3 simple lessons from the past week

Freedom, potential, and humility

This week's newsletter is going to be short and sweet.

There are three things I was reminded of this week that I want to share with all of you.

1. The gratification of freedom

This week, I hosted my first online workshop about how to start selling artwork online. As I introduced myself, I briefly touched on why I set out to be a solopreneur.

I shared that I wanted freedom over my time and body. I very simply wanted to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom when I wanted to.

I didn't want to feel like my efforts were capped by a salary, set up by a system that couldn't see my value. It was difficult for me to find a design job that could see an unconventional skillset that even I didn't fully understand. It seemed nearly impossible to find one that would allow me to be myself and grow without being pigeonholed or exploited.

So I became a freelance designer in 2014. I've forgotten the novelty of my situation over time, but as I gave my online presentation, I remembered what it was like those first few years.

I was reminded that freedom from the workplace is stressful. You truly have to earn every penny you make. When you are sick, no one is there to give you a paid day off and give your tasks to someone else. When your paychecks don't arrive on time, there's no department you can ask for help.

And yet, even though the weight of responsibility is now much heavier, being able to move through the world as I wish feels absolutely worth it. Thanks to my rogue lifestyle, I have learned to adapt.

I am now accompanied by an unwavering sense of self-confidence. I've learned to be my own best friend who never doubts that I will do my best to meet the next challenge.

Being able to enjoy this moss in a creek on a Thursday morning is my dream come true.

2. The swell of potentiality

I spent my weekend traveling to a Women's Day event at Los Angeles' largest rock climbing gym. It is a magnificent space that has hosted the Olympic qualifiers and many other prestigious competitions.

The vendor area at this weekend’s event

I set up a table amongst about a dozen other women-owned businesses. It was an absolute delight to see the smiles on people’s faces as they came up to my table and giggled joyfully as they picked up item after item that spoke to them.

The gym's owner bought t-shirts and stickers for her two daughters as we chatted about an upcoming conference that I'll be speaking at. It feels amazing to be supported by other women who are much further along on this journey.

I reconnected with two photographers who offered to help out with photoshoots for my brand and set up some time next week to discuss the details.

I caught up with a dear friend from high school who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer but is now nearly cancer-free. It was great to see him, scarred but shining on with a second lease on life.

The event was truly exhausting. There is little that can make eating dinner at 10pm, alone in a dark parking lot, feel like a good time. But, I didn't mind it at all. It was the perfect ending to a fulfilling day.

Though I spent the next day in a daze and needed to sleep 11 hours to fully recover, I remembered that my being there would create the groundswell necessary for the next few months or even year of business to come.

Putting forth the energy to connect with my customers and my community has always been returned to me in multiples.

Friends, customers, all beautiful people

3. Hold on to your humility

It's the peak season for my job as a chocolate package designer. Springtime is when we design and deliver all our new art files to be produced in time for next Christmas.

My client called me for a quick catch-up to go over our current projects, which are many. But he also made sure to ask me how I was doing and how business was going for me outside of our projects together. In the 9 years we've been working together, I adore how much of a friend and a mentor he has become.

When I first found this gig, on Craigslist of all places, I had no idea what kind of people I was going to be working for. When I stepped into the office for an interview, they seemed like nice people that I could get along with. There were no office politics — everyone had a job to do and did it.

I did not know that the person I was working with was not just the owner of this business but a professional investor who is the partial owner of 15 other businesses, with more being acquired every year. After some time, I had a hunch he was kind of a big deal, but it wasn't until another mentor recently told me, "Kid, you don't know who you're working with. These are the big dogs" that it really set in.

Yes, my client and friend is a megalith in his own right, but he also drives a Honda Accord and has always treated me like his own younger sister. I am very appreciative of that and thanks to him, know it's possible to treat people well no matter what position they hold.

Our conversations are both uplifting and grounding. And perhaps in response to the tinge of imposter syndrome I still carry, he reassured me that people who feel like they have imposter syndrome generally go on to do bigger things than those who claim to have it all.

We agreed that those who can hold on to their humility are better equipped to operate with a clear head and quietly achieve larger outcomes than their boastful counterparts.

Until next week,

Thank you all for being on this journey with me. It's still a little strange to have an audience. But I hope that these three lessons I've shared today will serve your upcoming week.

We’ve recently had a rare amount of snowfall here in Southern California, and I’ve been very busy taking in the views.