We were lucky to catch up with Brooke LeBeau recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

We hear a lot about burnout and quiet quitting, especially among marketing and sales professionals. I’ve been there. The pressure to grind through long hours and meet nearly-unachievable deadlines is a part of working at rapidly growing companies and in competitive industries. As much as it drove me nuts, I don’t regret the late nights. When I worked as a part of a team, it was those late nights and narrow deadlines that bonded us. The people I worked alongside in those trenches are some of the most talented professionals and creatives I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. What I didn’t realize at the time was that these individuals would become my network. I would learn from them and they would learn from me and through our collective goals and experiences, we became a community.

After departing from the corporate world to operate my creative studio full-time, I had an incredibly talented community to lean on. Some became clients. Others were great resources for advice. They offer encouragement when I second-guess myself and are eager to give their unyielding support for any new idea I can dream up. Now that I own my own business, I rarely experience burnout. I still work long hours on occasion and I still have tight deadlines but my relationship to my work is different. My clients’ industries range from medical services to data security, and everything in-between. I’ve found that the diversity of the work I’m creating challenges my mind to think differently. As a result, I’m more creative and more efficient than I have ever been before.

I would encourage every creative professional to try some form of self-employment. That doesn’t have to mean going all in and quitting your day job. I’ve freelanced in tandem with full-time employment for the better part of a decade without it negatively impacting either job. If anything, it’s allowed me to create better work for both parties. I’m only as good as my capacity for creativity and as any creative will tell you, we aren’t bottomless wells. There are a lot of benefits to committing to a company full-time. A big one for me is understanding a brand intimately and chaperoning it through iterations and evolutions. You don’t always get that working with clients. But getting caught up in the same kind of work every day would sometimes cause me to feel stuck and uninspired. I’ve found that balancing a full-time gig with one or two low-commitment freelance jobs to be a great way to avoid that creative rut.

Brooke, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It took years for Artfully Creative to take shape. My freelance business started with a couple one-off gigs here and there. I didn’t have a name for it or a concrete strategy while I navigated the pragmatic world of proposals, hourly rates, and contracts. I don’t have a business degree. I’m a graphic designer by trade so I was quite literally figuring it out as I went, with all the missteps and snafus people make when they’re starting out. A lot I figured out on my own but even more I learned working with a handful of incredible marketing professionals at my day job. I had a lot of independence there–space and freedom to manage my own projects and gain a level of business savvy that has allowed me to start my own company.

I was hesitant to depart from my position as an in-house Design Manager for a lot of reasons but when opportunity fell into my lap, I ran as fast as I could and dove in head first. I’d been dreaming about it for long enough. My branding was in the works, my website was already baking, and I’d spent years planning for a way to build something of my own. To date, Artfully has served 18 clients and delivered hundreds of projects ranging from branding and digital media to websites and print collateral. My clients operate in vastly different industries and I am always up for the challenge to understand their business models and deliver work that aligns with their goals.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Definitely the passion behind it. Artists are passionate people with a knack for questioning convention. Especially in a business environment where things can be boiled down to a bottom line, the sprinkling in of creativity is what gives a company depth. Being a part of an organization’s essence is what I find most engaging. Asking the big questions is crucial and tying those answers to tangible deliverables that impact peoples’ lives. It can be really rewarding.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Part of being a creative person for me means not being able to make up my mind. My list of hobbies is a mile long, from creative writing to perfecting the art of a smoked brisket. I’m an advocate for diversifying your personal revenue streams, whether you’re a graphic designer with a side gig or a sales manager who enjoys stock trading in their spare time. There’s a passion project for anyone and a lot of the time someone will pay you to do what you’re passionate about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artfullycreates.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artfully_creates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075904064411
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-lebeau-19211bba/