The Benefits of Creative Entrepreneurship
Read time: 5 minutesHey there Sunshine,
The rise of creative entrepreneurship has opened a gateway to a new world. It's all about innovation, self-expression, and pursuing our passions. It's a complete rebellion against the soul-sucking monotony of the corporate world. Who wouldn't want to break free from the chains of the nine-to-five routine and do something they love?
Key Takeaways:
Making the switch to creative entrepreneurship gives you the power to set your own pace and schedule, ensuring you work at your best without burning out.
Traditional employment often puts unnecessary limits on our potential.
The creative economy is a treasure trove of learning opportunities. Embracing this career path means a constant growth journey, helping you sharpen your skills and evolve personally and professionally.
Neurodivergent individuals often face a tough time in traditional work setups, struggling with rigid structures and schedules. This highlights the urgent need for flexible environments that accommodate our unique needs.
It encourages you to think outside the box, solve problems creatively, and contribute to the growth of the entire creative industry.
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
The Emotional Cost of Traditional Employment & Corporate Work
The corporate grind takes a significant toll on creatives by stifling their artistic freedom and hindering their ability to explore and innovate. The confines of traditional employment can leave little energy for individual expression, exploration, or imagination. These limitations build frustration and a sense of unfulfillment. They can lead to a revolving door of abandoned jobs and roles without satisfaction or stability.
For neurodivergent (ND) creatives, those limitations cause an even more profound impact. The rigid structures and standardized procedures can be challenging for people with ADHD and/or Autism. Without a healthy, accommodating environment to thrive in, NDs find themselves disconnected, frustrated, and even excluded from opportunities. No wonder turnover is much higher for NDs even when evidence shows their productivity is at least 30% higher than neurotypical peers.
The Rise of Creative Entrepreneurship
Creative entrepreneurship emphasizes innovation, self-expression, and the pursuit of passion as core components of the business. The creative economy is "an ecosystem of occupations and activities that generate wealth and jobs through intellectual property.” The Institute of Entrepreneurship Development labels creative entrepreneurship "a vehicle for social change instead of profit above all else." A subtle reminder of how genuinely anticapitalist this career choice can be.
The transition from traditional employment to creative entrepreneurship has marked a significant shift in how people approach work. By redefining the concept of work, new avenues have been opened for individuals to leverage their unique skills and talents in the marketplace. Technology has facilitated rapid growth in this sector and created new institutional structures, online marketplaces, self-publishing platforms, and nonprofit incubators.
The Benefits of Creative Careers:
Creative entrepreneurs are destined to face many challenges when starting a business. They must have the right skills and knowledge. They must be able to develop a good idea, find funding, and manage the business successfully. But with so much to gain, is there even a question if the juice is worth the squeeze?
Freedom in Creative Entrepreneurship
Mental health is essential to foster creativity and reach the flow state where greatness lies. Creating a customized schedule allows creatives to optimize their productivity during peak focus and creativity periods. Allowing time for necessary breaks and rest, even at "unconventional" times, prevents burnout and creative block.
The transition to remote work during the Covid pandemic changed the game for NDs by introducing an accommodation many, myself included, had no idea was so vital. The percentage of women newly diagnosed with ADHD nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022. Recently empowered employees have realized the freedom to fit work into their lives and set a routine that works for them. There is no putting that genie back in the bottle.
2. Control in Self-Employment
Choosing what projects to work on and dictating the direction of your business allows your "living" to align with your values and passions. There's no stuck. There's always the possibility to change your business to grow it along with you.
As your innovative ideas arrive, you can bask in the freedom of following your hyper-focus special interests without being bound by rigid corporate hierarchies. By outsourcing your most difficult-to-tackle tasks, you can focus on what lights you up instead.
My lovely coach, Hilary, closed the loop on so many questions I had about myself by explaining why ADHD is the reason I struggle with being told what to do. Understanding the "why" has always been extremely important to me. Creative entrepreneurship offers a healthy source of control that is usually absent in traditional employment.
3. Personal Growth in Business
The entrepreneurial journey, while demanding, offers a wealth of opportunities for personal and professional growth. "continuous improvement" is sprinkled about in the business world like fairy dust. Employees are often "graded" on whether or not they focus on it. But when you are expected to do the work of 3 people, when can you stop to read up and study?
In contrast, entrepreneurs are encouraged to continue learning and unlocking potential because it fosters adaptability, resilience, and a proactive mindset. Improving your skillset and knowledge is a necessity when you are the business. Ultimately, the wins and losses of building a creative business can hone your craft, expand your horizons, and offer the ever-elusive state of personal fulfillment.
“When you have a passion for something, then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.”
4. Pursuing Passion in Work
Maya Angelou said, "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you." When creators align their professional pursuits with their true interests and aspirations, work ceases to be a means to an end. Our career can be the avenue for reaching our dreams when we shape them around ourselves instead of preset structures.
The corporate structure is limiting and rigid. I felt stifled, pouring 50-60 hours a week of my energy, often all I had, to someone else's purpose and greed. You deserve to reap the benefits of your labor. How I do that is to enjoy the freedom to shape my life the way I want it.
5. Better Focus and Innovation
Creating something from scratch transcends traditional communication methods, whether a piece of art, a pair of earrings, a written story, or a pithy infographic. Engaging in creative work offers the creator and the audience a chance to connect to a sense of purpose. This process can be cathartic and so unbelievably satisfying. We work harder and focus longer when the process fulfills us.
The best work is made when the creator forgets to eat and pee during the laser-focused flow state. Science shows the more time creators spend in flow, the more often they prioritize their passion the more creative they will be. Harvard's Teresa Amiable discovered that people feel more creative in the moment of flow, which remains heightened over the long haul.
Conclusion:
The Society for Human Resource Management conducted a study that found work-related stress left 40% of employees in 2022 experiencing burnout and feelings of hopelessness. Setting my own routines and honoring my energy has changed my life, and it's why I encourage everyone I can to think innovatively about how they make their living.
You've heard the adage: "Love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life." You grew up with a mixed message to chase your passions while being reminded that adulthood slaps you with enough responsibility to pursue stability above all else. I challenge you to ask yourself: If you could do anything, what would you do? And then take the first step to make that happen!
