Should I quit a job I like to pursue something unsure?

[cle103]

Hey guys, I'm just gonna describe my situation briefly: 

• I currently work in a job that I like.
• I've just gotten a promotion.
• My co-workers and boss are cool. 
• I make my own hours and basically don't have meetings.

However it's all gotten too much in the last months. Too many clients. Too many balls to juggle. Way too many demands on my cognitive focus. 

What I really want to do, is to become an artist. A couple months ago I thought that I could work on that after work and on the weekends. But that's gotten impossible, as I need these times to get my sanity back. 

I have savings (30k rainy day fund, about 30k in investments and 30k on my regular account plus some Crypto) so I'm not gonna go hungry if I quit. 

However, I'm still undecided. Usually I would take some Mushrooms and think about it properly but I'm just not in the headspace at all. 

Maybe this sounds whine-y. I don't know or care. I tried to toughen it out for 3 months now. 

I know what I want, but I don't know what I should do. Should I go to college to study art (I'm 23)? Should I try to work for an artist or just go for it and paint all day for a year? Or wait till the work gets less again. 

Of course I gotta figure it out myself but if you have some perspective, please share. 

Much Love

[aurum]

@cle103

First of all, it's shocking that you have almost a 100k saved at age 23. You're definitely in a minority in that respect.

My perspective is that it depends on a lot of variables. Do you reasonably think work will slow down enough in the future that you'll have time to do your art? A full time job can give you security, but if it's so time consuming then that'll be an issue.

Also, how much are your expenses? Can you reduce those expenses in anyway?

Also, how talented are you as a artist? Do you really need to go to school, or could you just start now?

These are always tricky situations. And they require a lot of in the moment, case-by-case thinking.

[cle103]

@aurum Thanks for the reply!

Last year I spent about 1.350 euros per month on average (I track my finances down to the euro). 

If I wanted, I could get that down to about 1.000-1.100. That would basically be rent, organic food and Leos Patreon lol

Is it realistic that the work slows down? To be honest, I don't know. I worked about 6 hours per day in the summer but now is a different story. It fluctuates as is usual in an agency type setting. If had to guess, I'd say it gets worse before it gets better. And better might be in 5-6 months.

I have a fair bit of natural talent but the talent isn't developed in a great way (due to time... it's a circle). I could also take online courses on bettering my art, but I don't know how that stacks up against in person mentorship/schooling. 

[Average Investor]

I would get some life coaching if I had that much extra cash and wanted more clarity. You are in the top 1% richest for your age group in the world with that much by the way, so great work. 

I would see what you can do to dial back on work. You could possibly see about part time, or find something less demanding that you can do while you work on your skills. You will have to decide what will work best. You might find similar positions that could offer you what you need. All of that stuff you mentioned would be hard to give up right away too if you are paid well. 

[cle103]

@Average Investor Thanks! 

Coaching would be an idea. Need to find someone who actually knows his shit and doesn't cost the world though. Will think about that. 

Regarding part time: I don't think that this would be possible in my current job at the current company. I don't know if any company offers my type of work part time (haven't seen it at least). But yes, that would be an idea. 

[Leo Gura]

@cle103 To quit a job you need a reliable, proven method of getting money from your work.

Do not just quit your job hoping that things will work out. They won't. You must prove a reliable income stream. THEN you can quit your job.

When it comes to income, you must be pragmatic as a motherfucker. No fantasies and wishful thinking.

Where is your income?

[Hello from Russia]

With this kind of money, you can start making small bets in your biz. For example, quitting the job and pursue that for 6 month, with a focus a rigor. If the bet didn't work out - you comeback to the job and work again for a while to replenish your resources and then one more bet for 3-6 months. Fail? - some more work. Then - some more bet for 3-6 months.

It doesn't have to be a lot of failures, by the way. Realistically, you can start making money in your first month after doing that. That happened to me. At one point I decided to quit my job (and job seeking) and give myself time to 100% focus on my business for 1-2 month and see how it goes. Because I was fed up with corporate sh it too. And I made it work. Been 1.5-2 years full time now

[cle103]

@Leo Gura Got it! 

Tbh. I don't see how I could build another income stream through art whilst at this job. That would mean getting another one that is hopefully less demanding (or waiting for 5-6 months for the work to potentially slow down).

Would you try fish for an easier job or stay where the money currently is? 

 

@Hello from Russia Interesting! That sounds good and congrats on that!  

