Another Creative Day Job to Give You Hope

In the “I wish I would have invented this,” category, along with highlighting ways creatives can focus more of their time doing the work they love, I give you Fuigo, an app, a co-working space, administrative and accounting support rolled into one. I've been writing about good day jobs for creatives, and this is another example.

Day jobs for creatives offer stability, and this example certainly fits that model

Fuigo was built by a supplier of high-end fabrics who saw their interior design clients struggling with running their businesses: admin, accounting, bidding jobs and other less creative tasks. They realized if their clients failed, eventually, they would too. They decided to do something to help.

Fuigo’s creator, Fortuny, operates in a realm more high-end (their fabric can run $400/yard) than most of us are accustomed to, but the idea itself--helping other creatives with their social media, accounting, administrative or other work), is a brilliant day job for someone who has the capacity and interest to help other creatives. You can struggle with your own admin, social media or accounting and be brilliant at helping other people. The shoemaker’s children syndrome.

In my Peace with Money and Marketing class, we talked about day jobs and what artists needed to avoid to make sure their day job didn’t make them feel like a sell-out. I talked about Thomas Kinkade as a possible example.

Interestingly, no one in the class thought Kinkade’s ubiquitous work, printed on calendars, mugs, tapestries, pillow covers, and many other places, earning him millions, was by definition, selling out. They just wanted to know if he reserved time for his personal, unfettered creativity. Since he died of an overdose of alcohol and tranquilizers, the answer was probably no.

In Fortuny’s case, they realized they would wither and die if they didn’t do something to help their clients stay in business. Fuigo is their day job.

Good day jobs mean stability for creatives

In your case, as long as you carve out time for your own unfettered creativity and chisel it in stone, the range of day jobs to support your creativity, your family and yourself, is wider than ever.

Need help figuring any of this out? Let’s chat for fifteen minutes.

Your work matters. I repeat this almost every week, in case you (or I) forget.