When you were a kid did you ever play “opposite day”?
I’ll explain, just hold on…
This was one of my favorite annoying pranks I loved as a kid. I’d take whatever the adults told me to do and I’d do the opposite thing.
When they tried to correct me I’d let them know “It’s opposite day!” as I walked backwards out of the room with my backpack on my chest.
It turns out this is still a great way to break free from a creative rut as an adult, and this is what led me to making this account which I’ll return to in a sec.
How it works is, if you’re feeling stuck, try to intentionally flip your routine on its head for a few days.
Obviously the easiest way to do this is if you have the luxury of going on vacation, but even if you can’t do that, you can make a point of intentionally avoiding what you would normally do and instead choosing to spend your time and energy doing little activities you’re less comfortable with.
It starts with little simple things, like going to a different coffee shop or changing your commute route slightly, and then add in something that challenges you a bit more to break up deep habits:
Constantly seeking social validation? Go for a long walk alone without your phone every morning for a week.
Workaholic? Call in sick and realize the world doesn’t stop spinning.
Hiding in your shell? Start a conversation with a stranger every day for a week.
I’ve found this tiny shift alone is often enough to open up space for some new ideas or ways of thinking about your situation or the parts of your identity that feel stale.
Where I’m going with this is, I’ve made some of my most important decisions during opposite weeks… and I’ve learned that sometimes an opposite day is the start of an opposite life.
So, if you’re feeling stuck or unhappy, give it a shot and see if anything opens up for you.
This is the mindset that led me to make this account.
For me, I took a week off after two years and realized I felt stuck at my own business I had spent the last 7 years building, and decided to make a change.
I was less involved in creative work and directly helping clients which I love to do, I was not positioned to use my best talents as a leader or a contributor, and I was spending my time and energy on these unfulfilling tasks and somehow still working 60 hours a week.
I’ve always been a creative at heart, I’ve always had such a powerful impulse to express myself intensely through multiple mediums: drawing, writing, music, photos, and found a particular passion for digital storytelling through interactive websites, video and motion graphics.
At the same time, I’ve had an equally strong desire to create not just digital stories and experiences, but systems. This led me to create multiple businesses over the last 12 years and take an MBA and Master’s in Educational Technology. I wanted to understand what makes a business work, internally and externally, and I’ve always wanted to share and teach others so they can also thrive.
Somehow, I didn’t put all those pieces together until I was on vacation at the end of August, but now I can’t ignore it.
And so that’s what this account is for, I’m going to share all of the scrappy hard won lessons that have allowed me to work for myself as a creative for over a decade. I’ve tried multiple business models and approaches, both successes and failures: freelance, contractor, consultant, co-op, products, services, studio, agency.
The challenges and things that haven’t worked well have been really important and priceless learning experiences that I plan to talk about, and besides real hands-on experience, I’ve also spent about $200,000 on professional development and business education over the last 5 years, and realized most information out there is really not geared toward creative or service based businesses, so I’m going to share everything I’ve learned from that too so you don’t have to.
Why? I grew up poor and in an unsafe house, I fought hard to survive. I started working when I was 14 so I could finally get an actual haircut or clothes that fit. I found traditional systems and structures hard to fit into, and this made regular full time work with rigid schedules almost intolerable as I got older. I needed to find a way to earn a living where I was able to direct my own time and energy more, and I wanted it to have something to do with my creative energy and passion for helping others.
Starting a business was my way of doing this, and it’s a good option to consider that’s available to anyone. I think everyone deserves to find a way to live that gives them the level of autonomy, worth, and respect that they need.
I’m not going to tell you “how to get rich” and I have nothing to sell you. I’m just going to put all this energy out there and see what happens and hope it helps. So far I’m thinking I will mostly share along three main topic areas: tactical business tips (that creative business owners tend to avoid or ignore such as finance), leadership, productivity & mindset all with examples and stories and models or frameworks if relevant. If there’s other stuff you want to see, please reach out! I’d love to hear from you and make this a dialogue.
So, if that sounds like something you want to see more of or something helpful on your journey, please follow along! Either way, take an opposite day and do something different, see what happens.
Thanks for checking it out 🙏.
#creativebusiness #motiondesign #emotiondesign