7 Lessons I have Learned from 7 Years in a Creative Business

Lessons in Business & Life

At the time of writing this blog post (April 2024) I am celebrating 7 years in business as a Lino printmaker. My business has evolved a lot over those years - some things like making hand printed bags have been ditched but I learned something from everything that didn’t work.

Some of these lessons might surprise you. They’re not all about margins, pricing and trends - far from it.

Lesson 1: I can do whatever I put my mind to (and so can you!)

There are so many things I never considered that I could do but I have done them.

One of the biggies is building this website. When I first thought about moving away from Etsy and having my own website I thought it would be far too hard but my stubbornness set in and I bloody well did it. I learned about how to get into Google Searches, how to make pages load better and all kinds of other dull things. The point is that I am no tech whizz but I gave it a go and I did it. They key was not expecting perfection and allowing it to be a learning experience.

Lesson 2: Creativity doesn’t run out - sometimes it just needs a helping hand or some space.

The more you create, the more things flow. It’s like running. You don’t expect to run a marathon on day one do you? (Truth be told I never want to do that - ha). You build up to it. You dip your toe by doing small jogs first. You might even join a running club for support or get a personal trainer at the gym. Art and creativity are no different! On that note - if you’re looking to ease into a creative practise then sign up for my FREE 7 Days To Elevate Your Creativity programme. I guide you through 7 quick tasks to get the artistic juices flowing.

There are loads of days when I don’t get to print but I still get out my sketchbooks because I need to flex that creative muscle.

Lesson 3: Trust your instinct.

When it’s right you’ll be thrilled and if you ignore it you’ll regret it!

When I was a teacher with my first class, I had planned a lesson that was being observed as part of my final assessment. I happened to be chatting to a more experienced teacher that morning who suggested I make some changes. I did because I assumed she knew better - she had a decade of teaching on me. I taught the lesson and went for my feedback and do you know what? I was graded down for the very thing that the experienced teacher suggested I do.

Similar things have happened in business too. People who have been running businesses and selling art far longer than me have said things like ‘yYou should make prints of x, y, z. They’re so on trend’. SO what did I do? I listened and I followed. But my heart wasn’t in it. Following trends has never been something that excited me. My passion lies in creating coastal art. That’s what gets me fired up and that rubs off on my audience too. They feed off what inspires me. It has a knock on effect because of the energy and joy that goes into every piece. I can’t fake that stuff!

Lesson 4: Community is EVERYTHING

The right people around you will keep you going when things are tough (and it gets tough for everyone even if it looks perfect on someone’s social media).

There are some things that I chat to my ladies about but business isn’t really one of them. They don’t know what it’s like because their jobs are ‘normal’ and predictable. That’s fine though. They’re there for me in other ways.

I’ve joined a lot of communities over the last 7 years. Natwest Business Accelerator has helped me to branch out to make connections outside of the art world. This helps me to be challenged to think in different ways and the peoples are lush. I have also worked with coaches and that has been so valuable. They ask the difficult questions and hold you accountable. Working on your own you really need that!

I have an accountability buddy who I chat to 3 x a week. It keeps us both on track and luckily we seem to have meltdowns at different times so we can pick each other up.

Lesson 5: Create even when you feel shit.

This is perhaps the MOST important time to create. Do you think Picasso only painted when he felt great? I very much doubted it. He was constantly coming up against people who didn’t like his style and nobody feels great all the time - it’s not possible, despite what the shiny squares on Instagram show you.

Lesson 6: Not everybody gets it - that’s okay.

Have conversations about business with people who actually run a business.

process and take what you want from conversations - everyone is different and no one person knows it all

Lesson 7: Rest is crucial - non-negotiable.

This has been the hardest lesson to learn and I still need to work on it. As I type now I know I should close the laptop and head off to a family meal. Rest is not frivolous. Rest helps you to recover and often my best ideas come when I’ve had time to switch off!

And a sneaky bonus lesson…

🙌 Trust the process - you might be closer than you think.

If you are finding it tough in business or want some help getting your creative mojo back then get in touch.

Which of these lessons resonates most with you?