I don't think I could go back to the same company as I would leave a pretty big hole as of right now haha. I'd have to search for another position which could take some time and may require relocation. Realistically speaking, I'd first need to develop my skillset further before making money through that means. 

[Leo Gura]

4 minutes ago, cle103 said:

@Leo Gura Got it! 

Tbh. I don't see how I could build another income stream through art whilst at this job. That would mean getting another one that is hopefully less demanding (or waiting for 5-6 months for the work to potentially slow down).

It doesn't necessarily have to be a fully actualized income stream. But you need to at least have a proof of concept.

Have you even made one sale?

If you can't even make 1 consistent sale per month, what do you got but a pipe-dream?

4 minutes ago, cle103 said:

Would you try fish for an easier job or stay where the money currently is?

There is not one way. There are many ways. Snoop around to find what works.

[Preety_India]

@Leo Gura hey can I make a thread on Elon Musk, its going to be a long thread, please. 

[captainamerica]

@Preety_India 

Why do you wanna hurt my love? 

[cle103]

@Leo Gura I made one sale in the past when I was 18 where I sold some stuff on eBay lol. And some relatives ask for comissions from time to time, but that's not an income stream. 

In current time I haven't tried to sell anything. I know how tough marketing and sales are, that's been my working environment for over three years. 

[Leo Gura]

@cle103 Can't survive without sales of something. So might as well bite that bullet now. Don't put it off. Your art has to be profitable.

[cle103]

@Leo Gura Understood. 

I think, here's what I will do: 

1. Keep working for another month and see how it develops. If the work keeps piling, I'll talk to my boss about solutions whilst looking for another job.

2. The real question that comes from that is, if I should go to college for art. It's free but I don't want to waste 3 years. I'll message some people that went to these schools if it's worth it. If not I'll enroll in some online classes whilst working. 

3. I'll also reach out to some artists who actually make money about that. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by cle103
Added a sentence

[Leo Gura]

@cle103 If you finish a formal art degree you should not have difficulty finding art jobs. Good digital artists will always be in high demand.

There is a huge market for pro digital artists:

https://www.behance.net

You should be able to comfortably support yourself if you just build up enough skills and a killer portfolio. And formal art training is valuable to have, so it won't be a waste of time if you actually want to do serious art.

If you can get free art training, that's a great option. Just make sure the art training is in some marketable form of art. Digital is the way.

[cle103]

@Leo Gura I'll check out the different curriculums!

Though I've been more of an oil/acrylic painter as of right now. 

[cle103]

@Myioko WOW! Thanks a lot for the in depth answer

1 hour ago, Myioko said:

How much past art experience have you had? Is this something that you know you love, that you did a lot as a child, or that you still do when you have some extra time?

I've been doing it on and off my whole life. About a year ago I discovered that this is basically what I want to do with my life so I'm pretty clear on that front. 

Regarding schools: College is free in Germany and there's an art college in my city. I've reached out to someone who studied there (and is successful as an artist) and hope to get a reply. I'll try to find their curriculums... their website is ancient.  

Spending money on courses or classes outside school is no problem, it's more of a time thing. If you know any courses which are worth both money and time, feel free to share. 

 

1 hour ago, Myioko said:

Do you have a clear idea of what you want to make with your art, your style, what you want to tell with your art? The sub genres and styles of art are endless, and it's good to train your eye to notice all the subtle distinctions. 

I'd say that I'm pretty clear on that, however it may change. What I want to do is to combine aspects of nature with a clean, almost technical feeling (basically a form of visionary art). Along the lines of Hannah Yata:

 

 

2 hours ago, Myioko said:

There's also graphic designers, who work on a lot of website design or advertisement jobs, and I think there are plenty of jobs and need for that kind of work.

That's basically my job at the moment  

Web design is creative and enjoyable... working with clients... sometimes not so much. 

 

Again, thanks a lot for your reply! If you have more resources, please feel free to share

[UNZARI]

@cle103 hey how did you get into graphic design? 

[Shmurda]

@Leo Gura your advice in this thread seems to contradict the example of Joseph CAMPBELL WHO IS QUOTED IN THE LPC. Campbell had savings and a desire to study independently without any means of income, but by following his bliss he realized his purpose. 

Does this mean your views on this have since changed? 

[cle103]

@UNZARI My job is mainly web design though I can do a bit of graphic design as well. I started as an intern, taught myself and then worked my way up.