Running a creative business will mean facing change many times along the way.
It could be a change in your efficiencies, driven by your own desires to alter your practices, or it could be a change in small business laws, taxes, or technological advances.
Change isn’t always easy, as we are creatures of habit. We take comfort in what we know and this can mean resisting change or seeing change as a barrier.
Here are 8 tips to help switch your mindset when it comes to change:
1. Accept that change will happen – Take a moment to really think about change. It is happening all around us all the time. Sometimes the change can feel like a setback and sometimes it is an exciting way forward.
You need to become aware of how change makes you feel. Is it fear, excitement, or comfort that you feel? Being aware of these feelings will help with the initial barrier that change can sometimes bring.
2. Challenge yourself – Make an effort to try new things on a regular basis in both your creative biz and your personal life.
While routine and schedules can help keep you on track to reach your goals, flexibility will help you move effortlessly around any barriers that arise and adapt to new ways of thinking. Go try something you have never done, experiment with your art form, cook something new, walk a different route. Mix it up!
3. Seek new perspectives – One of the hardest aspects of change can be to see it the way others do. Take a moment to view any changes from other points of view. This is a great way of putting it in perspective and can bring to light positives you may not have seen before.
4. Seek support – Talk it out with others. Sometimes just talking about it will turn a huge barrier into a small obstacle.
If you see a barrier it is likely someone else does too.
5. Find the positive – Finding the silver lining can sometimes be hard.
We are working so hard to run our creative businesses that changes can feel like a burden. Remember that there is always a positive side to change – it is usually for the better. Changing the mindset is sometimes all it takes to help things work.
6. Understand that change takes time – Nothing is immediate.
If you need to implement new accounting systems, learn a new social media tool, or understand changes to tax law, these all take time. So be patient with yourself and understand that the process takes time to adapt. One step at a time.
7. Live in the moment – Enjoy change!
Seek to live your days in the moment. The past is done and the future will always be there ahead of you so stay true to the now. Embrace every new thing as it comes your way. Feeling anxious about the future will only hold you back.
8. Lose old ways of thinking – Clear out old files, clean up email inboxes, throw out old notes and give yourself the opportunity to move forward.
Anything that is no longer relevant to your creative business now and is clutter will just fill your mind and your workspace with irrelevant information. Take the plunge and invest in change as a way of taking your creative biz to new heights rather than a locked door holding you back.
