3 questions every creative entrepreneur should answer every 3 months...

This exercise is designed to help you be clearer within your creative entrepreneurial life and journey. Asking the right questions and being honest with yourself can't be understated.

These are timeless mental and emotional models you can use for any creative endeavor or long-term commitment. When times get tough, you can refer to your responses to the following questions to keep forging ahead or discard some things entirely.?

1. Am I honestly working on things that fulfill me?

What this question is really asking is...

• "Does what I’m doing feel good?"
• "Am I doing meaningful work that professionally ticks all the boxes?"
• "Am I growing?"

In my logo design days, my answer to this question was complicated at best. Sure, I always enjoyed the creative process, but I usually felt like an underpaid hired gun. Although the work was fulfilling, I often failed to articulate my value upfront, resulting in resentment and burnout.

The idea is to figure out whether you're living on purpose; whether you're acting in alignment with your values. Until we can answer this with a concrete 'yes,' we default to living on autopilot and old habits.

That said, to ask it in the first place is a brave start. Not everyone's willing to be that real with themselves - including creative entrepreneurs.

2. What have I been prioritizing lately?

If this is hard to answer, you may be prioritizing in an unintentional way, so it's good to check-in. I tend to do this monthly; if I don’t, I start prioritizing my fringe hobbies, which is ok during my off-hours but not during my office hours, ha!

For example...

If you intend to own your calendar, do you prioritize the actions that would lead to that outcome? Or do you take on more than you can chew because your peers and clients ask? (Hello!)

If you intend to sell to your email list, do you prioritize the actions leading to becoming a better seller? Or have you not been nurturing your audience?

3. What is my current situation stopping me from doing?

Something within your present-day activities is preventing you from (fully) doing what you know in your soul you’re here to do. What’s no longer serving you must dissipate.

Most people look for aspirin rather than vitamins. Whether you're trying to (metaphorically) relieve pain or boost your immune system, that dissatisfaction with your present-day activities can spur you to change your ways.

Start with the macro view and look at all the areas that drain your energy. The areas you're overwhelmed with are where you're coloring outside the lines of your zone of genius. Can you discard them entirely, do less of them, or task someone else with them? If so, that'd be a big step toward working on the things that truly move you.

If you're embarrassed by or cringe at any of your responses, something’s out of sync.?? But don't trip; that awareness is crucial in improving.

Drop a comment or DM me with a few words on what's going on; I might see something you’re missing.

One insight could unlock things for you.?But you can't know what you don't try.