{"id":19181,"date":"2019-05-13T18:55:46","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T22:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honeybook.site.strattic.io\/?p=19181"},"modified":"2022-08-14T05:01:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T12:01:08","slug":"creating-a-business-that-supports-your-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honeybook.com\/blog\/creating-a-business-that-supports-your-needs","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Business That Supports Your Mental Health Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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My name is Taylor Lee<\/a>, and I have been a full-time professional painter for almost three years. You can\u2019t see me right now, but I\u2019m grinning with pride as I write this because there was a time when I didn\u2019t think that something this good could really work out for me. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, I have bipolar disorder, and it was very difficult for me to \u201cfit in\u201d in a lot of other circumstances (such as college and the typical 9-5) for many years. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands to create a business that played to my strengths and supported what felt like were weaknesses at the time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I filed as an LLC, switched my Instagram account from personal to business, and committed to this wild idea of becoming an artist who would not starve. I am incredibly grateful that I get to do this work. This is something that I built with a lot of intention, determination, and hard work, and I feel like I gain back more than I put in. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the ways that I arranged my business to fit my needs<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Flexible work hours allow for my range of mood shifts<\/h2>\n\n\n

I struggled in the past with other jobs that required me to clock in\/out at certain times on certain days. I know that this is a basic responsibility as an employee and it\u2019s important to be consistent. However, in other jobs I felt really guilty about being unreliable because I would either be the hardest worker or the slacker, depending upon my moods (which was something I didn\u2019t want to necessarily discuss with my employer). <\/span><\/p>\n

For a long time, I told myself that I was a terrible employee. That simply wasn\u2019t true! I found that with flexible work hours I could work hard consistently while still accommodating my shifting moods. My schedule doesn\u2019t have time blocks for each day. Instead, I work in what I like to call \u201ccreative cycles.\u201d <\/span>
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<\/span>Something that I experience with bipolar disorder are mood shifts, which alternate along a scale between mania (hyperactive energy) and depression (a lack of energy). When I\u2019m closer to the manic side of the spectrum, I can put in long hours and never run out of energy. I\u2019m very productive and excited, feeling the creative juices flowing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, when I\u2019m depressed I want to do nothing more than binge-watch <\/span>This Is Us <\/span><\/i>on Hulu. Neither of these moods are perfectly teased out; sometimes I feel a mix of both. But working for myself means that if I\u2019m feeling energetic I can work past typical business hours and if I\u2019m depressed I can rest and recover. <\/span>
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<\/span>As you can imagine, this lifestyle doesn\u2019t work for typical companies or businesses because they usually need to adhere to strict schedules and deadlines in order to meet their goals. For my business, though, it works. I feel these manic\/depressive cycles pretty predictably at this point and so I align my collection launches around them. <\/span><\/p>\n

I mostly create paintings and come up with new ideas for projects when I\u2019m energetic, and then I switch over to marketing work when I\u2019m not super energetic. Also, I recently hired an assistant who helps support me during these shifts and she can pick up the slack or back off whenever necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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2. Working from home lets me monitor my mental and physical health regularly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working from home is important to me for multiple reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n