Monday, February 25, 2013

It’s Never Too Late…



…to realize that you might be good in a number of areas but need help with others.    I’ve been a freelancer—whether or not I would have admitted to this in the past—since June 1997 when I chucked the corporate life and went out on my own.  Creatively, I’ve done quite well for myself:  I’m rhythmically gifted and discovered the joy of hand drumming and performing;  I love to sing and tell stories; I continue to teach via drumming classes and workshops for educators; I perform a one-woman show that I authored; and I’ve pursued acting in television and film—a dream I have held onto since I was ten.

However, it’s been a rocky ride, financially.  Yes, I will admit to this.  As my husband now realizes, I am just not cut for the life of a 9 to 5er.  Nope.  And while the life of a freelance creative educator comes with freedom and vision, it does not provide a regularity of income.  I know I can attract abundance—I’ve  done it in the past.  But how to manage this abundance when I’m in a temporary lean period so that I’m not looking to eat my arm for sustenance (figuratively speaking!)?  

Perhaps I need to learn how to treat what I do more as a business?  Would that help organize those aspects of personal financial management I seem to lack?  It’s like I don’t know what I don’t know, and this not knowing is getting in the way of my enjoying more the time I have here in this life experience.

Maybe it is not too late to learn how to better manage the business facets of my acting career and Trencher Educational Consulting (dba “The Percussion Lady” and “Golda Meir: Choices & Chances”).  Maybe I can learn enough to know that I need to hire a professional to cover some of these aspects.  

Suggestions?

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Juggling



I’ve been back from PA for over a week now, and it’s been a constant, ongoing, intense juggling act—taking care of all the nonhumans while my husband was away, house maintenance, Helen maintenance.  This is in addition to keeping up with my freelance work (percussion and acting gigs), marketing of same, prepping for new gigs (I love exercising the old noggin!), and paperwork.  Constant paperwork—confirmations, invoicing, collections. 

On the horizon for next week and beyond:  resuming the creation of a website specific to my commercial and educational writing endeavors; submitting for commercial/educational writing gigs; submitting for acting gigs; resuming taiko drumming classes; and researching how to use email marketing and my Facebook performer/educator page (shameless plug:  https://www.facebook.com/HelenTrencherCreativeEducator; “like” it if you wish) to grow my client/fan base.

…And, I wouldn’t have it any other way!