well, i've survived a whole year as a full-time artist & fempreneur!
at times the highs have been wilder than a hen weekend in Shagaluf & at others the lows have been worse than the hangover to go with said hen weekend!
if you’d told me a year ago i’d be here, creating this 13th blog post - (oooft this is blog post number 13, eek unlucky for some!
do i believe in superstitions?
you f*cking better believe i do! well some anyway but nah i'm gonna write this anyway, it’s just a number right? - as she types with fingers crossed on both hands)
right back to the main plot - i’d have laughed in your face, then immediately asked you to predict my lottery numbers!
but kweens i've just gone & f*cking done it!
what's the real sh*t that’s happened?...
& usually when you see posts like this you can cue the perfect reel of everything that’s gone right – here's mine on my kweendom that is my instagram, highlights of 2024
but i've said from the start not to expect the usual from me in my chronicles of kweenie & so in true kweenie tradition here’s what you really want to know – what's the real sh*t that’s happened?
so, did i think one year in i’d be fighting Elon Musk for his billionaire status?
hmm, actually, yes, i did!
‘cause i manifested that sh*t (& no, it hasn’t happened yet - obviously!)
truth be told, i’m a newbie to manifesting too, so i guess i need to do a LOT more work on that front
but seriously though, i now know that after reading & listening to a bazillion experts on manifestation, it’s the action, the hustle, the positive mindset & the kweenie grind that’s really getting me to where i want to be
sending humans on holiday to Mars...
so, whilst i’m not selling out collections in seconds (my equivalent of Elon’s sending humans on holiday to Mars) just yet, i’m not letting anything stop me from chasing this dream
right so real talk - pounds gained?
well, to be honest there’s been more pounds gained on my ass than there has been on my bank balance that’s for sure!
some might call it contentment, i call it stressy eating & living in my fav pink dungarees & stretchy joggy bottoms – comfort is key right?
but i've come to realise, when i put on “real” clothes, that building a fempire comes with mahoosive personal growth (literally!)
give or take a couple of grand...
i haven't made it to the Forbes list yet but my business has just about washed it’s face give or take a couple of grand
but that was money well spent on equipment, training & self-development & as Warren Buffett says:
“the best investment you can make is in yourself”
that investment has brought me friends i never knew i needed & an amazing community from across the globe
stretching from LA, across the UK & Europe & as far away as Australia & New Zealand!
they are a powerhouse that fuels me, keeps me on track & tells me how it is – grounded? oh yes i f*cking am!
BIG AF home truths...
last month i did a wee review of 2024 as part of a Stacie Bloomfield course: “The Artist’s Year”
& whilst it showed me i've achieved sooo much & faced a ton of fears:
- created work that speaks to women’s strength, resilience, & rebellion
- kweens have welcomed my work into their kweendoms here & over seas
- taught myself more online software sh*t than you can shake a stick at
- built a commercial website
- tackled the foreign language that is business
- exhibited my work, met “my” public & sold work
- created a studio
- won a scholarship
- learned to use & show my face on social media
- started a kweenie line of merch
- made applications & been rejected
- learned to sell my work for real money & not apologise for it’s true worth & helped to close that mother trucking gender pay gap in the process
- continued to flip the bird at the cockwomble that is my inner annoying wee voice no.2
Stacie also made me really fess up all my inner sh*t to myself too & i now have 3 BIG AF home truths to deal with:
- i don't finish sh*t right to the very end ‘cause i get distracted by shiny new sh*t (oxymoron i know but...)
- i've become a wee bit too comfortable, so i need to diversify & increase my reach
- i'm kinda haphazard with spending, so it’s time i properly invest strategically in my fempire
well, watch this space 'cause 2025 is about to go off; kweenie is going to get focussed, louder & strategic (said in a sentence before, like never!)
where TF is the fun...
throughout all my first year in business i've had some serious WTF moments!
the biggest being no one & i mean NO ONE tells you that being a full-time artist means 30% creating & 70% admin hell:
emails, applications, copy writing, accounts, VAT, invoices, stock orders, pricing, profit & loss, budgets, automating systems, website updates, packing, photographing, image manipulation, filming, social media content creation, SEO – i mean where TF is the fun in all that lot?!
but i now realise it’s all part of the fempire-building & i’m getting the hang of it (well kinda, reluctantly)
sometimes feel like i need a gin in a tin just to get through it or if you know me well a vodka (the Jakies drink of choice!)
create, inspire, make bank...
a year ago, i took a massive leap into the unknown
full-time artist, fempreneur, &... well, a kween building her fempire from the ground up
the plan? create, inspire, make bank, & change the game for women & the LGBTQ+ community
easy, right?
hmmm nope it’s been way messier than that & more times than not i've felt kicked in the vadge & been a hot mess thinking:
“f*ck this, this is just tooo hard!”
then you would show up, a wee reply to my weekly email or a comment on social media
getting to know YOU, that’s been the best part of this year!
this time last year, my VIP kweens list didn’t exist. now? it’s growing almost as fast as a dodgy fringe cut in lockdown
more kweens are joining the movement, & i LOVE every single one of you
each comment, each DM, each shout-out is a reminder that this is all worth it & i’m just getting started!
i’m super grateful for every sale, every collaboration, & every high five (even if it’s only been virtual in some cases)
if you’ve been here from the start, thank you!
if you’ve just joined, welcome to the kweenie rebellion
this year has been wild, & i wouldn’t change a thing (okay, maybe i’d 100% defo change the admin bit!)
love you, bye
kx
PS & now for some serious cliches (also home truths tbh!) about what i've learned in my 1st year as a full-time artist & fempreneur:
- the reality of going full-time as an artist? it’s a marathon, not a sprint
- overnight success 101 this is not but this year has been about learning, experimenting, & figuring out what works
- the success (& the cash) will come - i’m just making sure i’m ready for it when it does!
- “success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts” - FFS i DID NOT think i'd be quoting sir Winston f*cking Churchill a year ago today!
x
6 comments
Love ur attitude and commitment x
Love ur attitude and commitment x
A paper anniversary is fabulous, especially if you are a paper lover. So recognisable, your summary, I too would love to shoot the tech difficulties to the moon (or send to Mars on holiday with the aforementioned), to then have much more time to create and connect with all those wonderful people who also create. What an amazing kingdom you have been building in 2024! And so delighted that I got to join Her Majesty on her travels.
Wow sounds like hard work. I enjoy your honesty. Keep being you, there are too many fakes now and your definitely not that! xxx
You are bat shit crazy in the best possible way🙌🫶Congrats on your ‘toilet paper’ anniversary Kween🧻🚽😘