5 Signs You’re On Your Way to Youville

When everyone is shouting at you to take this class or listen to yet another podcast in order to have a breakthrough, the cacophony can be quite dizzying.

There are subtle, quiet breakthroughs on the creative journey to self-discovery.

The temptation to outsource our own journey is so dang tempting! Especially when our spirits are low or we aren’t sure what to do next. I am certainly no stranger to feelings of angst and discontent. However, as I’ve become more self-aware and gleaned information from many sources, I have noticed a roadmap pattern emerge.

I’m calling the signposts marking the way to your very own, never-before-seen trajectory “the path to Youville.”

After all, you are a truly unique specimen whose sense of alignment and purpose can only come from within. No one else can give you the answers, which is contrary to all of the marketing we see about “This is the class that will solve your problem!” and so on.

To clarify, I do believe in seeking support in order to build momentum and grow. But the most effective support I have experienced has been 1 on 1 or small group meetings that take place over several months. NOT the less than an hour class that someone made to diversify their income… These small group experiences are more expensive, but the personalized clarity is totally worth it. Plus, the time you save is more than worth the investment in my experience.

As you pursue your dream, there are subtle signposts that tell you to keep going!

I don’t know that enough people talk about the quiet breakthroughs, so I put together this list based on my lived experience. These aren’t big hooplah moments with a band popping up to play a mariachi tune in celebration. These signs are much more subtle. I’m a visual artist, but I think these signposts apply to really anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Without further ado, here are the 5 Signs You’re On Your Way to Youville:

1. People in authority try to dissuade you from what you want to do.

This one is very tricky because of how early it tends to happen. Your idea might still be quite fragile and just starting to emerge.

I remember explaining my business idea to the Business Professional at a small business development center. He did NOT understand and could only compare it to pre-existing art-related businesses…but I didn’t fit into a neat little category! I wanted to unite several types of visual art (murals, animation, illustration, and pattern design). Because I love working in diverse media and I wanted my business to be fun for me. I did not want to do exactly what other people were doing. I had seen successful artists working in several categories, but the four I picked were uniquely tailored to my interests and abilities. Because I was able to conceptualize the grouping, I knew it was possible.

Examples of this include people telling Dolly Parton that she should tone down her look. She picked a look she LOVED (the style of the prostitute from her hometown) and went all in. Decades later, Dolly is still an icon and inspiration. Because she started off 100% true to herself, she serves as the gold standard of authenticity.

Another example of going against the grain is the notion of combining rap and broadway musicals…I’m sure you’ve heard of the little show called Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda leaned into something that was never seen before and created a global sensation.

Novelty freaks people out. We humans like to compartmentalize and label things in order to feel safe and to quickly judge what we experience. Does it fit into Box A, B, or C? It’s ok for people to be skeptical, but make sure to find support from people to vibe with you. They definitely exist!

2. You make something you are really nervous to share and it ends up being a turning point.

I was in the middle of a week-long digital detox which included no non-essential screen time (no tv, podcasts, social media, etc). Without any content entering my brain, my mind exploded with ideas. One night, I dreamed of a melting fish and upon waking thought, “Tuna Melt.” Immediately, I sketched out a melting fish and decided that in order to do this idea justice, I needed to animate it. I snuck in an 18 min video on how to make animated GIFs in Procreate, and then was off to the races. (See? I do use small doses of short classes when they are specific!)

Then, I had to decide what to do with the goofy animated GIF that was crudely drawn and quite strange. Do I dare share it? Would it weird people out? I genuinely felt distressed at the thought of posting it to Instagram, but I did it anyway. I decided to treat it like an experiment.

Low and behold, several people have told me the Tuna Melt animation was the reason they decided to hire me. Not only was posting Tuna Melt a fun experiment that attracted attention (not in exponential likes or engagement), but it gave me permission to pursue more weird ideas.

From then on, I leaned into the weirder impulses. To me, “weird” is just another way of viewing original thoughts that are in alignment with myself. They seem weird because I haven’t seen them before and I’m not sure how they fit into the world…yet.

3. You begin to trust your internal compass aka intuition.

Instead of seeking inspiration and guidance from others, you will start to primarily look inward. Another way of saying this is to embrace creative self-reliance. Pause before following another Instagram challenge that someone prescribed. What can you pursue that actually interests you? Yes, it is faster to read an existing list of topics and interpret them, but I really think there is so much value in learning to trust yourself.

This feels super awkward at first. It’s part of unlearning what we have been taught all through school. Contrary to our education system, there is no right answer. Cultivating our own amorphous imaginations is the most rebellious act on earth! It is also the most rewarding.

Intuition is a muscle that needs to be trained. A lot of people have completely lost touch with themselves because they spend hours and hours a day listening to other people talk at them. No wonder we are meat balloon stress balls!

Where do you go to relax? What has brought you joy for years? What could you talk about for hours at a dinner party? The things that light you up are not random, they are your calling. Learning to listen will open up some interesting doors for self-exploration.

4. It gets easier to cut out older projects that do not align with your trajectory.

Axing projects that no longer showcase where we want to go challenges our scarcity mentality. I remember the first time I culled a mural project from my portfolio. It did not meet the tropical, vibrant vibes I had been developing. To any outsider, it obviously did not fit, but I had a hard time accepting that because I didn’t have many murals in my portfolio.

In hindsight, the fact that my style was coalescing enough to make some pieces not fit was a great sign of growth! I now have a much easier time eliminating pieces that don’t quite fit or aren’t the type of work I want to attract.

James Martin only has ten well-documented logo case studies on his website. The man makes over a hundred every year! Quality over quantity is the way to go on your website portfolio. It’s been said a lot and it bears repeating: only show the work you want to be hired to make. PERIOD.

The next step to fill in the gaps is to create personal work. This is the fun part! You get to interpret where your internal compass is pointing you and then go for it.

5. You’re able to integrate all of you into your online presence.

Being a real person behind a professional facade is the perfect opportunity to set yourself apart. There is only one you!

But why does it feel so scary?? Showing the true you is a vulnerable act. This point ties into #2 a bit because it generally freaks people out to be themselves in the arena of business. We have been taught that to be taken seriously, one must act professionally. This mindset churns out cookie-cutter websites full of generic, forgettable personas. It doesn’t have to be this way!

For visual artists, we tend to focus on the visual elements we create. However, our artistic voice includes what we create AND how we talk about it. What are the subject matters you address? Everyday objects or vintage tins or native plants?

Your passions outside of art can totally be integrated. You don’t need to compartmentalize to fit into a box.

Are you a baker who rollerskates and loves to design tattoos? Rad! Perhaps a scuba diving filmmaker who is obsessed with the Muppets? I don’t know what that would look like, but I’d love to see it!

Linking a few things that “don’t seem to go together” is the best way to create your own niche. They only seem like they don’t go together because they haven’t been grouped until you came along! You make them go together. Once you embrace this step, there is no stopping you.

In the words of Dolly Parton, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”