Josie is one of life’s hard workers but making ends meet is a struggle. She’s passionate about photography.
So why has this got left behind?
One of Josie’s friends came to us about her. She was worried. Josie was doing a hard job. She was working part-time as administration support working from home. The hours were long and the money was small. Paying the bills each month wasn’t easy and there was rarely money left over. Josie also has a son who has an illness and required constant care.
Her friend knew that Josie was special. She was incredibly creative and saw the world in a quirky way. Yet at 45 her life wasn’t playing out in a way that was making her truly happy.
As Josie told us when she first arrived at dream on: “I don’t want my life to be like this. This is my last chance.” Josie wanted to do something that fulfilled her although it was clear that she also needed enough money to stop having to worry about paying the bills.
For the first meeting we asked Josie to bring along some of the things that made her happy. She arrived with a bag full of the most amazing creations. From photographs, unique art designs, to pressed flowers and books she’d made; it was clear straight away that Josie was extraordinary.
We did an exercise with Josie where we used these things to imagine the life she dreamed of. In our minds we worked on creating “Josie PLC”.
What we realised from this exercise was that Josie had a special take on the world. She saw things differently to others and this was something unique that with a helping hand she could use to make her own business.
The thing that struck us most were her unique photographs – they really do stand out.
15 years before Josie had been to a local photography course. While others had turned up with fancy portfolios and tools, Josie arrived with her hand drawn pictures and small camera. One evening the students were set a project and while the others returned the next week with the usual art and visual techniques and pictures; Josie came back with a set of drawings and photographs all connected to the theme of Individuality And The World. The teacher was astounded. He said that in all his years he’d never found a student with such talent.
Josie had tried at that time to do something with her creative work. She’d painted pictures and images before and sent to companies but had not received many responses. Also, the time and money spent on completing these and sending outweighed any income from her work.
We worked with Josie to try a different way. We contacted a successful art publishing house and asked them if we could visit to quiz them on their business model. From this we realised that there was a way for Josie to create and sell her work.
We then worked with Josie on her business skills and helped her build a business plan. We advised her on her market research. And we coached her on staying true to her goal (as like all creative types sometimes she can get distracted by new ideas!) At the same time we helped Josie to find business grants and support.
It wasn’t just business either; our stylist helped Josie create a confident personal look and style.
We did all this at a price that Josie could afford – as we tailor our rates for people whose income is stretched.
And what’s happened? Well this year Josie has started selling her cards and artwork. She’s starting to live her dream.
Josie still comes to visit dream on; we’re still here to coach and advise. And when she does come she often arrives at the door smiling and telling us “I need a boost of you”.
And when we hear that, well we’re pretty happy too.
To see Josie’s range of work including cards, calendars, books and bags please click here.
dream on