Jamie Ridler Studios

Note: This was created as a post for Cairene MacDonald to celebrate my upcoming Authentic Professionalism class one wee today at Third Hand Works! If this speaks to you, as a creative independent spirit trying to forge your own path, please check out the details here. The Authentic Professionalism process is powerful stuff and I’ve never offered it virtually before! I hope you’ll join us!

Out of all the challenges I’ve faced as an entrepreneur the one that has caused me the most suffering is the belief that there is “a way things should be done.” I’m a voracious learner and when I started Jamie Ridler Studios, I immersed myself in enough business books and trainings to strain both my brain and my budget and almost always I would hit a point where I thought – I just can’t go there!

Each time that happened, I would take a good long look at myself and ask, “Am I resisting something I need to grow into? Do I have to change? Are my artsy ways holding me back? Am I unwilling to do what needs to be done? Am I just not cut out for this?”

See, that’s the thing with us entrepreneurs. We’re fiercely independent. We love the thought of running our own thing so that we can be the boss of ourselves, define our own schedule, choose our own clients, follow our true passions and bring a dream to life. When we realize we need some business basics, we start creating a business plan and a marketing strategy, defining our niche and our ideal client. This is all new to us, so we turn to recommended sources for guidance. Unfortunately, before we know it, we’re trying to squish ourselves into a pre-existing framework of “how it is done.” We start believing we have to give up parts of who we are in order to fit into “the way it is” so that we can make this business fly. In no time at all we are doubting ourselves and this whole idea of running a business! Ouch!

It doesn’t have to be that way.

There is a whole movement of heart-centered entrepreneurs out there who are changing things, who are opening up the possibilities and finding new approaches to creating sustainable businesses based on our vision and our true selves. As creative independent spirits we know that when we create something that is rooted in our souls, our authenticity, it is always stronger, truer, richer and more beautiful. That’s true of our art, that’s true of our lives and that’s true of our businesses as well.

A part of being an entrepreneur is learning to trust your own instincts and wisdom. When you read business books and take classes, take what works for you and kick the rest to the curb. Yes, sometimes it’s scarier to take the risk of going your own way but it’s a free and open road to explore rather than a box you squish yourself into. Over time, you will start to develop your own ways for sustaining your unique enterprise. And along the way, you’ll find more and more creative entrepreneurs on the road with you, sharing their wisdom as you share yours, lighting the way for one another.

If you’d like some support and inspiration for bringing the real you to the work you do, sign up for my Authentic Professionalism virtual workshop on September 9th. For all the details and to register click here.

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