Meet Emily Bacon

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Bacon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Emily, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

My ability to take risks began with the nagging thought that I had to open a children’s art studio. That quickly became my mission and I dreamt about it nonstop.

Two years ago I was teaching fifth grade. I had a consistent work schedule, a steady income, and adoring feedback from my students. That made the risk of changing careers and opening my own business feel even riskier. Whenever the thoughts of this imaginary art studio filled my mind, I quickly battled them with every reason against it, but none of these excuses could withstand the strength of my dream.

I knew I couldn’t fight my dream anymore, so my mindset shifted to thinking about the risk it would be to NOT try. Eventually, I realized that it would be a bigger risk to not follow through on my dream. I knew that not taking action could become one of the biggest regrets of my life, so I decided to dive in. The only expectation I set for myself was to try, so I did. I set a date for an art class a month in advance, invited a few friends, and held my first class from my garage!

The classes have grown and grown, and I am now running a mobile art studio full-time. I collaborate with local schools, businesses, and the town’s parks and recreation to bring art to the community. I am in awe at what has happened simply because I took a chance. Looking back, I am so glad I bet on myself and I encourage anyone else who is thinking about a dream to go for it!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started teaching art classes from my garage with the goal of creating a space where kids could be as creative as they would like. I quickly grew out of my garage space due to the popularity of my “Adopt a Squishmallow” art classes. If you haven’t heard of Squishmallows, they are adorable stuffed animals that are extremely popular among young children. I learned to incorporate pop culture, including Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, and Sanrio into my art lessons, which attracted kids, especially boys, who were not interested in art classes previously. A parent shared that after taking several of my art classes, their child’s confidence increased and they became more willing to take risks with their art. I love that I am able to create art experiences that are not only fun, but also help foster confidence and creativity.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Kindness: We all start with zero customers. We have to start somewhere, so I called, emailed, and texted, every person I had met over the last few years to let them know about my art classes and to help me spread the word. As I was reaching out, I remember thinking, “I am so glad I’ve been nice to people.” Even though I had not spoken to many of these people in years, most of them supported my journey by attending a class or helping me spread the word. None of this would have happened without kindness.

2. Resilience: Keep moving forward no matter what, and acknowledge the gains you have made. There will be many setbacks, which makes seeing your progress challenging at times. With a resilient mindset, you can overcome anything, and being able to see the positivity within the setbacks makes them easier to overcome.

3. Joy: Towards the end of my teaching career, I did not feel joyful in my work. When I started my own business, I wanted to make sure it was something I loved doing. When I plan my classes or make business decisions I always ask myself if this will bring me joy. If it is something I am passionate about then I should move forward with the decision.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Feeling overwhelmed is understandable when you are running a business. There’s always something to do or something more I could do. One of the best things that has helped is having a weekly CEO meeting with myself where I review the last week and plan for the next one. I also use a task management system called Asana. Every Sunday, I set aside an hour for myself to reflect on the previous week, adjust my goals for the current week, and to schedule tasks based on priority for the week. A one-hour CEO meeting each week helps me become much more efficient each week and feel less overwhelmed.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Prickly Pear Photography, LLC

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