Cyber Monday Sale! 50% Off All Access

3 Lessons on Building Your Business for Creative Entrepreneurs Marlo Hunter discusses the life of a freelance artist.

By Karen Tiber Leland

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Thomas Barwick | Getty Images

On this episode of the Thought Talk Podcast, I speak with Marlo Hunter, successful New York director, choreographer and now co-creator and founder of The Theatrical Culinary Project, an immersive play in development with chef Carla Hall from The Chew.

Hunter also coaches creative entrepreneurs on how to make the freelance life work from a business perspective. In this epidsode of the Thought Talk podcast, Hunter shares her own journey as a freelance artist as well as some of the challenges creative entrepreneurs face -- and what they can do about them.

Find the gap and fill it.

Being an entrepreneur takes a certain kind of fortitude, but being a creative entrepreneur brings some additional challenges. When the economy took a dip in 2009, Hunter, a director and choreographer, found herself without a creative job and with no supplemental income.

"Before I entered into this lifestyle, I wish somebody had collected for me all the tools -- mentally, emotionally and practically -- that I needed to be able to weather a freelance creative career successfully," jokes Hunter.

So Hunter did what all entrepreneurs who see a gap do -- she filled it. "I sat down and, in a week, I wrote an entire book, which I called The Freelance Artist's Manifesto," says Hunter.

Central to Hunter's tough love message is the idea that if you pick a creative freelance lifestyle, you have to "Pull yourself up by the bootstraps. You don't have time to navel gaze," she says. In particular there are three things Hunter says all creative entrepreneurs need to keep in mind.

Remember that ultimately, you have control over your perspective.

"There are so many things that you cannot control in a freelance life," says Hunter. "You and I could land in New York on the same day, get the same internship right out of the gate, and our careers will not look alike in any way, fifteen years down the line. You can't spend your time ogling other people's careers."

Hunter believes that freelancers who really embrace the notion that all they can focus on is their entrepreneurial path and how they choose to view it are the most successful. Yes, you may have been rejected, not gotten the gig you wanted, or had a rehearsal that went badly, but you have full control over the way you are going to view those circumstances and how you are going to use them to move yourself forward.

Accept that your life is not compartmentalized.

Hunter says that the difference between freelancers and what she calls "civilians" is that creative entrepreneurs don't have lives that are compartmentalized. "We are our work," says Hunter. "There is no such thing as leaving the office and coming home and trying to leave your work at the office. You are the office."

Surround yourself with supportive people who inspire you.

According to Hunter, creative freelancers need to be much more scrupulous about the people they surround themselves with. "As an artist, problems with a friend or family member impact our work on a daily basis and can sap your creative energy," Hunter says.

At one point, Hunter met Sasha Eden, and together they forged the idea of The Theatrical Culinary Project. "Now, it lives and we're working towards bringing it to life as I've always imagined it. It's exciting, and it goes to show you that you have to stick with it and find the right people to work with," says Hunter.

To learn more about Marlo Hunter's creative entrepreneurial journey and The Theatrical Culinary Project, check out my interview with her on this Thought Talk Podcast episode.

Karen Tiber Leland

Author and President of Sterling Marketing Group

Karen Leland is the founder of Sterling Marketing Group, where she helps entrepreneurs and executives build stronger personal, team and business brands. She is also the best-selling author of The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

'I Stand By My Decisions': A CEO Is Going Viral For Firing Almost All of the Company's Employees — Here's Why

The Musicians Club CEO Baldvin Oddsson fired 99 workers at once over Slack for missing a morning meeting. But there's a catch.

Business News

'Something Previously Impossible': New AI Makes 3D Worlds Out of a Single Image

The new technology allows viewers to explore two-dimensional images in 3D.

Franchise

Subway's CEO Steps Down Amid a Major Transition for the Sandwich Giant

John Chidsey will step down at the end of 2024, marking the close of a transformative five-year tenure.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Real Estate

Why Real Estate Should Be a Key Part of Your Wealth-Building Strategy in 2025 and Beyond

Real estate remains a strong choice for building wealth in 2025 and beyond, from its ability to generate passive income to offering long-term appreciation and acting as a hedge against inflation.

Fundraising

They Turned Down an Early Pay Day to Maintain Control of Their Business. And Then Went on to Raise $190 Million.

Jason Yeh, co-founder and General Partner of Patron, explains the early-stage venture firm's creation and future outlook.