That's it, I've finally cracked. I put in two weeks notice at my job and after April 9th I will officially be a full time artist/illustrator/comiccreator/blogger/whateverittakes...
2020 was an incredibly difficult year for me as it was for many. In its aftermath I've been left with some burnout, depression, anxiety, and just overall reevaluating my life in general.
My day job has always been a big drain on me. It's a direct customer service job. I'm good at it. I handle my interactions with people well and go out of my way to be helpful because 1.) I'm a people pleaser, and 2.) I have a pretty solid work ethic and providing good service is really the entire point of the job, so I just can't ease up or back off and feel good about it or myself. As someone who is much more of a natural introvert, the inevitable endgame of my daily shifts is that I come home completely drained, exhausted, and nearly comatose... rinse, repeat.
I finally hit my breaking point and decided I need to make some big changes in life. There was no one thing, no Aha! moment or rude customer that caused me to flat out turn around and walk out. It just took time for me to build up the courage to step outside my comfort zone... which of course had already become unbearably uncomfortable. Feeling like I was heading for a complete breakdown, it only makes sense to manage that in as positive a direction as possible. Tapping into my savings and living lean, I know that I can get through 6-12 months with no additional income, so that's my initial runway to take off into a sustainable career.
It's funny how once you make a decision the universe sends you signals. More likely it's just me grasping at any scraps of "proof" that I made the right choice and things are going to turn out okay.
The day after I gave my resignation the latest pump in Hive price started. That helps add a bit of confidence! As I popped open my YouTube app I'm greeted with videos like "How I Became a Full Time Artist in 6 Months." Alright, I'll take that as another sign. And the big indicator that it was meant to be... the laundry room at my apartment building just got new machines that allow me to pay with my phone instead of quarters!!! I no longer need to break my bills for change in the register drawer at work to feed the washer and dryer! That's gotta be a sign that I'm doing the right thing... right? (Am I grasping too much here?) 😬
Whatever happens I needed the change, and at worst I'll return to the working world with no excuses. I've always said "If I didn't have this damn job taking all my time and energy, I could do it!" Now if I don't get it done, I've just gotta admit it's all on me, and maybe I just don't have what it takes. But... we're gonna find out together! Because believe me, I'll be on Hive a decent amount more sharing (and monetizing!) 😆 every step of the journey.
I'm enthusiastically terrified. Last night I gave up on trying to get to sleep and just dusted off my "Art Harder Mother Fucker" mug, and grabbed a couple big sheets of paper and a marker and started planning the future to come.
I'll be actively seeking freelance jobs and paid commissions, but I hope to make the core of my earnings centered around simply creating what I want to create, and working on my comic, "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." I have high hopes that Hive, NFTs and Crypto in general will play a big part and really help facilitate that. However I'm not one of those folks who quits their day job to go full time Hive, (or Steem if it was the bull run of 2017). I know that can be very fickle and I'll be reaching for every traditional and non traditional revenue stream I can find.
So that's it, I'm a bit over a week away from my dream job. The starting pay is a bit low, but if I work my ass off the sky is the limit! Follow along with my journey here, and if you have any words of advice and encouragement, or any hot leads on illustration jobs... I hope to see you in the comment section!
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
Follow me for more behind the scenes looks at the creation of "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." Your votes help support its production! Also look for limited edition digital artwork for sale on NFTShowroom.com
