We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Weimer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started earning a full-time living from my creative work within six months of deciding to go all-in on taking myself, and my art, seriously. And I did it that quickly because I had the impenetrable belief that if I didn’t give up on it, it wouldn’t give up on me.

The only thing I ever wanted to be was a writer. I went from wanting to be the next Judy Blume at 10 years old to wanting to be the next Carrie Bradshaw by the time I was ready to choose a college. Despite achieving a free ride to my dream school for journalism, fear, doubt, and life’s complexities forced me to develop what I call Starving Artist Syndrome. I believed living a creative life meant I’d have to struggle in a world that saw me as a dime a dozen. That got worse as my mother’s health diminished and we became more financially insecure. Before I knew it, I was quitting college without ever giving myself a fair start and pursuing a career in bookkeeping for a family member’s business. It just felt safer. After that, I wrote less and less until a six-year writing hiatus fell upon me. I avoided any opportunity to pursue the only thing that ever made me feel like me.

In 2018, I decided to become a mother only to uncover four months into my pregnancy that my partner had been cheating on me. The experience sent my already-existing identity crisis to its climax point. I didn’t tell my family, mostly due to shame, so I did the only other thing I knew how to do: write about it. That writing resulted in what would become my first poetry collection, Tainted Lionheart, which went on to be a 2021 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal award-winning book. But it wasn’t the book that catalyzed my creative career journey. It was the knowing that the only way I would ever grow through the highs and lows of life was if I let my creativity live through me. After this epiphany, I vowed to never give up on it, or myself, again.

My initial goal was to publish Tainted Lionheart and start running a blog where I shared my experience as an aspiring author and all I’d learned about the publishing industry through the process. By the time I decided to self-publish TLH, I had gotten so much feedback from women who were inspired by my journey and wanted help in pursuing their own. I had next to no followers on social media, zero business experience, only a few years of academic studies under my belt in the writing and publishing industry, and until TLH, had never formally published any of my writing. But in reminding myself that my creativity wouldn’t give up on me if I didn’t give up on it, I honored that feedback and heeded the call to start monetizing the expertise I had acquired. By 2020, two days before the world went on lockdown due to the pandemic, I was launching Our Galaxy Publishing, a service-based platform for aspiring women writers to get the tools and resources they needed to write and publish their books. And I never looked back.

I made it happen because I took failure out of the equation. Every step I took, no matter the direction, was one I needed to take. Full stop. As long as I kept writing, sharing, learning, and living through my creativity, I was succeeding. I lived and breathed educating myself and throwing myself in front of every opportunity that aligned with my creative growth. If I didn’t know what I was doing, I did it anyway. If I was scared, I did it anyway. I became a “yes” woman for anything that brought me closer to building a creative life. I took the rejection, derailments, and criticism and turned it into something I could leverage for growth. I refused to listen to the voice that questioned, “But what if it doesn’t work out?” I stopped seeing my creativity as an option and started seeing it as my livelihood–because that’s what it was. Nothing (aside from motherhood) has ever made me feel more alive than when I’m connected to my artistic energy and I would not let anything deter me from that connection ever again. I lived my life as if I had already “made it” before I ever made a dollar off of it because in my head, committing to it was “making it.”

There are countless ways I could have sped up the process. Goodness knows I set the bar low in the beginning for what I classified as “full-time” living. I ate some dust in the process, believe me. I took a massive pay cut and I readjusted my whole mindset around money and spending so I could make that full-time living work at the beginning. But I did make it work. And I never had a month since when I did not grow that full-time living. So, I could tell artists to make a business plan first. I didn’t do that. I didn’t even know what a business plan was back then. I could tell them to sit in rooms with people who inspire them so they can feed off their energy. That sure did light a fire under me once I took the plunge into performance art. I wished I’d have done that sooner. I could tell them to watch every YouTube video about building an artist portfolio and take every free class about how to improve their craft and visualize the heck out of their dream. If I had done that first, maybe I wouldn’t have had to stretch that full-time living like I did at the beginning. Maybe I wouldn’t have had to talk myself off as many ledges as I did or had to spend 60+ hours a week in front of my laptop had I planned things a bit better.

But that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you take failure out of the equation and commit to the idea that giving up is not an option. The only option is to let your art live through you so you can make a living off your art.

Christine, 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?

