Taking a Second Chance on My Creative Dream

Back to the Drawing Board…Again

I feel like this is the fifth time I’ve started over—reworking my website, my brand, and what I want to do with my career. In reality, it’s probably more than five, but I can definitely recall five distinct times. As someone who’s spent most of my adult life as a graphic designer, specialising in branding, you’d think I’d be good at representing myself online. Clearly, that’s not the case.

You see, I’ve always had trouble designing anything for myself, especially creating a logo or brand that represented myself well and one that I was happy with. And it wasn’t until recently that I’ve really tried to dig into the psychology of why that was. I’ve always had this big dream of becoming a business owner and working for myself since I was very young. To be honest, I still have that dream, I just never had the knowledge or discipline to chase it. But now it feels different. Now, I feel like I finally have the headspace, tools, and resources to give younger me’s dream a real chance.

Each time I’ve restarted, I’ve picked up something new - whether it’s improving my craft by learning a new skill or software or figuring out how to get past the awkwardness of putting myself out there. Now, for the first time, I feel I have a brand and the tools I need to make a good attempt at realising my goal. 

That’s the context for this version of my brand—fifth time’s the charm, eh? I’ve spent years hiding behind business names, using them to protect myself in case people didn’t like my work. But now that I’m older, I care less about what people think. I’m not in it for validation; I’m in it because I love making art. Art, for me, is more than just a profession that you can make a living from, it's the joy I get from the process of creating something from nothing, and that’s pretty cool.

Here's my new logo that I created to represent myself. I love it.

What Now?

I’m taking this second chance at becoming a full-time creator very seriously. To give myself the best possible chance of success, I’ve decided there are a few non-negotiables I need to focus on. Why? Because in many ways, I’m starting from scratch. I don’t have a big following—at the time of writing, I have 735 followers on Instagram and even fewer on Facebook. My largest following is on TikTok with 4,857, mostly thanks to one video that had a bit of success. But I haven’t posted there since 2020.

For years, I’ve lacked discipline and motivation. I never had a system in place that allowed me to create consistently. I also hated hiding behind a business name, which reduced my interest in sharing my work. Bundle that with the fact that I’m only now really starting to learn 3D and filmmaking, and you can see why I feel like a fish out of water.

So, here are a few of my non-negotiables that will keep me on track:

1. Consistent Content Creation: I’m committing to a regular schedule of content creation across Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and my Journal, posting daily or at least several times a week.
2. Engage with My Audience: I’ll actively respond to comments, messages, and engage with content from others in my area of interest. I want to build relationships with my audience and connect with more artists.
3. Clear Goals & Progress Tracking: I’ve defined specific, measurable goals (e.g., reaching 1,000 Instagram followers by the end of the year) and will track my progress.
4. Content Planning & Time Management: I’ve created a content calendar that balances time for art, filming, journal writing, and scheduling posts.
5. Self-Promotion & Collaboration: I’ll promote myself more and seek collaborations with other creators and artists.

I can’t say for sure that these will help me reach my goal, but I’m a huge believer in the power of consistency. That’s going to be my biggest challenge, but over the past week, I’ve felt more excited and motivated than I have in years. For once, I don’t feel overwhelmed by the “unattainable goal” looming over me. I’m focusing on each step of the journey. I’m excited to start developing myself as an artist and building my brand, Adam Ingle, as I work toward becoming a full-time creator. I’m looking forward to the challenges I’ll inevitably face, and I can’t wait to revisit this journal sometime in the future to see how far I’ve come.

Adam.

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