Almost everyone visiting this site had a day job at one time and some still do. Then there are all those wannabe artists who visit with you in your booth at each art fair and say they are going to quit but don't and you know why.
Here is how you to figure out if it is for you:
1. How valuable is comfort to your life?
Even if you “make it,” working for yourself never
comes with a guarantee. Money varies from month to month, and it could cease at any moment; you just never really know. What about that health insurance, what about those monthly bills, what about a nice car instead of a utility vehicle?
(cartoon by Hugh MacLeod who packed up his imagination and quit his day job a long time ago.)2. Is being an artist compatible with your past?
Before you start leaving the job behind are you thinking, “I’ve never been able to stick to a rigid schedule. How am I going to do it now?” Are you ready to rely on yourself and your own schedule?
3. How sentimental are you?
You will make mistakes. Whether you choose the wrong media or find yourself at the wrong kind of show or find out that because your art teacher said you were wonderful somehow the marketplace doesn't "get it," and you have to scrap months of work, you have to let it go.
4. When was the last time you learned something new?
Entrepreneurs are perpetual learners. Not only out of natural curiosity, but because if they don’t seek knowledge every day, they’ll be left in the dust by their more knowledgeable competition.
5. How would you do in the middle of a foreign country with no money and no idea how you got there?
Could you talk a cabby into taking you to the nearest bus station in exchange for a song and dance? Or would you find the situation hopeless and resign yourself to weeping softly in the corner of the nearest alleyway?
6. Do you really just want to get rid of your boss?
What if you’re lazy and think owning your own business is an easy way out? You may not think these exact words, but maybe, deep down, you feel like life would be much easier without a boss.
7. Am I prepared to die for my business?
Okay, no one is going to die for their business.
The point is, you have to be all in. Your business has to mean more to you than any immediate comfort. If you panic at the thought of living the rest of your life as a tool for achieving the goals of others, you need to get out before it’s too late.
I liked these 7 points and think that most people reading this will be way past them, but maybe not. They are the harsh reality of being an entrepreneur. If you can do all of the above you must be in the right place.
Read all of this interesting article from Penelope Trunk's blog The Brazen Careerist here.
Which of these seven do you find the hardest for you, or the most compelling?
