One day, many moons ago, I was sitting in a break out pod area in a small media startup in Surry Hills, panicking about a meeting that filled me with dread. Calm washed over me as I stood up, put my laptop on the bean bag and walked across the U-shaped office to where my manager sat and told him I quit.
I had no real back up plan. I just knew that something had snapped and I couldn’t work there anymore. The roughly hewn plan was to try my hand at freelancing as a writer and finally finishing that novel draft from my uni days.
It sounds a bit preposterous now that I ever thought at the age of 27 I could prioritise writing a novel over a day job, but that’s where my brain was at, folks. And I kind of love my 27-year-old self for daring to dream. I even wrote a long Facebook post announcing this. One friend sent me a message to join her writing club where they would meet in a cafe to work on their projects. Others were enthusiastic and fist pumping the air in jubilation. I had finally done it. I had gotten off the train. I thought, wow, this...this is living. These are dreams.
It wasn’t easy to go from full-time work to full-time side hustle. I panicked for days about not having structure.
Two weeks later I had accepted a new full-time role. This is because a few weeks into my five week notice period at said startup (I know, ha, what was I thinking, don’t be a doormat) I was headhunted, on LinkedIn of all places, for what was essentially a dream job. I contemplated saying no. My forced indifference to the job (despite it being perfect for me in every way) only helped me lock it down. I said yes, and my freelancing, novel-writing dream was over before it began.
That was a few years ago. Things have changed dramatically since then. I feel more prepared to make the leap into writing as a freelancer now. While I am still only dipping one toe in the freelancing, novel-writing, creative side-hustle-career pond, part of me is still left wondering about things like stability and security.
You can make progress by changing your mentality, perspective and priorities. There are so many things we prioritise every single day over other things, even without realising it. You make time for exercise or binge-watching TV shows (full spectrum of habits here). Rewiring your brain to make your passion gig number one is hard but not impossible.
But don’t be ashamed of having a day job! Most people need one and it takes the pressure off doing the things you love.
So how do you make your side hustle your main gig and your paid day job a side-hustle? Should you even do it? Here are some ways to wrap your head around shifting your focus and giving your side hustle a promotion in your life:
Be realistic about your habits and work practice
It wasn’t easy to go from full-time work to full-time side hustle. I panicked for days about not having structure. This was a drastic and frankly terrifying way to go from relative security, to now having unbridled time to write and be creative. It’s easy to freak out and procrastinate and decide that you actually hate writing asking yourself why you ever thought this was a viable career while crying into a seek.com.au browser.
Giving myself unfettered time to be creative didn’t suddenly make me more inspired and productive. I still worried about and prioritised small paid jobs on the side. I learnt that if I was going to take this seriously, I’d have to be more organised and look for work that would allow me to both have some structure but also give me the space and time to work on my writing and creative projects. Finding casual or part-time work, or a paid day job that gives you flexibility, understanding and freedom to pursue other projects can make all the difference.
Get skilled up to help your main-gig-turned-side-hustle
Whatever paid day job you’re doing, find a way to learn or sharpen skills that are going to be useful in your passion projects. That way you are setting yourself up for when your side-hustle becomes a front-hustle. Instead of frantically trying to upskill and learn things when you’re in the thick of it trying to make your new gig work, you’ll be able to dive straight in and get things done, making it less stressful and a smoother transition from the day job you know how to do with your eyes closed, to the project that challenges you mentally and creatively.
Realise that most things don’t matter - find the thing that matters to you
There has to be something at the very core that is relentless in the face of setbacks, failure and challenges. That thing that drives you. It’s hard to find it. Some people never do. Or they find it and it doesn’t endure and they get sick of it or lose interest. Whatever your thing is, make sure it’s something that you are willing to fight for. Try working on this thing after work, on weekends to test out if this is something you still have the time and energy to do under pressure. It’s a good litmus test to see if you’d do well in making it your main gig. Even if you struggle to make it work, just know that so many people struggle with this and there’s always another way to make it better suited for you and your habits.
Save your life
Beth Pickens writes in her handy little book “Your Art Will Save Your Life” about the artist’s three basic needs, which are: an ongoing art practice, a community of working artists, and lots of varied art consumption. She writes “in my estimation, artists need to be active creatively in order to be alive, processing the world and other people. I find that artists who have been away from creative engagement for a long period of time frequently describe feeling depressed, disconnected and empty. Making art is an essential form of self-care in their lives.” If anyone questions your decision to focus on your passion hustle, look them straight in the eyes and say “do you want me to die, Helen?” then grab the free pastry and run out the door towards freedom.
Change the system
We need to change how we think about the future of work. As we move towards a skills-based system, with flexible working conditions and an entrepreneurial focus, industries and companies need to keep up, too. Individuals alone can’t simply start prioritising their passions on their own. We need to look at ways of sponsoring and funding creativity and art, mentoring young people and guiding them towards making the kind of inspiring work that will change the world and change who we are as people.
So let’s stop calling it side hustle and call it what it is: “our life’s work”.
Sheree Joseph is a freelance writer.
The Employables premieres on SBS on Wednesday August 22 at 8:30pm. You can also catch up on episodes on
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