I think a lot of people believe things will get handed to them on a plate in time. Some people may think if they start an online business sales will come, if they start a niche Instagram followers will follow. This isn’t the case, although yes some people may go viral and gain 10,000 followers in the space of a few months, for many people it’ll take hard work and maybe years to reach a following so big.

Hard work pays off.

At the start of this year I decided to start doing illustrations. I was practicing everyday and honestly, the illustrations I was doing weren’t anything special. They maybe took me an hour each with minimal detail and not much thought put into them. Now, don’t get me wrong I appreciate them all the same as it shows me how far I’ve come but it’s a way for me to see how far I’ve come.

By dedicating around 10 hours a week to practising my art, building my procreate skills and drawing inspiration from others, I’ve managed to now have my own illustration style and in turn, I get approached by others to do custom commissions.

It takes time.

It’s been 8 months now and I’ve managed to earn money from doing something I love but don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing I’d be able to live off. Some months I may earn £400, other’s it’s not even £20 and that’s okay. I understand that it’s not something that people are going to want all the time and by focusing on my blog and Instagram, this takes time away from me maybe being able to create products for my Etsy shop or doing some market research into what people want.

The whole process of starting a small business is a learning curve much like other things in life. Another great example is buying a house. Funnily enough, it’s not something that just happens. You have to scrimp and save for as many months as possible to cover 10% of the cost, mortgage adviser fees, solicitor fees, surveyor fees and on top of this, you need to buy things for the house, figure out how much you can afford to pay towards bills and your mortgage or rent. It’s not just a case of ‘buying a house’ a lot of responsibility comes with it.

If you’re in a position right now where you’re able to cut back a bit of the disposable income spending and save even an extra £100 a month, you’ll thank yourself in the long run when you see a sofa you like for your new home or you’re able to afford a better mortgage rate as you have a bigger deposit.

Manifestation.

It may not seem like it from what I’ve said above but I’m a big believer in manifestation. This is the display of an emotion or feeling, or something theoretical that’s been made real. If you manifest something such as thinking about buying a house, that thought in your head is going to subconsciously make you spend less as you might think ‘I don’t need that £30 lipstick as that could buy a new lamp when I get a house’. Just don’t to those emotions you have and thoughts you have, it helps you get to where you want to be. I think I’ll do another post on this in more detail, as it’s something I do really believe in.

So let me know your goals for the next year or two and let me know what you’re working hard on.

Love, always – B
*For commissions, please email me or get in touch on Instagram*
I’d also love for you to check out my Etsy shop here: beccabynature