Dear creative friend,
I’m so excited to share this post with you.
I’ve just been for a hike through my favourite patch of bushland here in sunny Brisbane - it was a crisp wintery morning and now it’s a delightful day.
I’ve had my cold plunge (a terrible but wonderful cold shower habit I’ve started since I went on yoga retreat and got to try an ice bath for the first time!!) and now I’m cosied up in my comfiest clothes (lemon cream trackies that have white fleece lining and a fluffy fuchsia wooden jumper with pom poms). I’m sitting in the sun and sipping a blueberry cacao smoothie as I type.
And you know what?
This is how I start most days :) I remember writing down what my ‘dream day’ would look like (circa 2020) and it was exactly like what I described above - waking naturally (no alarm clock), reading in bed, a morning hike or yoga, then drawing ;)
What a dream come true.
What would your dream day look like?
Writing this substack for you is one of my greatest joys. Thank you for being here and for being patient between posts - it’s been EVENTFUL (I'll update you soon in my artist diary).
This is my 4th post in the series “How To Quit Your Corporate Job”.
It’s so long I’ve decided to make 2 parts. Welcome to Part 1.
“A dream remains a dream until it is pursued. Be BOLD, be CREATIVE, choose hope over fear. BE COURAGEOUS.”
I can look back at my journey now and see the blessings. I can see the error of my ways. I can see all the decisions I made and how they panned out. I don’t regret any of them.
But when you don’t have hindsight - when you are RIGHT SMACK BANG in the middle of busy corporate life AND all the life admin AND family life AND having a social life AND a side hustle - it feels overwhelming and frustrating. There is too much on your plate and a tonne of uncertainty. At least that’s how it felt for me.
I remember.
I remember the long, hard days of my corporate job. All 18 years of them. I can remember the lunch breaks that went too fast, especially when I tried to run errands and had no time to sit and eat, taking food back to my desk. I remember the draft email I’d leave open to write all my side hustle ideas and email it to myself later. I remember the torturously boring jobs and the difficult bosses and the side-eye from staff when I left right on 5 o’clock.
I must have googled ‘how to know when to quit your day job’ a million times over the years I ran Tiny Giraffe as a side hustle. I asked a lot of people too. It infuriated me because what came back were a million different answers and very strong opinions.
Because there is no right or wrong way.
Only what is right for you.
Your life - with all its beautiful facets, nuances and unique set of circumstances - is unique to you.
Really, I think it boils down to two schools of thought.
Work on your side hustle until you have enough clients to transition
Quit your job and throw yourself ‘all in’
If you’ve read my leap story, you’ll know I took option #2. I didn’t have a single client or commission on the books. I had no freelance work.
I wouldn’t recommend this approach to everyone - it takes a great deal of courage and resources to do this, depending how risk adverse you are.
For me, going ‘all in’ was the only way.
Here’s why:
I worked in a deadline-driven, toxic industry that overworks its employees and glorifies long hours - sometimes I worked nights and weekends (I can recall putting together tender submissions at 1am).
I had spent 18 years climbing the corporate ladder. I managed staff, delivered projects and dealt with politics - I had too much responsibility and stress to focus on anything else
I never had enough time to work ‘on’ my business, I was mostly ‘in’ it (ie. making art, not strategising about building a business)
I eventually went part time - 4 days/week - and this only resulted in working a full time workload with 80% pay.
The older I got, the more I thought it was irresponsible and not possible for me.
Do you have an inkling which approach feels right for you?
Artist Diaries is my attempt to share everything I’ve learnt - to help other creatives make it. The world will be a better, more peaceful, beautiful place when more people are making money from their passions and sharing their creativity. I want to share with you my real, honest experiences and learnings.
Here are some of the things I did before I quit my day job that I consider (with hindsight) were wise decisions - things I recommend to someone wanting to quit their corporate job.
Test Your Creative Ideas
Get (the right) Support
Your Ticket To Freedom - a ‘Fuck You Fund’
Invest In Your Resources
Build a Portfolio
Collect Kind Words
Consider if these are right for you - and what else might help you. I’ve left some journal prompts at the bottom of the paid section.
Let’s do this!
Markets were my side hustle on weekends!
I didn’t go the path of option #1.
But I didn’t exactly start from scratch, either.
I WILL say that I knew Tiny Giraffe ‘had legs’ because I tested my art - both in person and online.
I believe it’s important to test your creative ideas. Share your creativity in a variety of places (over and over - not just once or twice )and see what happens.
You have nothing to lose.
If you are happy to just create for the fun of it and leaving your 9-5 isn’t on your agenda, then you can focus on just creating (and sharing if you want to).
But if you are serious about making good money from your passions, consider this —
Your dream creative business is the SWEET SPOT of something you love or are passionate about, something you are good at and something you can be paid for.
You can apply this methodology to any business idea you’re dreaming of - and testing out all three areas can be a fun experience.
See it as a creative exploration!
By trying different types of creativity, finding what you’re passionate about and being curious to see if it will sell.
Don’t settle either!
When you’re desperate to quit your 9-5, it can be hard to be patient and want to follow what someone else is doing, but it really helps to take the time to do this. Find YOUR joy.
