Try Something on the Side

Now if April told me that she wanted to do something totally unrelated, like making lamps, I would encourage her to take a slightly different approach. To that end, she would still need to carve out time for her craft on the weekends and at night and during her lunch hour. Setting boundaries is more easily said than done (in fact, everything is more easily said than done). But you must really endeavor to defend your creative time from other responsibilities. Like exercise, it has a way of getting squeezed from schedules when you’re pressed for time.

• Have you started a side business that grew into a career? Share your story.
  

April should also treat her coworkers as her client base and, at least initially, as an in-house focus group. How do they respond to the different styles she tries out? How much do they and would they spend on a lamp for themselves or as a gift? She should take their orders and commissions with the intention of growing her client base from there. This sounds pretty dry, admittedly. But the process itself of shifting your focus from the job that you despise to developing a side business can be completely energizing.

If the lack of deadlines associated with a low-risk side business almost seems to encourage your procrastination, find a partner. Not someone to make lamps with, necessarily, but a person who also wants to keep track of set goals and deadlines. A partner will hold you accountable for the progress of your chandeliers. Not to dwell on exercise metaphors, but it’s a similar concept to having a workout buddy. Having a fulfilling and inspiring project on the side could—get this—even make you feel grateful for your current job and how it enables you to pursue your real interest in a low-risk way.