Man, sounds like quite the ordeal. You're asking everyone to be gentle, I understand you're in a time of desperation but man, I see a bunch of un-tapped potential... I checked out your website, really good stuff dude. You have a marketable skill for sure. Nobody here is going to spoon-feed you or load your gun with the magic bullet, you're the answer to that problem.Ok, I've been thinking about posting here for a couple of days now and just trying to figure out if I have enough relevance to do so and hope that I don't waste anyone's time. So be gentle as I don't know all the etiquette yet!
I'm conscious of your time and patience, so will try my best to be concise, but the issue isn't too simple. I'll try to bullet point it. Here goes:
- I'm 36, living with mother, gave up shitty graphic design job in 2010 to fulfil my childhood dream of working in the entertainment industry's art department. Have savings to the tune of around £14k which I'm living off.
- Married, wife lives in Seattle, she's unemployed, currently in the process of visa application to get me over there.
- I have been studying digital illustration since 2010 ish and have some competence but not enough to land a decent job or get more than one small client job every 4-6 weeks. As my skill has grown, my income has dropped almost in proportion.
- At this rate, I have another 3-5 years of (self taught) art studies and living off other people/savings (which by then may be zero) before I gain solid skills. By that time I'll be around 40 years old and likely divorced as, since being married 3 years ago, my wife and I have been dirt poor, living off her (one) income and barely being able to afford a coffee.
So, questions. I almost need help forming a question I'm so lost. Bottom line is that I've been MISERABLE for the last five years and can't handle another five. I love doing my art work but I work 12 hours a day, no days off and to see my feedback loop be hovering around zero is killing me.
A question might be, how can I approach this issue and start making something scalable/time independent? Maybe my question would be, what would you do in my position to get on a trajectory of income and move into something non-linear, which is the danger of all freelancers.
Right, I'll stop here. Appreciate any advice. For all the internet marketers my site is stayinwonderland dot com which I designed myself (fwiw).
A couple threads I can recommend
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ith-no-degree-no-feedback-no-portfolio.58837/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...e-money-copywriting-in-15-days-or-less.59465/
These threads apply to copywriting, but there is a ton of information you can take-away and apply to almost any area.
If you haven't already, read The Millionaire Fastlane . It sounds like you have some time at least, fill your time with knowledge, just make sure you're investing in intelligence and not ignorance.
If your plan is to sit and wait for something to happen, bad news: it won't. We don't live in a cartoon where anvils, pianos and other comically large objects fall out of the sky. Opportunity won't fall out of the sky, make your opportunity.
Signup at upwork.com right now, make a profile. Read the two threads above and hit the grind, man. You already have product (your artwork, even your webdesign) so you've already got a head start. Make that time you've invested in all that work pay you. But most importantly, offer value to your customers, figure out what's going to make them pick you over the next artist/web designer. Setup a way to sell your artwork as prints or whatever else. There is a way to make this passive...
The most important thing: change your mindset. Don't see your situation as an end, see it as an opportunity.
If you don't do any of the above, I really don't know what to tell you. We can't tell you what to do, because then you're simply following someone else's direction. Create your own.
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