The Permission Slip You Never Got: A Creator’s Guide to Going All In
You know that feeling of not quite fitting in?
Of having these creative dreams but pushing them aside because they don't fit the "responsible" path?
That was me for most of my life.
I did what I thought I was supposed to do - Went to college, Got the corporate job, Got the 6 figure job, Climbed the ladder.
I kept myself so busy following this blueprint that society laid out, I barely had time to ask myself what I actually wanted.
But over the past few years, something powerful happened.
Once I started being true to myself and pursuing what I actually loved, I've been blessed to help my clients generate over a billion views online, Grow a completely independent music project that makes over $250k profit a year, And build a life I am truly grateful for where I have the freedom to work and create from anywhere.
But honestly? This all started with me finally having the courage to step off that predetermined path And figure out who I really was and what lit me up inside.
Being True to Who You Are
So here's the thing that I really want to dive into first - And this is something that's so essential to everything else we're going to talk about: Being genuinely and authentically yourself.
I remember back when I was working my corporate job at Vanguard, I felt like I was wearing these different masks, you know?
Like, I was one person during the day in meetings, And then someone totally different at night and on weekends. And honestly? That was really confusing for me.
And I get it - Maybe you're in that place right now where you're trying to figure out who you are as a creative.
Maybe you're making beats, Or writing songs, Or doing something artistic, And you've got all these people around you who just don't get it.
Your parents might be like "Yeah, that's cool, but what are you really going to do?" Or maybe your friends are giving you weird looks when you talk about your dreams.
Let me tell you something that's really powerful that I've learned: Those people who don't understand what you're doing are most likely speaking from their own fear.
And sometimes - especially with family - it actually comes from a place of love. They don't want to see you struggle or fail. They want to keep you safe.
I get that.
But here's the thing about this creative entrepreneurship path - You're going to fail. You're going to struggle. That's actually an essential part of the journey.
Every failure, every setback is an opportunity to learn and evolve. The people who care about you might not understand that yet, Especially if they've never pursued their own passions as a career, Because they can't even imagine what that path looks like.
Finding Your Flow State
This is something really fascinating- That feeling when you're creating and you completely lose track of time.
Has that ever happened to you?
Like you're creating something like a beat, a drawing or a video And suddenly an hour just flies by?
That's what people call being in a flow state, And it's actually one of the most powerful things we can experience as creatives.
But here's what's interesting - and sometimes frustrating - about flow: You can't force it.
Sometimes you sit down to create and it's just not happening. What I've learned, though, is that there are ways to make it more likely to happen.
One of the biggest game-changers for me has been having a daily mindfulness practice. And I'm not talking about anything crazy - Literally just taking 5-10 minutes in the morning to center yourself. I'll elaborate more on this daily practice later.
Putting Yourself Out There Online
Now let's talk about social media.
And I know what some of you might be thinking - "I'm not an influencer" or "I'm just trying to make music, I don't want to be all over social media."
Trust me, I get that. My clients (and tbh me too) have felt the exact same way at first.
But here's what's completely changed how I view social media. The people who end up supporting you and riding with you?
Most times, they're not even the people from your neighborhood, Your high school or even your family some times.
They're these amazing humans that you connect with online who really get what you're doing… But they can only find you if you share who you truly are.
We had this really powerful realization with Able's project Where we started sharing more of our genuine journey - Not just the music, but our whole process. The ups, the downs, the behind the scenes.
And you know what happened? People started connecting with that the project in a whole new way.
Here's something really important I want to share about putting yourself out there - Something I wish someone had told me years ago.
That fear of judgment? That feeling that your work isn't "perfect" enough to share?
I spent most of my life holding back because of that. I kept telling myself I needed to make things perfect before I could share them.
But when I really dug into this "perfectionism," I realized something powerful: It wasn't actually about making things perfect. It was about being afraid that people wouldn't understand me, That they'd judge me.
And you know what's wild? Every single creative person I've worked with struggles with this same thing.
There's this deep part in all of us that just wants to be loved and accepted. And that's beautiful - it's human.
But waiting until everything's perfect before you share it? That's fear talking.
And when it comes to judgement from people on social media… I've never seen someone who's truly happy and fulfilled in their own life leave negative comments on someone else's content.
So that person that's being negative or mean in your comments Is likely just having a bad day or struggling in life.
If you're in this process right now of trying to overcome that fear of judgment, Be patient with yourself. This isn't just about sharing content - it's about healing and growth.
Have some patience and compassion for yourself. Take small steps. Share something small today, even if it's not perfect. Because perfect isn't the goal - being authentically you is.
Understanding the Business Side
Now this part is super important, And I'm just going to be really direct about it:
If you want to do this creative stuff full-time, You've got to treat it like a business.
