The Cost of a Creative Life

Navigating the space between burnout, creative endeavours and the financial demands of life.

This week marks three months since I joined Substack and just over a year since I left my corporate career behind. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe how much has changed. From deep burnout and lack of passion in life in the corporate office, to the many wonderful and difficult weeks alone at sea, watching waves, birds, whales and dolphins as we sailed around the stunning Scottish coast, life has never felt richer. And now, the writing and photography I’m putting out here feels like the beginning of something profoundly different and creative.

What a transformation it has been. I truly love the creative work, and the community forming here. Thank you from the bottom of my soul to everyone who has joined, who is supporting Soulfaring and my journey toward getting my stories published, and who reads what I publish every day.

As I said a month ago, writing here has done something to my soul that I can’t quite explain. For the first time, I feel like I am exactly where I want to be.

Reality catching up

But so far this is not really sustainable. However much I want to pretend otherwise, money is running out, and I have yet to get an agent and get closer to publishing my memoir.

The question on my mind now is whether it could be possible to make this work long term? I have to admit I am scared of the prospect of returning to a corporate career, worried burnout will return and that I will feel my soul withering away again.

I’m of course not expecting to be able to be a full-time writer/photographer in such a short time, but I’m enjoying building something little of my own that will hopefully grow over time, and I want to make the most of this opportunity. To go all in and try something for real, whether it fails or not, so I at least can say I gave it a shot.

For so many years writing has seemed like a pipe dream, a cute idea but “come on, get a real job and write in your spare time”. But I do find that life tends to get away from you and one day you look back and wonder why you never did write the thing you had dreamt of. But I am doing it now, I am writing and through your generosity I am making a bit of money doing it.

So now my life is a balancing act in a different way from ever before. I am fully in charge and fully to blame, trying to decide what and when to write, what inspires me at any given moment, and build a creative routine, and crucially, trying to make some money doing it.

It’s so different from the clear corporate trajectory I knew. Things look more uncertain. But I am happier than I have ever been, and truly enjoy how connected writing and photography are making me. I get to build something deeply meaningful that feels honest, and soulful, and I get to spend my time close to nature and the elements.

Making creativity sustainable long-term

So where is this going?

The last few weeks I have been working on bringing together the beauty I get from viewing the world through a lens – capturing the world as I see it – and the reframing perspective I get from sailing and immersing myself in the world.

It seemed natural to combine photo and text into art prints. It’s been another incredibly educational experience setting up a little Etsy shop, designing prints and finding a shop to print etc. For the first time in my life I feel like I am building a little creative business.

Today I’m officially launching SoulfaringStudio on Etsy. I’m incredibly excited and also very nervous.

I have added postcards and prints (featured throughout this post) so far, available with and without the text, and have a vision of eventually expanding it into self-publishing some of my writing as well.

It would help immensely if you checked it out and followed the store for updates on future prints and publications.

Launch day & subscriber perks

So to celebrate this milestone for myself and Soulfaring, and to say thank you to all of you, here is a link to 30% off everything at the newly launched store.

https://soulfaringstudio.etsy.com?coupon=LAUNCH30

Additionally all current and future paid subscribers will receive an unlimited link to 50% off the entire shop (value up to £19 per item) and a free set of postcard prints I’ve just put together including a handwritten thank you card (value £10) as a thank you for your incredibly generous support.

So whether you join for a monthly £4 subscription or an annual £35 you’ll have some thank you gifts coming your way!

I would love to hear from those of you who have done this before, any tips and tricks for a complete beginner?

And if anyone has something they’d love to see prints of or collaboration ideas, I’d love to hear suggestions. I’d happily add custom prints by request based on photos I’ve published on Soulfaring before.

All the artwork is printed locally and delivered for free anywhere in the world!

Thank you again for your support of Soulfaring. The greatest help you can provide is to join as a free or paid subscriber and to share any of my posts that resonate with you so that others can have the opportunity to find and connect with it.

Fair winds and following seas to all of you,

Alexander