73 million people can't be wrong about this...π€
Published 9 days agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
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I knew independent careers were viable long before any report confirmed it.
Even before there was much written about it.
I was performing across the country and abroad, choreographing regional theater productions, teaching dance at colleges, and building a career hub for dancers on the side.
Sure it was risky, and it was definitely unconventional.
Heck, most folks didn't even understand my career. They kept asking me if I owned a dance studio because that's the only frame of reference they had. π€·πΎββοΈ
But I wasn't an outlier.
I wasn't early either because there were lots of other independent creatives in my world.
I was, however, among the first to consistently document my independent creative career in an effort to help others find their own independent paths.
And I love how far we've come with both knowledge of independent careers and stories about them. π«ΆπΎ
For example, in MBO Partners' most recent State of Independence Report, they share fifteen years of data tracking the independent workforce.
And the numbers say what many of us have known for a while: 72.9 million Americans now work independently, and 5.6 million of them earn over $100,000 a year.
So, the creative middle class isn't emerging.
It's been building longer than most people realize.
As I've watched the creative founders in the programs around me build confidence and momentum, I thought I'd reshare this article to help the independent pros in our community do the same. ππΎ
The piece starts where most career stories don't...with the actual numbers. Fifteen years of data on independent workers, what the high earners have in common, and why the creative middle class was never just emerging.
The professionals I've documented who've built the most sustainable independent careers didn't wait until the conditions were perfect. They built while the data and everyone around them was still catching up.
What are you waiting for confirmation on that you could probably just start now? π
"I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T, do you know what that mean?"
P.S.Next week, we're publishing an article I'm really excited about: a deep look at Atlanta's creative economy and why it's one of the best cities for founders and creatives who are serious about building. If you're in ATL, know someone who is, or have ever thought about joining us here β you'll want to read it. #staytuned π―
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