Streams of income as a creative

Streams of Income as a Creative

Most recently, I met up with a bestie about how life was going and how both of us were handling our 30s. She works full-time in tech though she absolutely hates her job, and she was curious how I was making by without a full time job.

I told her life looks greener on the other side, and we both have our own set of problems to solve. I have to juggle all these different channels and continuously build or sell while she has a steady full-time tech job.

I can work remotely because I work for myself but I also work more hours than she does as a FT. I left my 9-5 to work 24/7 haha! But in the mindset to work harder now so I can build a life I want in the future.

My income streams include:
- fractional consulting project with a Singaporean startup
- youtube ad revenue and partnerships
- AWW Business Collective
- move abroad to Singapore calls (I price them $100 for 30 minutes)
- AWW workshops, events, and summits
- dividends from my investments, though I’m not sure I’d count this as an income tbh
- more to come

Most people go through a series of stages:
A. I’m building something exciting!
B. Fuck—this is hard. I want to quit, I’m not making enough, and I miss my lifestyle and steady streams of income when I had a full time job. I’m tired of selling my services or marketing myself. I’m uncomfy and feel isolated.
C. Give up or succeed

B is obviously the hardest grey area to be in and some people are stuck in there for a long time and quit. Especially if you don’t make it, then what? You go back to a full-time job and like myself, run through the same cycle.

But the thing is—I don’t really share these things unless it’s with close friends or other solopreneurs.

No one ever comes out swinging in a discussion about how much you make, what your strategies are, and how I’ve found remote work or clients. I’m not someone who likes building an audience, I like building communities and that’s why I built the AWW Business Collective so that women like myself could feel like we have support, find the shortcuts, and build businesses.

I’m giving AWWs 7 days free (without cc) to join our paid community and see the value that is happening inside our closed group.

For me, I love being the connector and finding opportunities for people, ie giving them the platform to showcase their business offerings and creating lead gen. Our event in San Francisco is just that—hope you can make it out too.

Brain Snacks I Liked this Month

• Why creative labour isn’t always seen as “real work” – and what that means for artists and designers - TLDR workers should join unions. The fair treatment of workers has been fought for by decades of union organising. ‘One tactic, deployed whenever a client or manager knows that the work conditions or pay for a particular job are terrible, is to dangle the carrot that “it will be a great portfolio piece!”’

• How do I stop living paycheck to paycheck? - Delving deeper into financial needs and desires will lead us one step closer to where we want to be. What are you willing to trade off?

• A guide to finding clients as a freelancer - Here’s a very practical one. Very doable and actionable steps to getting clients for freelancers.

Opportunities and Highlights

• AWW is looking for Facebook group moderator volunteers - it’ll require 1 hour a week to help respond to members and questions in the Facebook group. Please email [email protected] 

• FullScript is hiring remote roles in Canada - join this healthcare startup that is revolutionizing the way practitioners reach clients

• Pickley, a new pickleball paddle company is looking for content creators with 5K+ followers - Please reach out directly to them through their contact us page and send a media kit if you have one

• Letter to Her is looking for mentors - Letter To Her is connecting mentees to mentors in different career fields to seek guidance from other first gen and immigrant women! *Mentors must at least be in High School. To apply to be a mentee or mentor, click here.

Upcoming Events

June Sip & Social in Taipei 🇹🇼
⏰ June 29th, 2024 at 8 pm TPE
Join AWWs for a night of good chats and great company in Dongmen, Taipei. We’ll be meeting at Learn Bar to hangout and make new friends! You’ll be need to be a part of the Asian Wander Women Facebook group to access and RSVP for the event.

San Francisco Hangout: Summer Bouquets and Bubbly 🥂
⏰ July 27, 2024 from 1-3:30 pm PST
Come hang out in San Francisco! We will be creating gorgeous flower arrangements, rearranging them into our own beautiful summer bouquets, and hanging out. Space is currently limited to 7 so please RSVP and grab your ticket in advance. 

AWW, Wholesome Day for Solopreneurs and Friends (cohosted with Arden Cove)
⏰ Saturday, Aug 3rd from 10 am - 1 pm PST
Join solopreneurs and friends for a wholesome Saturday at the Embarcadero! Thanks to Arden Cove, we’re hosting a get together to start the day right. We’ll do some pilates followed by meditation, and then hanging out over good company and small bites. 

​10-10:30 am - pilates and stretching with Vanessa Liu, Personal Trainer, Dietician, and ex-Equinox
10:30-11 am - calming the mind and meditation with Tian Tian Wellness
(please bring your own yoga mat for the above activities)