I am an NYC-based award-winning poet, three-time author, publishing advisor, and content marketer with an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in English. I am the co-founder of Our Galaxy Publishing, a service-based platform for aspiring authors to get the tools and resources they need to write, edit, publish, and market their books. Its mission is to promote an entrepreneurial mindset around becoming a published writer, educating and supporting women-identifying people about the publishing landscape and how to move through the ever-changing industry and literary world. The goal is to bridge the gaps between gender and race in publishing by ensuring women are knowledgeable and intentional about their writing journey while also putting high-quality, impactful work out into the world.

Our Galaxy prides itself on keeping the power in the writer’s hands, acting as a mentor and guiding post as they pursue their creative venture in the driver’s seat. In the thrill of the decision to become a published writer lies a myriad of choices and decisions that can overwhelm even the most passionate writer. The joy of finishing a manuscript or written work often tempts writers to want to hit that publish button or find that dream publisher without ever educating themselves about the ins and outs of this competitive and multi-layered industry. This leads to authors making unfavorable publishing deals or making massive financial investments with zero proof of a return on that investment. All the power goes to the publisher before they ever learn how the industry works. And with literal millions of books being published per year, the likelihood of their book going unnoticed is extremely high.

We aim to be the landing place for writers to get clarity on how to best approach their journey on their own terms. If they want to self-publish, we want to be their all-in-one solution to making an effective, affordable, and measurable plan with all the services and tools they need to implement it. If they want to find a literary agent to traditionally publish, we want to be their advisor as they refine their manuscripts and query pitches, ensuring they understand how to tactfully and intentionally engage with that process. If they’re unsure of which publishing path they want to take, we want to be their sounding board as they intentionally make that choice.

We don’t maintain authors’ book rights, we don’t claim ownership of their intellectual property, and we don’t tie them to our press with contractual agreements and a massive financial investment. We just want them to know more and do more without questioning their decisions or giving up their creative power. By having a deep understanding of the publishing landscape, they can make informed decisions about how to achieve their goals. From writing and publishing services to strategy and marketing and beyond, we cover all the bases for them to get what they need no matter what publishing path they choose. To us, the path they choose doesn’t matter. What matters to us is that they don’t give up, that they never feel in the dark, and that they are prepared for whatever comes their way.

Our Galaxy Publishing’s sister company, A Mindful Writer, which I founded and launched in 2022, broadens the scope of this mission by assisting creative business owners and freelancers in elevating their brands, services, and products to the next level. As part of the mission to promote an entrepreneurial mindset for women-identifying creators and artists, A Mindful Writer aims to ensure they stand out in their niche by establishing an achievable strategy for monetizing their magic and introducing a sustainable brand identity to the world that aligns with their big-picture goals. Whether they’re an aspiring freelance writer wanting to build their portfolio, an aspiring alchemist who longs to get their wellness products into peoples’ hands, or an aspiring self-publisher who is seeking a wider readership of their work, A Mindful Writer will offer them the tools and resources to make it happen.

It is my personal mission to help as many women as possible position themselves at the forefront of their own creative lives. I believe my life’s purpose is to be a vessel for women to launch their creative destinies without fear, guilt, shame, doubt, or settling for less than what they deserve. It goes beyond writing, publishing, and business owning for me. I used to see women sharing their stories with the world as an act of self-liberation. Now, I see it as the most impactful form of rebellion against every system that’s ever tried to silence us. I used to think women pursuing creative careers was a brave and inspiring risk to take. Now, I see it as the most imperative way to dismantle every single professional industry that continues to try and prove we have less to offer. They can’t keep us in the dark anymore. And we don’t have to play by their rules when we know how to create them ourselves.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe authenticity and the commitment to making intentional connections with my community are the reasons I built the reputation I have in my market.

This might get me in trouble, but I think business personas are a load of crap. I am a messy, disheveled, often overwhelmed, sometimes chaotic single mom trying with every fiber of her being to show up for herself, her community, and her creativity. I don’t always get it right, I don’t always feel/look my best, I experience complex emotions that sometimes get the best of me, and most days I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing–but I show up anyway. And every single one of the people in my community, to some degree, can say the same about themselves. Furthermore, they know how self-destructive it all can be, and how lonely they can feel inside those spaces.

