ABCcreativity interview series: Stepping out of your Day Job and into your Creative Dream

I have been working very hard on ABCcreativity. When I had worked my way down to 3 days a week at my day job and was getting ready to take the leap into full time self employment, I decided to start this interview series with super inspiring creative beans to gather tools, tips and inspiration from them about how they ditched their jobs to live their dreams.  I have been sharing their gems here on my blog, every wednesday.

Also: I have created a Stepping out of your Day Job and into your Creative Dream resource page. On this page you can find links to all of the interviews in this series, and resources for building your creative dreams.

Here is where I would tell you who I am interviewing this week.  But this week we’re doing something different.

This week I am answering the questions myself! Because this week – I have made the leap!

ABCcreativity is now my full time job and I could not be happier. Every day, I can wear my lime green sweatpants and do my work on my couch:

Who are you and how are you creatively self employed?

I am Andrea Schroeder and I own ABCcreativity.com.  I am a creative dream coach, teacher and mentor, a meditation teacher, healer, artist and all around magic-maker.

What was your day job before you were fully self employed?

How did you make the switch into full time creative employment? Did you plan for it or did it just happen? Was it gradual or sudden?

My shift was very gradual and planned.  For all of my adult life I have worked at a job, either part time or full time, while pursuing my creative work on the side.  (Except for one time when I was a full time artist… but I quickly became a starving artist and ended up back with a part time job.)  For the last six years, I have been working on ABCcreativity in one form or another, starting with extensive training in everything involved in the art and science of Making Dreams Real and creative healing.  For a few years, I was giving my creativity workshops and leading meditation groups while working part time and feeling like I had the perfect balance in my life and was not interested in turning it into a business.

It was in 2009 that I started blogging and exploring the possibility of turning my work into more of an online business and learning about what that would mean.  In 2010 I started learning A LOT about online business and created my plan.

In June of 2010 I did a workshop at the Canadian New Thought Conference at the Centre for Spiritual Living in Winnipeg.  There were about 60 people in attendance and as I looked out at their shining faces I just knew it was time.  This is my work, this is what I’m here to do and it was time to do it.  So I set my intention to grow my business to the point where I could comfortably leave my job by the end of the year.  It was a lot of work to make that happen, but I am so glad I challenged myself to do it.

What fears came up along the way and what did you do with them?

Every fear imaginable came up after I set my intention to leave my job.  It was scary and hard.  Looking back now I can see what was happening – I was facing my shadow and stretching my comfort zone out to include this big dream.  Healing and transforming the parts of me that would hold me back from living this dream.  I was afraid about everything from making enough money to not being able to find a job if my business didn’t work to being isolated and alone to running out of creative ideas.

But the main fear lurking underneath all of that was always: What if my dream dies? As long as I keep my dream as a dream – it can live happily in my heart.  When I vowed to make it real and started to do the work, I was taking the risk that my dream wouldn’t come to life.  That it won’t work.  If this doesn’t work out, this dream can’t go on living happily in my heart.  It will be gone.

I was absolutely terrified to lose this dream.  I didn’t know who I would be or what I would do without it.  Facing that fear is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  And the most rewarding.

What was the biggest surprise along the way?

How smoothly this is all going.  How sure I feel.  How I am so happy I can hardly keep from screaming and dancing all day long.  I get to do my real work!  All the time!  No more putting it down and “going to work”.

It is this amazing combination of satisfaction and pride in a job well done and delight and amazement all rolled up in the most profound gratitude I have ever felt.

But it also feels totally natural.  I feel absolutely on track, doing what I came here on this planet to do.  Best.  Feeling.  Ever.

Where can people find you online? Please share your blog/website/facebook/twitter links and any exciting news you may have:

You are here on blog, ABCcreativity.

And you also can find me on facebook and twitter.

And I have a free e-course to help you discover, explore + empower your creative genius. you can learn more here or sign up right here:

I am so excited about this whole interview series. Hearing all of these amazing real life stories about making creative dreams real helped inspire me to take the leap, go for it, and dive into my dreams.  I hope they do the same for you.  Check out the Stepping out of your Day Job and into your Creative Dream Resource Page for more support, ideas and resources.

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