#30: How to Reclaim Control of your Creative Business

In this episode of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray draws from her extensive experience in the jewelry industry to offer invaluable advice for creators seeking to build a sustainable and fulfilling business. She introduces the concept of 'creative authority,' emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and aligning one's work with personal values. Courtney shares her journey of overcoming the pressures of constantly saying yes and how establishing firm, value-driven boundaries transformed her business. By asking critical questions about where you are giving away power and how to reclaim control, this episode serves as a practical guide for any creative looking to shape a business that truly reflects who they are now, rather than who they were when they first started. Listeners are encouraged to take actionable steps towards regaining control, making way for genuine growth and alignment. Tune in to gain insights on how to avoid burnout and create a business that supports your goals, values, and creative rhythm.

Transcript

 Welcome to The Jeweler's View. I'm Courtney Gray, metalsmith educator and creative business strategist. After 25 years in the jewelry industry, running one of the country's top metalsmithing schools, coaching artists, advising companies and organizations, and hosting interviews with some of the best in the craft.

I finally created the kind of support I wish I'd had from the start. This podcast is a part of that. Each week I share the lessons I had to learn the hard way so you can build a rhythm that supports your creative work, your values, and the life and business you actually want. Find tools, coaching and my transform course@courtneygrayarts.com and let's get to work.

 Let's talk about creative authority, not the kind that comes from having a fancy title or decades of experience, or thousands of followers. I'm talking about the kind that comes from within the kind that says, this is how I work, this is what I'm here to do, and this is what I'm no longer available for.

Because at some point you stop asking for permission and you start shaping your business based on what's actually true for you and what you have capacity to offer. During this season of your life, in the beginning, most of us say yes to everything, every commission, every repair, sound familiar, every opportunity, every restrain, every request. We overexplain our process. We undercharge, or we don't charge at all. And we let our boundaries blur because we're afraid to lose a sale or to appear difficult to our  customers.

We want to make the sale irresistible, so we drop all of our values in the process, but over time, I'm telling you, that gets heavy and it's simply not sustainable. If you're thinking of this as a business or a future income stream, it's not sustainable. And what I've found again and again, is this, if you don't define how you want to work, someone else will do it for you.

They probably won't do it in a way that protects your energy, your values, or your long-term vision. So today's episode is about getting honest. Where are you giving away your power? Where are you still operating from outdated expectations? And how can you start stepping into your own authority without needing to get louder or tougher or too intense?

Let's dig in. When I think back to  my first few years in business, I was so eager to prove myself. I wanted people to say yes, I wanted to be liked. I wanted to be seen as capable. Really, I just wanted to be validated, and I wanted a seat at the table.

So I worked weekends. I answered emails at 11:00 PM vacation time. Not really. I was working from the beach. I customized everything for everyone. Even when I had a gut feeling or  my intuition was screaming, this is not the right fit. And honestly it worked. I got that seat at the table. I got praise from my students, clients, employees almost daily

until I started to resent the work. I. I had created a business that worked for everyone else, but it didn't work for me. That's when I started setting some real boundaries , and not just surface level ones my friend. Like I don't answer emails after 5:00 PM I mean, boundaries that reflected my values, boundaries that honored my time, my health.

My actual capacity, not the one of the superwoman that I thought I was, and the people honestly thought I was too. Things like only taking on clients who trusted and valued my process. Being upfront from the beginning about pricing and realistic timelines, creating systems that didn't rely on me always being on.

And slowly that started to shift how people responded to me. Because when you're clear about how you work, it builds trust and it sets an undeniable professional tone. It filters the noise.  It magnetizes the people who respect what you've built and what you offer.

And it repels, I call it the universal flush. It repels the ones who want to control it. Or alter it at any cost to you. Some of you might think of this as energy vampires, right? This is the kind of work we do early on in transform Write. In module one, we name where the friction is.

We explore how some of these old stories from school, past jobs, even from family members who love us, can shape how we show up in our businesses. There's often this quiet pressure to be everything to everyone, to make everyone happy, to be professional in a way that's actually performative, to be successful in a way that doesn't feel personal, to stay small or quiet or nice, or to price low to stay accessible.

Sound familiar? Real creative authority doesn't come from forcing or pushing. It comes from knowing, knowing your values, knowing why you do this in the first place,  knowing your limits, and protecting that. So here are a few questions. I want you to sit with one. Where are you still waiting for permission? Is there something you've been wanting to say or stop doing, but you're afraid it might make waves? That's a sign number two, where are you letting someone else's expectations or some social construct run the show?

This could be a client, it could be a colleague, unfortunately, sometimes it could be a family member.

Or it could be a social script that you've never questioned. Just because it's normal doesn't mean it's right for you. Number three, what would change if you trusted yourself just a little more this season? Not because you have it all figured out, because we never will, but because you're listening, paying attention. Building from the inside out. Here's what I wanna tell you. Creative authority isn't about being louder.

It's not about being perfectly polished, and it's definitely not about pleasing everyone. It's about alignment. It's about making choices that support your actual goals, not the ones people assume you should have.

And it's about building a business that reflects who you are now, not who you were five years ago. When you first started saying yes to everything, if this sounds familiar or resonates with you, if it feels like you're ready to take more control, but you don't wanna burn out doing it, this is your checkpoint.

You don't need to overhaul everything, but you do need to get honest about where your power might be leaking. So here's your action step for today.

Pick one area of your business where you're going to reclaim control. It might be a simple thing like updating your website FAQs to reflect how you actually work. How do you flow? Or revising your client intake process? What do you set up upfront to make things run smoother and easily  and to be sure that they're aligned with your values now and how you wanna work?

Or maybe it's just saying no to one thing that doesn't align. Even if that feels a little scary or uncomfortable, that one shift creates space. And space is what helps your next step come into focus. Inside transform, this is one of the most important mindset shifts that we work through.

If you don't believe you have the right to shape your own business, you'll keep handing that right to someone else or trying to fit it into a box. So if today's episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to take the next step. Visit my website, courtneygrayarts.com. You can learn more about the course or join my email list or just reach out.

Tell me  what's that one thing that you're gonna shift? , And remember, creative authority doesn't come from a title. It comes from how you lead yourself onward and upward. You've got this, my  friend. I'll see you next week.  

  📍 Thanks for listening to The Jeweler's View. If today's episode gave you something to think about, consider sending it to a friend or share it on social and tag me at Courtney Gray Arts. You'll find tools, coaching resources, and the transform course@courtneygrayarts.com. .

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And if no one's told you this lately. Remember, you're not behind. You're becoming exactly the kind of maker your business needs and that kind of depth, it takes time. I'll be back next week, same time, same tough love, onward and upward. I.