We recently connected with Lindsay Goldapp and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay, appreciate you joining us today. Are you 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?

Being a full-time Creative can be very stressful but is very rewarding. It took me a long-time to understand that the career that was right for me was non-traditional but totally attainable. Growing up we’re really only shown examples of people working 9-5 jobs; on TV or in movies we see characters working in offices, factories, or kitchens working 40 hrs per week. They attend happy hours in pencil skirts, somehow have a 2000-square-foot apartment, and then retire at 65.

I didn’t see examples of people working “gigs” or working in creative jobs at all in media or in the small town where I grew up. I didn’t know what it looked like to piece together your income from various creative jobs or in a creative industry. Therefore, I think it took me a while to understand that this was even a possibility. I’ve been performing and being creative since I was a kid but I didn’t know how to make a living out of that; therefore my goal was always to have a day job that I tolerated so that I could enjoy my creative endeavors at night. And I have a lot of interests so I’ve tried out a lot of careers in my adult life. I was a high school teacher (which I liked very much). I worked in retail (which I didn’t like very much). I also was a high school teacher with a part-time job in retail (don’t get me started). I also worked at a tech startup, which was a wild ride and I highly recommend it to anyone in their 20s. After I had my son and got him into preschool I worked part-time as a Creative directing children’s musicals, doing marketing consulting, acting, and teaching children’s theatre classes. In 2017 I added to my Creative endeavors by starting a non-profit improv theatre. It wasn’t until around 2019 or 2020 that I realized I fully realized that I could make a living wage by piecing together the the jobs I was doing. This year I started another business for Personal Styling and Shopping to supplement my income in lean times. So for anyone hoping to make a living as a Creative I think the real first step is realizing that you CAN. Full-time Creatives exist! You piece your income together threw different avenues. Sometimes you have to get…Creative…in order to do so. Pun intended. And now there are so many more websites that can help you do that.

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?

As a full-time Creative, I do a lot of things. I probably do so many things that it’s confusing to people. So I’ll break them down one by one.

I am the Artistic Director at Stomping Ground Comedy, which is a non-profit comedy theater in the Dallas Design District that has comedy classes for kids and adults and comedy shows on the weekends. We also offer classes that we call Improv for Life classes, which are classes for individuals and groups with unique needs; we offer improv classes to help with anxiety and stress as well as improv classes designed for people on the autism spectrum and people caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia. At Stomping Ground I oversee the creation of the shows that are on our stage but since we’re a young non-profit I also wear many more hats. I teach improv and sketch classes for adults as well as kids; I also perform in and direct many of our shows; I oversee our Youth program and our Marketing department; I also teach improv to companies and corporations to help them work together as a team. Yeah, I do a LOT. Admittedly too much. And that might change in the future, but for now, I love trying to save the world with improv.

Since 2017 I’ve worked as a Creative Thinking Agent & Creative Consumer for Thoughtly Crew and Chirp Market Research and have consulted for some of the largest companies in the world including Toyota, Mission, Southwest Airlines, Frito Lay/Pepsi Co, Eggo, Wal-mart, and many many more. I help give companies insight into their products and brands and help them innovate. I’ve done some of the wildest things and gone on countless adventures…but my non-disclosure agreements prevent me from telling you about any of them. I will just say that studying and practicing improv is what opened up the door to this line of work that I didn’t even know existed. It’s incredibly fun and rewarding.

I’ve always loved expressing myself through clothes and helping others feel confident in what they’re wearing so for my “day job” I have worked as a Personal Stylist in several capacities over the years. In 2022 I decided to cut out the “middle man” and make styling my official side hustle. I launched my own Personal Styling & Shopping business. Thread Theory offers styling, consulting, and shopping for clients remotely and in-person in the Dallas area. I think that we are most confident when we look and feel like our most authentic selves so that is what I try to help my clients do.

Recently I’ve added another gig to my list, which is writing and creating content and products for Joketown. Joketown provides custom comedy content to companies and also will be releasing their own one-of-a-kind, exclusive novelty products each month in what they call Mic Drops. This is a young company but we’re led by a fantastic leadership team who knows how to get the best comedy content out of their Writers and Creatives. I’m really stoked to be on the ground floor because I know they’re going to be huge!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This first one is a no-brainer but audiences have to pay for the stuff they like. Go to local art festivals and buy art. Go see theatre and comedy shows. Pay to see your favorite band live. If you can swing it- pay for the ticket rather than asking for a complimentary ticket or discount. Artists and the places that feature them are always struggling to pay their bills.

Secondly- post on social media about the artists you love! Most artists can’t afford actual Marketing and the best marketing is “word of mouth”. So if you love a jewelry designer or a show or a musician post about it on your social media and tell your friends! That’s how people find out about us. Our consumers and fans are our best Marketing.

Lastly- support local art and small-scale artists in your community.  Go to a festival and buy a painting or jewelry or a journal that is hand-crafted by a local artist. You get to brag about having something truly unique AND that local artist gets money in their pocket and a more visible brand.

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

Oh man. My Creative journey has been a series of learning and unlearning. As a Creative you have to be able to roll with the punches and be a “lifelong student.”

But if I had any advice for an aspiring Creative- unless you’re also a tax and business expert surround yourself with business savvy people to help you turn your Creative endeavors into dollars.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.threadtheory.style
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wizardofawesome/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/stompinggcomedy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-goldapp-665b89145
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WizardofAwesome
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/threadtheorystyle www.lindsaygoldapp.com

Image Credits
Angela Ross Photography Dani Bee