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

Jennie, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I guess this is the tale of two risks… :)

When I was 26, I left my full-time job (with less than $1,000 in my savings) to start a non-profit, Blackbird Academy of Arts – mind you, during a recession, in a Southern town seeped in athletics. When I first filed the LLC paperwork, I had no building, no experience running a business, and no idea where I was going to get the funding, or what staff I would be able to find. But I knew I wanted to provide a place where kids – regardless of their circumstances – would be able to get quality performing and fine arts training. I had been teaching in for-profit arts for almost a decade and kept seeing kids like the younger ME – full of potential, talent, and grit, but not enough money or obtainable options to pursue their dreams at a higher level.

Once I made the decision to actually take the plunge, I used every spare minute to create a business plan, format programs, make a budget, and look for funding. And, somehow, it started to come together. My dad cashed in vacation hours at work to get me the $400 I needed to apply for a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit status. I asked a local entrepreneur I knew if he would look over my business plan, and he and his wife ended up donating $100,000 to launch. Artists in the community started to reach out about teaching, I found a building to rent, and about seven months later we opened our doors. Before classes started, we had over 100 kids signed up to take dance, theatre, visual arts, sewing, and music classes.

Over the next nine years the organization grew to an annual operating budget of $450,000 teaching an average of 400 kids a year in a 10,000-square-foot facility. We produced a dozen performances a year, including a full-scale ballet, musicals, recitals, and an international songwriting competition. I learned the hard way how to start an organization, lead a staff of over twenty, navigate a board of directors, apply for grants, fundraise, and market a non-profit. And most importantly, with a talented, dedicated staff by my side, we created a safe, encouraging community for artists of all ages to belong.

By mid-2018, I had two small kids, and growing family issues that had to take precedence in every area of my life. I made the heartbreaking decision to close the academy doors, something that I am honestly still grieving today.

In 2019, after staying home with my kids for a few months, I joined the marketing team of a large corporation – a job where I could clock in and clock out, have insurance and a 401(k), and be home to cook dinner. It was an amazing company to work for, but every day felt like I was denying the creative inside me. I had gone from teaching dance classes, directing productions, and brainstorming community arts ideas to writing social media posts about construction projects. During this time, I went through major family changes, and found myself in a position where I could once again allow myself to dream.

Fast forward to the second big risk… :)

In Spring of 2022, I put a quote on my computer at work: “Don’t fear failure, fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.” Every morning I would sit down, see those words, and have this gnawing inside me that I was meant for something more. I had a list of ideas and passion projects I wanted to work on but for a variety of reasons had been putting off for years. I wanted to write, to create again, to be surrounded by art and movement and nature. But having passion is one thing, and having a steady income with insurance is another, especially when you’re a newly single mom with two kids. I kept balancing these competing thoughts until one day I had this thought “If either one of my kids came to me and asked me what they should do in this scenario, I would hands down tell them to quit and pursue a life they loved. So why I would not give myself the same advice?”

Within three months, I had given my notice at my job, taken out a business loan, booked an overseas trip to explore one of my passion projects, and on my 39th birthday filed for my new LLC, Grasshopper Creative Co.

In the almost year since then, I have been able to travel with my boys, be at every field trip and class party, have made progress on an international arts project, broke ground on a small overnight retreat for artists, started writing again, consulted with multiple local artists and organizations, began working as a director at a local music education studio, and taught a creative writing class at my kids’ nature school. Meaning, I have absolutely achieved my goal of putting art, movement, and nature back at the forefront for both me and my kids.

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

Since the age of four, I told people I wanted to be a writer and a dancer when I grew up. My childhood was framed by dance classes, writing, music, books, and Broadway soundtracks. During college I studied creative writing while teaching dance part-time. My senior year was consumed with creating my college thesis “Blackbird”, a multi-disciplinary show I wrote and directed that included 40 other student dancers, actors, artists, musicians, and filmmakers.

After college I found myself teaching full-time at a local dance studio; I loved teaching but kept having this feeling that there had to be more. For one, I was seeing all these students who were like me as a kid – passionate, talented, driven – but without the finances or opportunities to pursue their art at a pre-professional level. And two, the process of creating my thesis had shown me the immense power of using various arts together. After a year of brainstorming, I decided I wanted to create a place where kids from any financial background could get quality, pre-professional arts training, where they could find support, encouragement, and access to all the arts. And Blackbird Academy of Arts was born.

During the nine years I ran the academy, I learned about non-profits, budgeting, strategic planning, program development, boards, grants, and so much more. When I closed the doors, I kept having people come to me for advice on how to start or grow their own small businesses. After a string of these conversations, I realized I had a passion for helping to give these folks the tools they needed to sustain their vision.

I now have my own consulting business where the focus is on working with creative, community, or cause-based organizations with strategic growth planning, marketing planning, and risk management.
I’m able to use the skills I learned (mostly the hard way!) to help others bring their vision to fruition.
Often creatives are skilled with their craft, but struggle with organization or the more practical aspects of creating and running a business. The problem is that when they do reach out to business consultants, accountants, banks, for help, they end up in a room with numbers-focused people who don’t understand the passion side of things. What makes me a bit different than the average consultant is that I can relate to and see the client’s end goal, their vision, but also map out all the steps it’s going to take to get there. I know from personal experience there has to be a balance between the purpose and passion and the practical matters.

I am also in the process of building a short-term rental designed for artists with a small living space attached to a studio outfitted for dancers, actors, writers, musicians, and visual artists. The goal is to provide a space where creatives can get away for a day or a week for renewal and a chance to focus on their art. The Artist’s Cottage should be up and running by the end of Summer 2023.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve always been driven by the idea of telling stories, whether through writing, dance, visual arts, or in humanitarian work. People learn, grow, and connect through stories. And I truly believe the most effective change for individuals and communities can happen through the sharing of real, personal stories. That concept helps drives everything I do.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Any time I get a chance to speak to a group of aspiring young creatives, I always encourage them to pursue business training alongside their creative pursuits. As a college student I thought I was only a creative and stayed as far from the math and business buildings as was possible.

But after learning so many things the hard way, I realize that any creative wanting to make a living from their passion also needs foundational business skills. In an ideal world you could hire an accountant, a lawyer, a bookkeeper, a marketing specialist, etc. but most people starting out can’t afford all of that.

I’m all for the idea of art for art’s sake, but if you need to make money from your art, you also have to understand how to budget, value your time, market your art. I also understand that non-profit and community organizations don’t start to make money, but they still have to be able to pay the rent and make payroll.

Knowing what I know now, If I could go back, I would get a minor in business alongside my writing major. For those where college is not an option, I have found that my state’s arts council hosts a plethora of applicable workshops that are free or inexpensive. That’s how I received my initial training in strategic planning, risk management, and grant-writing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jenniemcnultyconsulting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennieMcNultyConsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennie-mcnulty/

Image Credits
headshot and client shot: Yennifer Lopez Photography