Does the world really need this? This is one of the inevitable existential dilemmas of creative work. You have to decide that your work is worth your time and energy, because no one is asking you for it. Today’s guest, Jessica Abel, is someone whose work I have long admired for its richness and depth.
In this conversation, we talk about navigating the “Dark Forests” of creativity; go behind-the-business when one of her most successful books, Out on the Wire, was taking off; the causes behind cyclical burnout; three revenue-generating paths that she’s seen work best; and calculating your enough number as a small business owner.
More About Jessica: Jessica is an author and indie cartoonist-turned-creative business strategist (founder of Autonomous Creative) who has published a number of comics and prose books, including Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life and Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio. She also hosts the Out on the Wire and The Autonomous Creative podcasts.
📝 Permission: You do not have to make your living from your creative work. Money doesn’t have to enter the picture at all for you to be the real thing, to make work that has an impact, that expresses something you need to express.
✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next: Do the math on what would help you and your business thrive. If you haven’t already, check out the earlier conversation, 175: Give Yourself a Raise with Erin Haag.
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode and share it with a friend: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/195
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