The Autonomous Creative

What happens to your business when you take an extended break from social media? Will it fall apart? Wither on the vine?

What if the answer is…not much?

Meg Casebolt is an SEO expert and the founder of Love at First Search, an agency that helps online businesses get found in search results, and to turn new readers into leads, subscribers and sales.

Meg’s business used to be super active on social media, until a few years ago when she took a 100-day social media break. Kind of by accident. That’s when Meg discovered that even though social media had been taking up a ton of her time, it wasn’t contributing much to her sales.

In this episode, we discuss Meg’s new book, Social Slowdown, which examines the intersection of entrepreneurship, social media, and mental health, and explore creative new ways to engage with your audience and find clients without relying on social media.

More from the episode

• Meg explains the difference between social media and SEO. (As well as answering the question, what is SEO, actually?)
• Brownies vs. Painkillers: How to determine what problem your work solves.
• The pro and cons of using social media for your marketing.
• How to set healthy boundaries around your social media usage.
• What are some effective networking strategies for introverts?

About Guest

Meg Casebolt is a digital marketing strategist, SEO specialist, boy mom, productivity nerd, and bibliophile. Meg’s been helping business owners create beautiful, search-friendly websites and strategic content for the past 6 years.

Connect with Guest

Do you struggle to figure out how to price your work so that it’s actually profitable for you…and then to actually say that price out loud, without mumbling or undercutting yourself?

Do you find yourself rushing to offer a discount BEFORE anyone even asks?

On this episode, I’m joined by Rauni Higson, one of Britain’s leading silversmiths. When I first met Rauni, she was chronically undercharging for her work, experiencing major feast or famine cycles, and generally running herself ragged teaching and taking on low-end work.

Discover how Rauni learned to price her work for a profit, and effectively communicate the value of her work to clients without feeling like she had to put on airs. And how that higher pricing helped her break the cycle of needing to fill her income gap by taking on tons of other low-margin work.

More from the episode

• How pricing your work goes beyond numbers, and plays a crucial role in helping people truly appreciate your work
• How having the words to talk about your work unlocks your ability to have fun connecting with clients
• The key differences between selling a product-based offer vs. a service offer
• Why we should “stay out of other people's wallets,” and what ethical practice and consent during the sales process looks like
• The power of networking with fellow creatives and nurturing relationships with past clients
• How to say “no” to commissions…for any reason

About Guest

Rauni Higson is one of Britain’s leading silversmiths. Originally trained in Finland, her studio is located in the dramatic landscape of Snowdonia, a rich backdrop of mountainous crags and rugged coastline that inform her work. All her pieces are made by hand and by hammer, using her contemporary interpretation of traditional skills.

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Samantha Clark is an award-winning artist and lauded author who recently transitioned from an academic career to creative coaching. After a year of hitting her income goals and filling her roster with clients, Sam hit a revenue ceiling.

Sam realized she needed to earn more—a lot more. Especially if she wanted to build up her savings and plan for retirement. But she didn’t know how to increase her revenue without increasing her workload.

On this episode, Sam and I explore strategies for escaping an income plateau, why doubling down on your marketing efforts won't solve your revenue problem, and how to address pricing and imposter syndrome.

More from the episode

• How thinking small can set you up for tons of work, and not enough income.
• What actually happens when you raise your prices.
• The one key technique that can reduce the time you put in with each client (and preserve quality) while ALSO making sales easier.
• The marketing asset you don’t know you need that not only makes sales smoother but also helps you get over internal resistance to raising your prices.
• Why creatives are uniquely suited for designing and running their own business (and for enjoying it!)

About Samantha Clark

Samantha Clark is an award-winning visual artist of 30 years’ experience, a published author with a PhD in Creative Writing, and a university-level educator for over 25 years.

Connect with Samantha Clark

If you have a brain that doesn’t work the way it seems like everyone else’s does, or at least the way people tell you it should, that can be challenging. But can it also be a source of strength.

On this episode of the Autonomous Creative, we're talking about neurodiversity and how to identify the tools you need to move from intention to action. I’m joined by Emily Zilber, a curator with twenty years of professional experience in art museums and cultural organizations. Emily was diagnosed with ADHD in her late 30s, and now brings strengths-based, neurodiversity-informed coaching skills to artists, creatives, and cultural workers.

Join us as we explore the different frameworks for understanding neurodiversity, how it impacts creative life and business, and the importance of understanding one’s brain’s unique needs.

More from the episode

• What is a “neurodiversity-affirming framework” and how can it be more useful than a “disorder model”?
• Does laziness exist? If not, what the hell is it?
• How developing self-trust is a key part of the puzzle
• What is “pre-deciding” and how does it help with getting things done?
• How pricing your work appropriately ties into doing better work and having a better life
• How to look at pursuing goals as an experiment and why that might be key for solving big problems.

About Guest

Through Avid Gaze Coaching & Consulting, Emily Zilber offers support and strategy for artists, creatives, and cultural workers. She brings twenty years of professional experience as a curator, educator, and writer in art museums, cultural organizations, and higher education to her work with clients, as well formal training in strengths-based, neurodiversity-informed coaching skills.

Connect with Guest

Gabriela Pereira, my friend and the founder of DIY MFA, interviews me about creative flow. I share my strategies for building focus and reducing decision fatigue, and we do a major deep dive into one of my favorite topics: how to end the never-ending cycle of burnout and design a sustainable creative career.

More from the episode

• Tips for transforming your creative practice into a habit you don't have to think about
• What are your “circles of control”? How can acknowledging them help ease your overwhelm and give you more agency?
• How hustle culture negatively impacts creatives and leads to cycles of burnout
• The number one thing you need to consider when designing a sustainable creative career
• We explore alternative paths to making a living as an author, and business models that harness your unique toolkit and experience

About Gabriela Pereira