Leap of Faith

You may be familiar with The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, the classic self-help book on recovering your creativity. From morning pages (freewriting when you first wake up each morning to help kick start your creativity) to artist's dates (scheduling an activity for yourself that helps stoke your artistic fire), Cameron's activities have been a guide for many an artist, writer, or performer looking to rediscover their native ability to create.

But Cameron's biggest impact on me was a small quote included in her book: "Leap and the net will appear."

I started as a freelance copywriter after almost four years at a small, privately-held marketing agency. Although I knew I had the skills to make a living as a freelancer, I wasn't sure if I had the ability to sell myself. I'd read a few books about freelancing, Bob Bly's Secrets of a Freelance Writer and Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Writer, but I still had no idea if I'd be living in a cardboard box after a year. The only way to know for sure was to quit my steady, full-time job at the agency and go out on my own.

So I did.

And it worked.

I landed clients and paying gigs. I never had to worry about how I was going to pay the bills. In my first year as a freelancer, I made more than the salary I'd left behind.

How? I lept and my net appeared.

More specifically, I went into the situation with a very specific intention: I believed (and still do) that big risk comes with big reward. I honestly believed there was no way I could take a potentially foundation-shaking risk (like quitting my job to freelance) and not have it pay off.

It wasn't about a sense of entitlement--I didn't think the universe owed me anything because I quit my job. It was about understanding what I needed to do to make things work out the way I wanted.

Take self-promotion. I developed a direct mail piece that I sent to a targeted list of potential clients. "But what if that doesn't work?" said that somewhat whiny, annoying little voice in my head. If my phone sat silent, I knew I could cold call. Not exactly a fun way to spend a day, but if I had to do it to keep my newly established freedom and flexibility, then I'd start dialing for dollars. "And if that doesn't work?" (It's surprising how persistent that doubting voice can be.) If all else failed and I was completely destitute, I'd start looking for a desk job. "And if you can't find a job as a copywriter?" Then I'd get a job. Any job. I'm a smart woman with a diverse communications background--I knew I was worth a paycheck, even if that meant I was standing behind a cash register at Starbucks. Not a dream job, but gainful employment by most people's standards.

So when I leapt, my net did appear in the form of believing in myself. I knew that if things didn't work out the way I'd planned, I would adapt, try a new path and keep moving forward. And even my last resort, my worst case scenario wasn't that bad.

Think about the path you'd love to follow, the life you'd love to create, the masterpiece inside you. Can you do it? If you're contemplating it, you probably have the grit to pull it off. Will it take a leap of faith to get there? Yes--faith in yourself!