To pretend that’s not part of me would be offering them a false vision of the type of success I want them to achieve. My mission is to prove they can do it despite it all, that they can work with the ebb and flow of their humanness instead of fighting the river, so to speak. My reputation is built on my refusal to sweep my dirt under the rug as if it doesn’t exist. It’s built on showing my community how powerful they can still be even if they take that dirt to their front lawn for the world to see and shout, “It gets messy ’round here, y’all. What about it?” And I believe my community respects and honors the fact that they get to see the duality of me because it helps them embrace the duality of themselves.

I could talk all day about the fact that I’m a two-time business owner who quit her 9-5 within six months of launching the first one, all while getting two degrees in five years, caring for a sick mother, and navigating being a single mom. I could write blogs and post photos about all the glorifying moments of my human experience and the success I’ve had in my industry as the complete definition of an underdog. That’s all super admirable. But it’s also one-sided.

I don’t just want to weasel my way into my ideal clients’ lives and find a way to capitalize on their problems. I want to provide them with a safe space to unravel their problems knowing they’re connecting with someone who believes in their ability to find a solution even if they don’t. I want them to know that I care not because I have a service to offer them, but because I am them. We are all reflections of each other. The only way we’re going to elevate ourselves is to elevate each other. We can’t do that when we’re more concerned with image than authentic, intentional connection. I get real and I go deep with my community, and I never let them think for one single second that there’s not a human behind this brand, a person who’s trying to find where she belongs, just like they are.

I remain true to myself because it’s the only way to stay true to them.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Whoever said business isn’t personal is a liar. I’ll debate anyone on this. Business is personal. It’s one of the most personal pursuits we choose to take, especially as creative beings. And it wasn’t until I unlearned this that I was able to take my business to the next level.

When I first decided to start my business, my personal life was a mess. I was a newly single mom in the thick of postpartum, caring for a mother whose health was on the decline, trying to get through the tail end of my undergrad program, and still trying to heal from a five year relationship that ended in infidelity. Oh, and I was broke. Like, Big broke. But I knew I wanted this business, felt confident OGP had a place in the world, and knew I owed it to myself and my daughter to make it happen.

It was gut-wrenching to try and get through the limiting beliefs I had in my personal life as I tried to prepare for business ownership. I had a pretty deep-rooted trauma mindset around money, mostly around growing up in poverty and believing wealth was unattainable for people like me. How was I going to charge for my services, make money, and keep money if I didn’t even believe I was worthy of it?

I had trust and abandonment issues long before my partner was unfaithful to me, founded in a childhood of an absentee father and a mother who carried the world on her shoulders and had little time to carry me. On what planet did I think I could build lasting business relationships if I didn’t have an ounce of trust and all the fears of abandonment in my personal life?

Three months before OGP’s official launch, I decided to put feelers out there to build a clientele. I worked with a few pivotal clients during that period, but I made zero dollars and overworked myself to the point of absolute burnout (pretty sure I gave myself the flu). Every time I connected with someone new, I froze when it came time to charge for my services, so I didn’t. I bent over backward for those clients far beyond the scope of the work because I was absolutely terrified to lose them.

So many childhood, early-teen trauma-based memories were coming to the surface that I didn’t understand. My mind was in turmoil battling all these fears around starting a business and the personal triggers that were at the forefront of my mind. After a breakdown that almost forced me to call it quits on OGP, I met a mindset coach by happenstance who I instantly connected with.
Within 15 minutes of our first session, I had uncovered that this business thing was never going to happen until I worked on all the trauma and negatively coded memories I had allowed to lead me to that point.

Here’s the thing: Whoever you think you are when you lay your head down on your pillow at night is exactly who you’ll be when you show up in your business. The way you take care of yourself and your body is a direct reflection of how you will take care of your business. If you think the struggles and challenges you face in your personal life do not carry over into your business, it’s only a matter of time before that catches up to you. If you want to grow your business and establish longevity in your creative ventures, you absolutely have to nurture your personal environment before you can consider nurturing your professional one.

We build businesses from the most personal parts of ourselves, putting the essence of who we are at our core into everything we do. Our inner beliefs are a direct reflection of our external experiences and how we show up in the world, including our professional lives. As that mindset coach told me, “Your energy is your income.” Protect and nurture your energy so you can create the life you truly want and can sustain.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ourgalaxypublishing.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/amindfulwriter
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ourgalaxyco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineweimer/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@amindfulwriter
• Other: www.instagram.com/ourgalaxypublishing www.amindfulwriter.com

Image Credits
Photography by Elmer Quintero (Elmz Q Photos)