Helping Creative Entrepreneurs Thrive

By J.J. Long
 
Why Write A Blog?
It wasn’t until about 2 years that I discovered that I love to read and write.  At the time, I was looking for interesting activities to include in my morning routine as I felt like I needed an energy boost and my work days were starting to plateau a bit.
 
Being a new CEO of my art and entertainment company JJArtworks, I knew I needed a lot of energy to carry me through the day to consistently answer customer requests, manage my artists, perform daily admin responsibilities, expand the company, keep up with social media marketing, perfect my systems, etc. 

​Each day I would struggle to find my own creative time as well, whether that be painting, singing, or acting.  I felt like the days would always slip by me and I would never get the chance to pick up a paint brush or sing a single note because I was too burnt out by the end of the day and lacked the energy to do so.  So I knew the energy part of the equation was something that I needed to tackle head on.

As I researched Youtube for help on “CEO mindset” or “Morning Rituals”, almost every video I watched kept chanting the same information over and over again which was for the most part that I should be reading, journaling, meditating, exercising, and just eating healthy in general every day.
 
Exercising and eating healthy have always been difficult habits for me to adopt into my life, so I figured I’d try out the easier activities for starters such as reading, journaling, and meditation.  I had already discovered the benefits of meditation a few years prior, but I didn’t commit to making it a habit every day.  Reading was honestly something I hadn’t done since I graduated from college in 2003, and the last book I read was probably a boring text book that put me to sleep in class lol.  Writing was something I actively did everyday, but it mainly involved typing emails at the computer and it didn’t involve me putting pen to paper or a way to express myself creatively.

As I began experimenting with these different activities in the morning, I quickly realized the benefits of each and started seeing results in my energy levels.  I just felt more balanced every day, less stressed, and more complete.  Every day in the morning I would meditate for 10 minutes, write 10 things I was grateful for in my gratitude journal, and then read a few pages of a book.

​The first book I read was “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss.  I was blown away by the concept of working only 4 hours a week and immediately I was hooked on the self-development industry.  It was the perfect starter book for me to digest and it got my imagination running wild.  Now, all of the material I currently read is grounded in the self-development genre, and my brain is now a sponge that loves to devour these inspiring and wisdom packed books.  They say readers are leaders, and I’m constantly trying to abide by this philosophy and read as much as possible every day.

So back to the question, why write a blog?  The main reason is because I really want to add value to other artists and entrepreneurs creating their own businesses through the 13+ years of knowledge that I have from being a self employed artist myself.  After getting back into reading and writing, I see the level of value that the self development industry has had on myself and other entrepreneurs and I want to give back in this way as well.  At some point I’d love to get into coaching, leading seminars, and eventually launch an online academy, but we’ll save that blog post for a rainy day.
 
I don’t claim to be an expert or a guru in my industry, but I’ve experienced a lot through being a struggling oil painter, to a professional musician, an aspiring actor and voice over artist, and now running a paint party business and CEO of a brand that plans on expanding into music, film, publishing, and beyond.  I’ve had a very versatile art career and I’d love to share what wisdom I have to any creative individual that would like to listen.  I promise not to lead you astray :)
 
Type of Content
The content I plan on creating for this blog stems around artists and their journeys, whatever their disciplines may be.  My belief is that art fuels art, and there is a lot of crossover between artists and their mediums.  So a writer might also be an actor, a painter might also be a musician, a musician might also be a dancer, etc.  So my goal is to really offer engaging and valuable content that can be applied across all art industries, although some posts might be more catered toward a specific art form than the other.  Some topics off the cuff that I definitely want to cover so you get an idea of what I’m talking about are:

• The Pros and Cons of Freelance Work
• Finding Your Niche
• How To Budget as an Artist
• Proper Customer Etiquette and When to Walk Away
• The Benefits of an Accountability Group
• Noticing Trends
• How To Scale Up Your Art Business
• Passive Income For Artists
• The Power of Momentum
• The Inventory Game
• And Much More!

Reader Expectations
My initial goal is to publish a blog post once per a week.  I’m not sure if the day is going to be the same every week yet, but I’m aiming for most likely a Wednesday or Thursday every week.  If I get into a good rhythm with this blogging stuff, I might post more frequently, but for the time being I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew and over-commit.
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Also, just as a disclaimer, at some point I might offer my own products, services, and affiliate links, but the primary focus of this blog will always be to add immense value to artists and other creative entrepreneurs.  I like to be as transparent as possible with my audience, but for example, if I come out with a new killer CD, of course I want you all to know about it and would love for you to pick up a copy :)
 
Engagement with a Creative Community
Another main reason for me wanting to write a blog is because I want to learn.  I want to learn from all of you and hear what your opinions are and what you all have to say.  At this point in my life I really like hearing other people’s perspectives on different topics because it challenges my thinking and sometimes can create a paradigm shift in the way I forever see things.  So I definitely welcome comments and questions and would love to engage with you all on this platform.  All I ask is that you just be PG 13 friendly as children may stumble upon these posts as well and I want to add value to all entrepreneurs, no matter what the age.
 
Moving Forward
So now that I’ve given you the super long intro (not all of my blogs will be this long by the way lol), what sort of topics would you like me to cover?  What are some pressing concerns that you creative entrepreneurs are dealing with?  If I’m not well versed on a specific subject I’m not afraid to do the research and get digging for you.  Leave your ideas in the comments below and I look forward to chatting with you all soon.  Thanks for reading peeps.  Much love and respect!

Cheers,
-J.J.