When I started Tiny Giraffe I was passionate about drawing maps as artworks and I was quite good at it, but I had no idea if they would sell.
Within a few months of launching my website, I had my first sale from a stranger.
Best feeling in the world.
Then I tried out the local markets.
My very first market stall had zero sales - I was so shy and nervous. I spent $100 in stall fees. When you count that plus the unpaid hours I spent preparing, ‘bumping in’ and ‘bumping out’ and unpacking - it was highly unprofitable. But it gave me experience, and every market stall thereafter made me money. First I broke even, then I made profits. The more markets you do, the more you understand what people love most about your work and you can tailor your products, colours or styles - it’s amazing for instant feedback!
As my following grew, I gained more clients.
This was hugely validating for me.
When I shared my work with friends and family, commissions were requested. I knew people wanted my artwork and there was an ongoing - despite inconsistent - demand for it. My past clients were thrilled with my art and referred me to people.
I was convinced - as I am today - that if more people knew about my business, I would be creating and earning more.
When I quit my job, I didn’t tell my parents until a few months later.
I didn’t need the added anxiety or comments that I knew they would have around me not having a stable income. They are beautiful people - my faves! - but they often have a scarcity mentality around money and job security. My parents only ever want the very best for me and want me to be safe and secure. Even when I finished school, they were very anxious about me moving city to study landscape architecture - a career they’d never heard of. I have unintentionally tested them over the years by following my heart!
If your parents are more liberal and optimistic (or own a business or help run one), you might want to confide in them early and even ask for advice. They may have contacts or ideas that will propel you in your efforts towards leaving your job. They may be your greatest support and cheerleaders when you do quit your job.
Fair warning - friends in the corporate world may not understand your creative or business desires! They only know one way of working, and most people are conditioned to climb the corporate ladder.
When people don’t believe something is possible for them, they can channel their fear or judgement onto you. Don’t let this stop you - remember the Brene Brown ‘arena’ analogy.
I am lucky that I have quite a few friends that have always championed me. Two of my best friends are both in the corporate world and they are my greatest cheerleaders. And some of my friends still don’t ask me or care about my business.
You will find creative friends along the way on your journey - often at the same stage as you - simply by following your intuition to attend creative events, networking opportunities, join creative/coaching programs or through social media (the joy!).
Look for ‘your people’ everywhere you go and invest in those friendships where people believe in you and your dreams - it will take you further than you could ever imagine!
Invest in coaching. Life coaching, psychology and business coaching is incredibly invaluable in working through your limiting beliefs, developing new supportive beliefs, making time for developing your ideas, and creating huge leaps/shortcuts by utilising someone else’s experience to get you where you want to go, quicker.
I continually invest in business coaching. I have a psychologist for personal development and one of my best friends is a life coach (so lucky).
You can support yourself in other ways too - in fact, make a list today of all the things that light you up, make you feel good or help you relax. Self care is so important.
Here’s some from my list —
Long baths with candles and music
Bushwalks
Yoga
Meditation/journalling
Reading
Gardening / plant nursery visits / foraging neighbourhood flowers, leaves and seedpods
Everyday adventures
Ocean dunks
Baking treats
Find glimmer moments (you can probably tell what this is - a practice adopted from a friend and I will share this in a future post)
I am a fiercely independent woman. The fiery, determined Sagittarian in me would rather die than accept help.
This is something I have learnt to change. Be smarter than me :)
People will want to help you on your journey - accepting help allows the giver to feel good too. It is a gift to them, not a burden (or they wouldn’t have offered!). Ask for help and learn to accept it when offered.
If you do quit your job, be discerning in who you spend your time with or what information you share at this vulnerable time.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle to leaving your corporate job is having enough money coming in. If you choose #1, you’ve got money coming in from existing clients or freelance work that you’ve built up while working.
If you choose #2, you need to have some savings — or a wealthy partner/family - anyone lucky enough to have that?
For me, I had been saving for a long time. I unknowingly had what I now lovingly refer to as a ‘fuck you fund’ - the money needed as a financial cushion to keep me going while I invested significant time into building my business. A fuck you fund is an investment in yourself and your greatest dreams.
I first heard this term through my manifestation work with To Be Magnetic.
I haven’t shared about this before, but TBM is one of the biggest drivers behind the most beautiful changes and personal growth in my life. A friend told me about it at the start of 2018 and it helped me navigate my divorce. By May I had manifested a new job and in August 2018 I manifested a new partner (now husband). Together we manifested our house in 2021. I have used it in countless ways to manifest dreams in my business. I plan on writing an in-depth article for you about this self love practice I adore.
In the meantime, if you want to try it out, there is an excellent free clarity exercise here - or you can use my code ‘KYLIE’ at checkout - if you use my referral code, you’ll get 15% off your membership and I'll receive a small commission - at no extra cost to you. I love this work so much that after a couple of years I invested in the lifetime membership. I use it every week :)
OK back to money….
The answer is entirely up to you, based on your risk tolerance, your needs and responsibilities.
Because I am quite risk adverse, I wanted a really large fuck you fund.
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