Beyond the Woo
Pursuing practical freelance creative wisdom
Hello Friends
Happy Friday.
This weeks letter is coming to you from a cafe in Norwich again, fuelled by iced coffee and buoyed by a soundtrack of 90s/00’s pop (the cafe’s choice, not mine)… I got as far as putting my headphones in but failed to select anything to listen to, instead sucked into music from the likes of The Sugababes and Girls Aloud.
The last couple of weeks I’ve tried to start a new routine for one day a week. Norwich, Hot Yoga and a cafe to work in in. I’m enjoying it. Something about the background chatter, clinking cups and general busyness makes me far more productive. Words flow far more quickly.
Why is that? You’d think cafes would be far more distracting than the washing machine and the general quietness of home. Apparently not. Maybe it’s just being away from the house. Away from the mess. The endless domestic to-do list. That space from ‘real life’ that makes you feel more capable, provides more headspace.
This weeks letter is inspired by a really great book that I’ve been reading; Art for Money by Michael Ardelean, which is about getting paid what you’re worth as a freelance creative.
It got me thinking about how difficult it is figuring out what the heck you’re doing when you decide to go it alone in the creative wilds. About the distinct lack of good, grounded, practical help. And this lack makes the learning curve so steep.
I know what you may be thinking… ‘But Becca, there’s a million and one people on the internet selling courses for that kind of thing’. And yes there are. But I feel like most of these either a. Miss out the basics stuff you need to know. Or b. They’re extortionately expensive. Far beyond what someone at the beginning of their creative journey can afford.
When you’re doing it alone and it’s completely new how do you even know what the right question is to ask to find out what you need to know? That age old quandry, how do you know what you don’t know?
It is the little things, simple things like writing an invoice that in the past have tripped me up and held me back. Because when I am doing anything new, my initial response is always ‘I don’t know how’, swiftly followed by ‘I don’t know how to do that the right way’. This is text book perfectionism. I know that. But still it stops me in my tracks every time.
I do wonder whether those of us who are neuro-diverse struggle with this particularly badly. Those executive function issues tripping us up. The struggle to get our heads around new processes. To get the steps in the right order.
Also, as a woman, I do feel that a lot of the small business advice directed at women comes under the, ‘just charge some crystals under the full moon and manifest it babe’ umbrella.
Now, I am not a law of attraction denier and I do love a bit of Woo (particularly if it is related to some kind of personality test). I also have nothing against crystals if they’re your thing, but I’m not sure how helpful a piece of rose quartz is when you want to know how to write an invoice to a client or pay your taxes.
And that’s the other thing about the manifest it advice. The journal on it advice. The just work on your mindset advice. Yes, it absolutely is a mindset/confidence issue. But improved mindset and confidence does not come from endless journalling and ruminating— well at least not for me anyway.
In my experience confidence comes from doing. From taking action over and over again. Until those foreign processes become second nature.
What we need is more practical help. Like the book Art for Money, which offers concrete steps to follow for business basics. Maybe more of this help is out there but I just haven’t found it yet? But I tell you what, I’m on a mission to find more.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Becca x
Yes Becca, preach! 🙌 ❤️ I relate to so much of this. Please keep us posted if you find any answers!