Going Solo with Your Tribe
Entrepreneurs and business owners know first-hand that going it alone without valuable feedback and regular reassurance can make the unknown an intimidating place. But for China Jordan, Artist and Founder of ArtistAnd, choosing to work for yourself shouldn’t mean that you lose your professional support network. She asserts that calling on your social circles, or “tribe”, can be your best secret weapon for success when the going gets tough.
“Realising your people have your back and believe in you is undeniably priceless. They are your feedback, your sounding board, and usually your first customers, and they can see things in a different light. They help generate ideas (free of charge), they help motivate you and inspire you and they pick you up when you feel like you can’t do this anymore.”
You don’t have to be on your own if you’re working for yourself. You don’t need to feel like you are the only one carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you don’t need to employ a whole bunch of staff to make it feel less daunting. All you need are your people.
Coming from someone who never envisaged becoming an entrepreneur, there were times when I felt completely overwhelmed by all the roles a business owner needed to undertake. I often felt like the role was too big for me, my ideas weren’t good enough, or I just couldn’t do this! I never wanted to have a business, I never wanted to do the accounts, or make a website or think about forward planning, it just didn’t feel like a natural transition for me. I felt like I was going against my skillset as an artist, and that I would very quickly sink.
The trouble was, I was also following my passion and it was a calling I couldn’t fight against. You always see messages of following your unique path and doing what you love. Well, my journey took me by complete surprise. Without realising it, my tribe became the foundation of ArtistAnd. They believed in me more than I believed in myself and helped to show me the route to making the company work.
Realising your people have your back and believe in you is undeniably priceless. They are your feedback, your sounding board, and usually your first customers, and they can see things in a different light. They help generate ideas (free of charge), they help motivate you and inspire you and they pick you up when you feel like you can’t do this anymore. When you question if you need to get a full-time job, all you need to do is share your worries, look at your scenario objectively and get an outsider’s perspective from the people who love you most. Your tribe are incredibly invaluable and makes you feel held and confident.
My tribe have always pushed me to be the best version of myself. Whenever I’ve doubted myself or my ideas, I would share them with my friends and family and always get the feedback I didn’t expect, or the questions asked that helped me to consider different scenarios. They also offered me opportunities to trial services, get a foot in the door, and help spread the word about the business.
If you truly have a passion and a skill, it becomes infectious, and your nearest and dearest would love nothing more than to share that with you and be involved however they can. And if you truly love what you do, you will want to share that with them too. If you have a small vision and have even an ounce of a feeling that you want to turn it into a reality, start talking about it. Start sharing it and see what happens. Trust your tribe because you will never be on this journey alone.
Author: China Jordan, Artist and Founder of ArtistAnd.
China studied Fine Art Painting at Wimbledon is now a commissioned Artist and tutor. Having managed several art galleries in Mayfair, she decided to set up her own business, ArtistAnd, and focus on using Art for venues and businesses outside of the Gallery environment. With the strong connection between mental wellbeing and art, there is no better time to make this art form as accessible as possible.