How to Find Creative Freedom and Work on What You Want
Four actions you can take now to find your own path
I've spent 20 years searching for creative freedom. In this week's newsletter, I’ll share what I’ve learned and offer four actions you can take now to find your own path.
When I started my career, my goal was to make a successful living working on projects that fueled my creative energy, on my own terms. Since then, I’ve worked as a freelance product designer, agency co-founder, e-commerce store owner, and startup co-founder. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a successful career doing what I love, but it hasn’t always been easy.
Freedom to work on what you want, on your own terms, is the holy grail for creatives. However, to achieve this lifestyle, you need to find people who will pay you for your skills and unique knowledge.
I’ve developed a list of four actions you can take to discover your own path to creative freedom:
Stick to a core set of principles (Rules).
Creating a core set of rules for yourself is key. You must define your non-negotiables and stick to them.
For me, this meant:
Having the ability to choose what projects I work on (Only projects that fuel my creative energy)
Having the ability to control my day (Decide what I work on, when)
Having the ability to choose where I work (I feel more creative working at home)
Having the ability to bring joy to others through my work (By teaching, solving problems, or entertaining)
Discover your Ikigai (Your life purpose).
Ikigai is the convergence of four areas of life: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
In order to understand what type of work brings you joy, you must first take time to better understand yourself and what you were meant to do.
Be clear about the value you bring to the table (Skills & unique knowledge).
This means understanding what your unique skills and knowledge are.
This comes through experimentation and self-awareness.
Experimentation allows you to learn what you’re naturally good at.
Self-awareness enables you to understand what unique skills you have that make you valuable.
Discover who values your unique skills and knowledge (Who will pay you?).
This means discovering who has a problem that you can solve with your skills and unique knowledge.
The bigger the problem you’re solving, the more you can charge for your skills and unique knowledge.
Skills and unique knowledge can be monetized in many different ways.
Once you’ve taken these four actions, you can decide which type of work will enable creative freedom. This is a highly personal exercise, and there is no universal answer.
Finding creative freedom is about working hard on the right things that fuel your creative energy, on your own terms, finding people who value your offering and are willing to pay you to solve their problem(s). In this scenario, both sides win.
Free Resources
Power Planner by Dan Koe
Use this free template from Dan Koe to map out your goals with actionable steps.
https://shop.thedankoe.com/planner
Arm Yourself with Specific Knowledge by Naval Ravikant
In this YouTube video Naval breaks down what specific knowledge means.
Figma Ikigai template
Use this free Figma template to map out your Ikigai.
https://www.figma.com/templates/ikigai-diagram/