Your 3 Action Steps to Becoming a Full-Time Freelancer

This contributor post was written by Vanessa of Thrift Core.

Do you long to fly free doing what you love?

Of course you do. Its the American Dream, and its not some ethereal fantasy; its attainable. If you hate your day job and long to create full time, quit!

It’s always going to be scary to leave a “real” job with a steady paycheck. Every successful artist will tell you of times of self-doubt and fear of going broke. It takes sacrifice to live your dreams. So while you still have a steady job, here is something to help move you forward toward your dream.

The following three action steps will help you prepare for your career as an artist or freelancer while you’re still working a day job:

1. Plan Every Day: Dedicate at least 30 minutes per day toward your goal of leaving the day job. You can read inspiring business stories or work on your product. Be consistent and dedicate time to making your dreams a reality.

2. Work Part-Time: Set up your online shop, sell at art fairs or get yourself set up in galleries or boutiques. Whatever your dream is, do it part time while you work the day job. This isn’t easy, but it does more than help you get established. It’ll help you figure out what path to take. You never know if you’ll like the job until you actually try it!

3. Write Your Business Plan: No matter how small your operation is, you need a write your business plan. It will help you determine how you’ll earn money, pay the bills, and so much more.

Hint: Set a Date Think about a comfortable date to leave your day job, and mark it on your calendar. Even if it’s years from now, giving yourself a date to work toward will keep you motivated.

Remember the Strangest Secret To Success: We Are What We Think About. Keep your dream on your mind, and failure is impossible.

Let’s make 2012 the year we do what we love.

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*image above She Looks for Adventure

Vanessa wrote this post. She left her job as a fulltime copywriter and webmarketer and has made a career out of her passion for art, creativity, and thrift. She writes about thrifting, creating, and saving money every weekday on her blog, Thrift Core.