The Art of Hustling

TheArtofHustling_PSDEdit

THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LUCKIER YOU GET

It’s easy to live in a world that society has defined for you. Living out the routine of a 9-5 then coming home to eat dinner and relax by catching up on your TV programs. You'll probably find time to squeeze in an hour to scroll through your phone while laying in bed before you wake up and repeat the cycle. You tell yourself that this is how it's supposed to be so you can reach retirement. It's not supposed to be fun.

I say this because this is how I used to think and how the majority of others around me think.

You may be content with this lifestyle but I won't accept it. I want to live life by my own rules knowing that I control my success by how hard I work.

Since obtaining this mindset, I’ve adopted the motto of “Work hard and you’ll see results” and “The harder you work, the luckier you get”. I used to think these were cliché terms but I’m here to tell you that these are some one of the realest things you’ll ever hear as I am experiencing the benefits of them both firsthand.

I've been able to reap the rewards of hard work because I'm a hustler. My type of hustling is tied to self-development and personal growth. I could go on a long tangent about the importance of both, however I will save that for next weeks topic.

When you put in the work and see the results, it becomes an addiction. The addiction turns into a hustling mentality as you strive to achieve more success. The only thing that’s on your mind is how can you get better and what goals are you going to crush next.

I’m going to share 4 benefits of hustling and how they have applied to my illustrative lettering process. Or better yet, my outlook on life in general.

1. COMMITMENT

Time is an artists most valuable asset. When you commit to something, that is time that is taken away from you permanently. You'll never get it back.

Time is money.

I've realized that my time has become immensly more valuable than taking on someone else's project for a chunk of change. Working this way may not yield immediate cashflow, but it will eventually lead me to the bigger picture. I can't achieve this by committing to someone else's vision. The time I invest in myself will fund all my needs so in a sense, time is money.

So what are you committing to?

I choose to commit to myself and spend my time reaching my goals. There are not enough hours in the day to get through the list of tasks I need to accomplish so I fill every second with ways of trying to improve my situation and keep the mind fueled because I am committed to the vision and the grind.

I have to work with haste because time is against me for the responsibilities I’ve pledged to partake in. In a given week, some of my routine consists of; waking up early to write, proofreading, drawing featured images, shooting and editing the images, shooting and editing video clips, re-purposing content for the upcoming newsletter, populate and tailor content to the strengths of each social network, catch up with emails and messages, and not to mention plot ahead for the next weeks topic.

I do all of these because I want to be consistent. People only notice consistency and you will deliver consistently if you stay committed.

2. CONSISTENCY

Being consistent is a two-way street. You have to be consistent in your thoughts as well as in your actions. They say you become what you think, but I also feel you must take a plan of action to obtain the prize.

Whether I'm thinking and speaking to myself or creating and consuming, I am consistent in the fact that everything I am doing is assisting in my progression. I milk every minute in the day and dedicate it towards objectives that will make me a better person and an artist who produces higher quality work and gives value to people.

Throughout the day, I’m drawing and writing on anything I can get my hands on. No scratch paper is safe. When I take notes, I practice drawing my letters or throw down some calligraphy as I keep a brush pen by my side.

I’m consistent in the way that I fuel my inspiration in order to always have an idea ready to pursue when I began drawing or writing. I've trained myself to consume podcasts, books and audio books in an effective and steadfast manner that when it's time to throw down, there is no need to think. I can work freely and find my zone.

Throughout this past year, I've put out so much artwork at such a high frequency that people started to take me serious for the first time in my life. I felt like I was gaining some positive influence on people.

3. BECOME AN INFLUENCER

When you’re being consistent and constantly putting out new content, people will notice.

A prime example of this is Sean McCabe behind seanwes. He was a musician and a savvy web designer who began curating nothing but hand lettering. Eventually he was the first person that came to mind when you thought of modern day hand lettering as he defined the box that people would put him in.

He then shifted his commitment to business and pivoted his influence as a brand that helps other aspiring entrepreneurs to do what they love to do, with a lingering focus still on hand lettering. Over time, he has accomplished this through his network and putting out consistent content that has helped many aspiring entrepreneurs such as myself. I applied these principles to my life.

I used to be known as guy who designed t-shirts. This all changed because of my commitment to curating nothing but hand lettering fused with illustrations on my Perspective-Collective platforms. I realized, the more I kept creating and posting multiple times per week, the more I was defining the box that people would categorize me in.

To date, I feel I've created the perception that I'm the guy who can letter and illustrate uplifting and motivational content. However, I want my art to serve a higher purpose and deliver a more intimate message.

I’m slowly making the transition to pivot my influence as a motivational speaking artist who's focus is producing self help material. The whole purpose of this blog is to consistently define myself as an artist who can deliver value and words of encouragements while using illustrative lettering to enhance the visual experience.

I announce a new blog post every week. However....

People don’t notice announcements, they notice consistency.

This means that people won’t start seeing me as an influencer until I’ve posted 50-100 consecutive blog posts and deliver nothing but value. The more writing and creating I do, the more I'll slowly create my authentic voice and grow an audience that my words will resonate with and more lives I can improve.

Weekly blog posts that share my story, process and words of encouragement will no doubt lead me to becoming a speaker and workshop leader where I can give value face to face. The trick to maintaining and pushing the hustle is to become efficient and work smarter.

4. EFFICIENCY

As I continue to hustle, my work flow evolves. Things that used to take me 4-5 hours now take me 1-3 hours. You start to figure out what works and what doesn’t. What can you cut out and what should you add to your routine that will enhance the process?

Becoming faster and more efficient means you can get more work done. Getting more done makes you more consistent. Becoming more consistent allows your influence to grow even stronger and more quickly. As your influence continues to grow, you begin to open more doors of opportunity. That's when the fun begins as you start crushing those goals you’ve set for yourself as you wipe them off your white board.

Becoming more efficient means sacrificing things that will not help you become the person you are striving to become.

Will binge watching an entire season or two of a show on Netflix help me write a blog post with a featured image? I don’t think so. You have to cut out the unnecessary things you consume as they are just distractions. If you’re not creating, you need to spend time consuming things that will aid in your personal development.

I'm hoping with this post that I've painted a new picture in your mind of what "Hustling" is all about. The benefits from putting your head down and persistently working towards a goal will teach you so much and the amount of opportunities you will create for yourself will blow your mind. The art of hustling will change your life as it has mine.

–

If you have found value in this post or have any questions or issues you’d like me to cover, you can share this, sign up for my upcoming newsletter or email me directly. I’d love to hear from you so I can keep growing as an artist and a teacher.