We recently connected with Hillary Parnell and have shared our conversation below.
Hillary, appreciate you joining us today. 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 have learned over the course of my career that the key to earning a living from creative work, is to get CREATIVE! There are so many more opportunities within every industry to utilize creative talents. Artists have so many options other than simply creating their art and hoping someone buys it. Personally, as a dancer, I chose to open a dance studio, then built two other companies that serve the dance community and now I am a business coach in the dance industry. But I just as easily could have gotten into dance photography or cinematography, apparel or costumes for dancers, physical therapy for dancers, or writing curriculum. The possibilities are endless when you think outside the box and allow yourself to be openminded.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a serial entrepreneur, wife, mother of four boys and Diet Coke enthusiast. I have been the owner of the Academy for the Performing Arts and Preschool for the Arts in Apex, NC for the past two decades and more recently founded two other dance adjacent companies (Dance Photo Pro and Dancers in Balance). Over the past few years, I have shifted my focus from teaching children to helping other small business owners find a healthy life balance, while growing their revenue and increasing profit.
I have taught over 10,000 children, grown our revenue to over 2M, and coached hundreds of small business owners. My passion is to help the next generation of entrepreneurs create thriving businesses through leadership, mentorship and making not nearly as many mistakes as I did.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I think the term “starving artist” can be extremely dangerous for creatives just starting out. Sure, this mindset can be motivating when just getting into our industry. Everyone needs to hustle in the beginning. But, far too often people find themselves still hustling years later, not being compensated an amount that aligns with their value, their talent or their experience.
I had to learn that if I wanted to make a living in the arts, I couldn’t just wait for opportunities to come knocking while simply accepting the “starving artist” persona.
I had to educate myself in business, marketing and finance- being a great dance teacher wasn’t enough. Sure, some people will be at the top of their market and able to make it big on their talent alone… but the rest of us need to get creative. Increase your odds for success by increasing your skillset.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect about being a creative is that no two days are ever the same. Yes, most of my career is more business focused these day, but the business is fun. I work with incredible people, talking about exciting projects, tackling a diverse range of problems, and kids- I get to work with kids. They are the best!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hillaryparnell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillaryparnell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hillaryparnell/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryparnell/
Image Credits
These were all taken by me.