I Don’t Want To Build A Company, I Want To Build A Life

Hustlers Union Lower East Side Graffiti | Photograph by Melanie Biehle

It’s been four years since I interviewed Design for Mankind’s Erin Loechner here in this space. At that time this was a blog called Inward Facing Girl. Erin was one of the first design bloggers that I read regularly and looked to for guidance as I learned about blogging, developed my photography and design skills, and jumped back into a consistent writing practice which ultimately led me to an entirely new career.

I’m a huge fan of Erin’s work – I love seeing how she’s grown and changed and developed as a writer. Not only do I admire her work, I also think she totally rocks as a woman, mother, and human. She constantly inspires me with her words, most recently with her post titled Unboss. I read this nodding yep, yep, yep…go read it and come back, okay? I’ll wait here basking in the soothing pink glow of my brand new Himalayan salt lamp.

I’m not interested in being “crazy busy.” I never have been and I’m almost positive I never will be.

Like Erin, I have no desire to be the boss – not of other people, anyway. I’m proud of the things I’ve taught myself, learned from others, and took away from my own personal and professional life experiences. But I really have no desire to expand my business in a way that would have me lead a team of people, even though doling out performance reviews (ick) was part of my professional past.

I’m great at and interested in managing projects, but don’t care to manage people.

My main reason for this is because managing people in the industries that I work in means that I’m doing fewer of the things that I’m passionate about. I still want to be the person who develops a creative strategy and carries it out. I want to get to know my clients extremely well, find content and write stories that they can share, and select and create the visual images best suited to represent their brand. I’m much more passionate about creating content than I am about managing editorial calendars and dishing out assignments to other art directors, photographers, illustrators, and writers.

Yes, this means that I can only take on as many projects that I personally can handle. Yes, this means that I have to say no to some things that I might actually want to do. But if I’m saying yes to a dream project and passing off some of the work to someone else because I have too many “businessy” things that have to get done, that means that I’m no longer doing what I love. Not as often, anyway. And yes, I know that you can hire someone to do the “businessy” things, but I still believe that if you’re expanding a company there are certain creative things that you have to give up.

Plus, if I’m saying no to some projects that means I’m saying yes to others, like time with my family and creating art. If I’m saying yes as a boss and passing off some of the work, ultimately I’m still responsible for it. I don’t want my “me” time brain to be filled with nagging thoughts of what’s happening with projects that other people are working on for me.

I don’t feel a strong desire to start a movement, a podcast, a community, or a TV series, but I do want to contribute to them.

I LOVE the Bosses…I just don’t want to be one.

I’m interested in what they have to say. I read their books, get advice from them, work with them, and want to continue to use my creative skills to serve more of them (hello, Oprah…I’m looking at you, kid.). I love collaborating, but I also crave, love, and need the solitary work that’s necessary to be a creative.

I think that mostly I just want more of what I already have – for now, anyway. More writing, more creative brands to work with, more art, more travel with my family (coming soon – Iceland and Germany!). I already have so much, and in many ways, I’m already “living the dream.” I’m so grateful for that.

So, no…I’m not interested in building an empire. Not for myself, anyway. But if I really love you, I’ll help you build yours.  xoxo


 

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