Pivot! I'm an entrepreneur
Actually, I always have been
Written by Natalie Bloom
29 May 2024
As I was painstakingly job-hunting for several months after graduating with my web design and development degree, my medium friend Becca told me she didn’t see me working for anyone but myself.
Still, I persisted. I had this grand goal of supporting my two young kids (2 and 6) singlehandedly with a 9-5. But after a couple of bad job offers and the realization that I would have to drive to Asheville each day because there weren’t relevant opportunities in the more rural Waynesville and its hard to find true entry-level remote work, I decided to pivot.
Was it really a pivot?
I’ve always been a scrappy entrepreneur and an artist at heart. Leaning into building a freelance business is more natural to me than sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day, a two-hour commute, and making money for a large corporation that finds me expendable in an industry riddled with layoffs, staring down the barrel of ever-advancing AI. I was raised with the idea that this is the “right, most stable” path… but for me, my situation, and skillset- it’s really not.
If we consider stability as being in control of our workload, pay, hours, coworkers, impact, location, and our path forward- entrepreneurship is the most stable. It’s also super stable for my kids to have a mom they get to see for more than two hours at the end of every day. A mom who is putting food on the table with her creativity, and is energized rather than drained by her work. I am setting the example that it is important to love what you do, because in this capitalistic hellscape, what you do is a large part of your life. Mental health is more important than anything else.
Nothing is better for my mental health than creative expression and helping others.
The modern workday is just not holistically viable for someone in my position and I would argue it’s not viable for a lot of people. Please understand that it’s not that my generation doesn’t want to work; it’s that there is not the same payoff for working the typical 9-5 the way previous generations enjoyed.
It's brave to carve your own path.
I am so inspired by the entrepreneurs and creatives around me who buck at the established systems and carve their own way. I want to collaborate with these people and be around them so that maybe some of their magic can rub off on me and vice versa.
Introducting Bloom Creative Small Business Marketing.
I offer web design services and paint murals in Western North Carolina. I have special consulting services just for creative entrepreneurs like me, where I empower them to succeed on the web. I also build professional websites from scratch for any industry and offer SEO packages.
I did my first mural for Axis Yoga at the Folkmoot Center, and I plan to have artwork on walls around WNC that celebrate the heritage, nature, and people around me or aid in brand identity for brick-and-mortar stores. Please get in touch if you know someone who may want a mural in Western North Carolina!
The only constant is change!
I can’t wait to see this community evolve and I’m excited for my part in it.
Thanks for reading my update; check out my web design services and artwork, and don’t hesitate to email me with any small business marketing needs.
xoxo
Natalie
