For anyone who’s been in a creative / service-based / entrepreneurial role for before…you realize that your number one challenge is this:
Finding customers.
In marketing terms, this is called lead generation. And before your eyes glaze over with business talk, knowing what it takes to generate consistent leads will really, really help you in terms of knowing if you’re on the right path or not. If you’re serious about freelance (or even selling a product), you have to know how to market said service/product. Simply put there’s two ways to do this:
I’m actually not bringing this up to give a business lecture.
Knowing this helped me pivot in my career - and the service I was offering - because I simply could not imagine the short term / long term marketing being sustainable for me. Previously, I was focused primarily on freelancing as a game designer and technical artist. My first few clients were primarily through my network (short term). But as I realized I needed to either consistently do short term marketing OR transition to long term marketing, which is much more reliable in having a steady inflow of clients…my stomach dropped.
I had ZERO desire in creating game design or technical art content to attract clients. My motivation to do short term marketing was getting low, and long term marketing even lower. I realized if I wanted to create a profitable freelance business while also having the lifestyle I wanted (working less than 20hrs a week, remote and travel flexibility), long term marketing was the KEY. And it would take tremendous effort for me to do any long term marketing since I wasn’t truly passionate or motivated to learn about game design itself anyways.
Which got me thinking…
What am I passionate learning about?
What’s effortless for me to share?
What kinds of conversations light me up?
Who do I want to be surrounded by and what events do I want to go to?
Ultimately…what topics WOULD I be able to easily and effortlessly do long term marketing around?
I realized it wasn’t the game design itself I was passionate about, it was the MESSAGE I was conveying through games and creative, interactive media. And that was all about mindset, personal development, spirituality and manifestation. Those were the conversation topics I was super excited to have with other people. Those were the books, podcasts, YouTube videos that I was consistently consuming over years. Those were the events that I was really excited about going to, and the people I felt really at home with.
It didn’t mean I have to leave games totally out of my life and into the dust, but it did mean my priorities in my business would have to shift drastically for me to get in alignment.
That’s exactly what I did, and how got to where I am today. I ask myself these questions regularly because getting clear on your path and purpose is an active, continuous process. If you practice this consistency and with intentionality, you'll fall more and more with the work that you do and the life that you're living.
All my love,
Ai