too. I know, it can feel so odd to sell yourself – but let’s save that for later discussion…

Basically, I’m starting afresh and following my own Creative Business 101, using all the experience and knowledge I have under my belt. Oftentimes we already know what we need to do, but the volume overwhelms even the best of us. So I’m breaking it all down into an ordered task list, tackling each item one by one. Like many of you out there, I’ve bought those business books and read countless helpful blog posts. At some point you realize you know most of the important information already. It’s time to take action instead of floating on aimlessly. And yes, I will have to make time for this like a priority project, because it’s my dream – it should be the most important thing on my list of to dos. I will be challenging myself to build up my portfolio, my official professional artist presence, connections, submissions and overall marketing of myself and my work. Blogging about the process will keep me accountable and will allow me to share the steps and my experiences along the way. I hope that you’ll come along for the ride.

Finally, I would like to invite everyone who has a dream to follow along. Apply the ideas to your situation and join me! I do believe that doing things together – a collaborative spirit and effort – makes any task so much more enjoyable and approachable. If you blog about your experiences, I would love to follow along. It helps to motivate me in my ventures…so how about it? Let’s start our creative businesses together! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you want to follow along and check the tortagialla.com box. Subscribe here! See you here next time for some creative kick-butt action – ciao ciao.

Note for those who actually get to the end of a post and want more. If you are interested in the resources, books, blogs that I mentioned briefly…you can follow the links below to do your own research. A few are affiliate links, so they will help support me – thanks in advance!

Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business

ArtLicensingInfo.com

ArtBizBlog.com

Scoutie Girl Free Resources

Design*Sponge Biz Ladies posts

HeartMadeBlog Biz Tips posts

The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line

Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business

Craft Inc. Business Planner