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Entrepreneur life can take you on so many different journeys. The most rewarding and exciting one for me so far has been my creative journey.
This whole business thing started with a hint of curiosity, a drive for creativity and a passion to help others. At the time when the idea of being an entrepreneur popped into my head, I wondered, “is there a way to combine my desire to be more creative with my communications experience and my love for local businesses? I’m sure there is, but can I pay my bills doing it?”
Thinking about going out on my own warmed my whole body. It ignited a fire within me. The prospect of using the wealth of creativity I knew I had available with my communications skills and putting that into helping small businesses was a dream job in my mind and one that I knew I had to pursue.
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That fire was the start of bSocial Communications Inc.
One thing I knew for sure going into my business was that it was going to be an extension of who I was. In order for this to be successful, the creative drive and exploration for myself and my business had to work together. It had to be authentic.
When I went full-time with bSocial Communications I instantly noticed the creative flow came so naturally. The creativity I was tapping into was really working for my business and clients. Awesome!
But then I encountered a challenge.
The nature of my business requires me to dive into that creative pool at all times. I write all day, every day. From communications strategy to social media marketing to content development for blogs and websites. I need to tune into that creativity to help my clients reach their audience and ensure their content is packed with their passion and personality. I absolutely love every aspect of this, but it does require a lot of brain power and time.
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I realized that there was such an abundance of creative opportunities for me in my business, but I was starting to pull back from making space to explore my creativity outside my work.
“Creativeprenuers” rely on their creativity to fuel their soul and to fuel their business. To nourish this talent, they need space for creative freedom, away from timelines, expectations and contractual obligations.
By implementing a habit of building in creative space, I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to be productive at all hours of the day and started to devote some more time to growing my skills and tending to my creative interests.
Here are some creative space makers that have helped me grow in my business.
Exploring creative avenues outside my work that bring me joy
Allowing space for creative projects that make me happy has really upped my game. For me, this comes in the form of interior design and fashion. Whenever a friend or colleague asks for help with a home/office design project or a shopping trip to refresh their wardrobe, I’m all up in that and don’t feel guilty for taking time out of my day to enjoy that time with them.
Through these creative outlets I energize myself, I feel happy and confident and it helps me fine tune my design eye for when I do photos and video for my business. Win, win!
Exploring creative avenues that take me out of my comfort zone
This has proved to be both challenging and rewarding. No one wants to go out and do something they are not good at. What I have found is that by pushing myself through a creative project (at least once a month) that doesn’t come naturally to me forces me to grow in ways I didn’t know I needed. For myself and my business.
Going out of my comfort zone in a creative way has helped me learn patience and how to fail and be ok with it. Being creative isn’t always about rocking it and producing something that is perfect. There is a lot to be learned from the imperfections and we need to embrace that more as creative thinkers.
Creating space through meditation
I have found the best way to give myself creative space is to clear the space in my mind. I do this through a regular meditation practice (30 minutes every day). Meditation has been the most powerful creative source for me as an individual and business owner.
Sometimes you are so deep into the business you can’t see the most obvious and potentially most important opportunities in front of you. Meditation is a great way to look internally for answers and to allow new ideas to surface.
The #yegbossbabes community is full of creative, innovative women. One thing I’d like to share with fellow #yegbossbabes is to remember to be kind to yourself. Carve out space and time to explore your creativity, with no expectations and boundaries. It will inspire you to try new things and replenish that curiosity.
Isn’t that what got us into business in the first place?
Thank you,
Sonia Gonzalez