Hilary Sweeney Incorporated

Merely loving your art and getting work wherever you can find it is not exactly a sound business plan. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the fact that we, artists, say yes to everything and work for free way more often than we should. At the ripe age of 30, living paycheck to paycheck gets old rather quickly. I do in fact want a home of my own someday and a comfortable salary, but I don't want to have to wait tables until 2 in the morning, or marry an investment banker. I want to earn it on my own AND do what I love.

The only way to get there is through a lot of planning and a whole lot of discipline and commitment. So, this past weekend I began structuring a business plan, with the help of Manuel who recently finished an intense Project Management Training course. I'm only a fraction of the way through and already it is transforming the way I think about my livelihood and the choices I am making for myself. If my mission is clearly defined, I will only chose opportunities that directly support it. Decisions become much easier and my energies are focused only on tasks that help to drive my business forward. Next in the planning process is budget and salary requirements. If I were paying someone to do a job for me, I would pay them what they were worth and I would pay them on time. I should be doing the same for myself...or at least more actively pursuing the target. If any other artist wants advice on this process, I will be happy to share my notes and templates for structuring your own plan. Just message me!