The Myth of Building Small Businesses are perceived magical
There is always this perception especially around Asian families if a woman is building her own small art/creative business then it is perceived as "something magical" and "exactly doing what she wanted" while her heteronormative boyfriend/husband work on his 'real job'.
Honestly, this feels like as if creative business is something less of a work, and more of a magical activity similar to a hobby. As someone who has done art for a living for few years, and now building my own small art business, it is not even 'magical' like other people are often saying and thinking of.
It is still work, and if you work in a creative studio you of course still are working under someone else's vision. And also, even if you are building your own small art business, you still make art to sell around people's needs but under your own creative solutions. It can feel like an assembly line work too, especially if you are doing merchandises.
I think a lot of people understandably mistake "enjoying creative hobby" and "building small business creatively", to the point like there is a shift in keywords where, a person wanted to say that your creative work is so good means you should make a business about it. When really in fact, the person could have just said what you are making creatively is really good and ideally should be left as that.
I also do not dream or wanting a romantic partnership (hello, ace-aro here) so in order for me to sustain creative practice (and slooooowly building my creative business), I had still to keep my full-time job at an office.
There is often a story/narratives being sold and even very simplified into just "I quit my 9-5 job in order to make my own creative business". But in my experience having an actual talk about their actual process, it is more than just that sold narrative. I do want more subtle context, and more full story than just the conclusion. Everyone has their own pace, their unique story and progression.
This is why I am not ashamed of taking my 9-5 dayjob ( is it even 9-5 when I often was told to take unpaid overtime?), and I do still understand those who quit their corporate work to build their own creative business because probably they were told to take unpaid overtime and they'd rather make their own if say, the real workhours are not that different.
That being said, I am really happy for those who really made it in their creative business. Even if, say they don't have to pay rent because of their partner or they are living with their parents, or they had to really build their way up from very little supports. Both cases are not less or more of a business. Everyone's circumstances is different and I believe we should not just trample each other because of that.
And say, if you cannot or do not want to turn your creative practice into a business, I really really appreciate your decision. To stand your ground and say this is for my wellbeing practice, that is something I highly respect. Even I still am going back and forth with it, you should be proud!
And to you reader, thank you for reading my very spontaneous blog post and I hope you continue supporting human-made art regardless!