In this first episode of Clear Conversations: Creative Minds in Sobriety (title was recently rebranded from Focal Points), I spoke with
, a photographer and writer from Vancouver Island, about sustaining creative energy while running a business. The conversation explored:Substack as a Creative Platform: We spoke about Substack's effectiveness for building creative community. Ula described how her content evolved from safe, instructional pieces to more personal sharing, resulting in deeper reader connections as people respond, "I saw myself in you." Unlike image-focused platforms, Substack encourages visual creatives to reflect on their process through writing, helping them develop and articulate their creative philosophy.
Creative routines: Ula prioritizes her most creative morning hours (before 10am) for personal work, reserves afternoons for meetings and admin, and ends work by 5pm to protect her evening downtime.
Setting boundaries: We discussed the importance of clear communication with clients, including establishing rates upfront, building realistic timeframes, and implementing rush fees when necessary.
Work-life balance: Ula incorporates regular movement through dog walks every two hours, avoids laptop use after 7pm, and bookends her days with reading.
Business sustainability: We touched on practical aspects like tracking hours (using Clockify), billing for meetings and travel, and gradually building a network of quality clients.
The conversation highlighted our shared approach to mindfulness in creative work, emphasizing that setting boundaries isn't just self-protection but leads to better creative output and client relationships.
Thank you for being my first guest and to everyone who shared their time with us!
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Each step forward is an act of creative rebellion.
Thanks for walking this path with me.
Josh
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