And I know that might not sound super exciting, But let me break this down.
I see so many creatives who think they are just super busy working on their business. But when I dive in and ask what they're actually working on? A lot of times they're doing all these things that aren't actually growing their business or generating any revenue.
Here's what I've learned about making money from creativity:
Building multiple revenue streams is crucial
Having a clear offering is more important than fancy websites
Ex. Join my community or program that helps you this specific outcome, stream my music, hire me to produce a song, purchase my course, buy my digital product etc.
Understanding your value and being able to communicate it
You can generate real revenue from your music streams, for example every million streams on Spotify, you make about $5,000 USD
But here's what's really interesting - You don't need all these fancy systems when you're first starting out.
What you need is:
A clear understanding of what you're offering
The ability to talk about it with people who might want to work with you
Some basic structure and accountability (this is SO key)
Someone to check in with you and help keep you on track
The Power of Community
This is something I can't stress enough - Having a community around you is absolutely essential.
And I'm not just talking about followers or fans. I'm talking about having people who are on similar journeys, Who understand what you're going through.
Early last year, I joined this incredible community called Pursuing Purpose (link), Led by my friend BC Serna. It started as an 8-week program, But it became so much more than that.
After going through this journey, I started partnering with BC to expand his online offerings, Creating an inner circle business coaching community of other heart-led leaders Who were all building their missions online.
We met every single week last year, And something really powerful happened. During a really challenging time in my life, When my wife was going through a complicated twin pregnancy, Filled with so much uncertainty, weekly doctors appointments, months in the hospital, This community became my outlet.
There were so many emotions and challenges That I couldn't share publicly or even with many people in our life, Since we were keeping the pregnancy private due to the high risks. But in this space, with these leaders who had become like family, I could share everything with them, and that outlet saved me. (both of the twin girls are healthy now).
That's the real power of community - Having a space where you can be completely yourself, Share your struggles, And know that people truly understand.
I've helped create these kinds of spaces for other clients too. With the Able Heart music project, We built a community of 5,000 of his most engaged fans Where they got exclusive content, Early access to his music, And weekly podcast episodes we made just for them.
These people became part of his journey - Hearing about songs before they dropped, Understanding the story behind the music, And connecting with other fans who were just as passionate.
And you can start super simple with this - Even just create a group chat with one other creative friend who's on a similar journey.
Share your work with each other, Celebrate each other's wins, And be there for the tough days.
Sometimes having just one person who really gets what you're doing can make all the difference. As you grow, you might connect with more creators, But don't feel like you need a huge group to start.
Daily Practices That Keep You Going
And this is where having some type of daily practice becomes so essential.
For me, that looks like taking just 5-10 minutes in the morning to close my eyes, focus on my breath, Maybe do some movement to get flowing, Feeling gratitude (like actually feeling it in my body) and setting an intention for the day.
If my schedule and lifestyle allows for it, I'll try to schedule an hour in the morning to drop into these practices.
Because let me tell you - There are going to be days where you just don't feel motivated. That's just real. But having these practices helps you show up anyway.
I never thought I'd be someone who meditated or did breath work. I had negative judgements towards, before even knowing what it really was or trying it.
But these practices have become such a crucial part of maintaining my creativity and mental health. And you don't have to start big - Just 5 minutes of intentional breathing or quiet time can make a huge difference.
Here's a daily practice you can try that my friend Jacob created (no experience required):https://youtu.be/NRe1em9EzjY?si=lhlHUDXmSCM3yOlf
The Key
Listen, this whole journey of being a creative? It will be a rollercoaster.
Some days you're going to feel on top of the world, And other days you might question everything. That's normal. That's part of it.
But what I really want you to take away from this is: You can actually do this. Say this to yourself right now (in your head or aloud) and feel it deep on your soul:
“I can do this”.
Convince yourself to believe you can do this Many days will require a delusional belief in yourself Keep believing, fail, start re-believing This cycle might happen multiple times in a single day, and that's okay Every successful creative I know has this quality – this ability to get knocked down and somehow convince themselves to believe again It's not about never failing; it's about cultivating this almost irrational ability to dust yourself off and say "Okay, what's next?"
Whether you are going all in full-time out the gate Or building your project while working another job so you can have financial stability with a creative outlet Both are totally valid paths, and the key is staying true to who you are Sharing that authentically with people And having some structure to help you keep going when things get tough Because they will get tough But man, when you're doing what you love? When you're actually helping people with your gifts? It's so fulfilling And it IS possible for you too Look around… YOU are doing it already. Stay up.
If any of this resonated with you or you want to learn more about building your creative project, hit me up on Instagram @chazbademan or @axccreative. I'm always down to help other creatives figure this stuff out.
