Editor's letter: let's dream bigger
Words by Marine Neuilly
It’s already been one month since we started our weekly newsletter (every Tuesday, 5pm) and I am very happy about it… It might sound corny to say that but it’s exactly how I feel, I am really satisfied by this feeling of starting something new.
Suddenly, all my oldest dreams are combining together to exist in a way that I hadn’t imagined possible.
Sometimes it’s the silliest things that unlock your creativity and most of the time we are our worst enemy. We tend to stay in control about our needs to feel safe and not disappointed. But somehow we loose the spontaneity of life.
When was the last time I took a risk? And I’m not talking about going on a last minute weekend break or getting home after midnight. I’m talking about real decisions that can and will affect our daily life. I guess this is the inevitable curse of growing old: we stop dreaming.
“I guess this is the inevitable curse of growing old: we stop dreaming.”
A good friend of mine said to me the other day, after I told her I was kind of feeling bored with my life right now because most things I had wanted to accomplish had already become my reality, and she said to me: “Well, maybe you should dream bigger.”
“well, maybe you should dream bigger”.
This sentence resonated with me for a while to the point that I realised I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I stopped to allow myself to dream like a child, when I was a teenage girl filled with innocence & naiveness but also strangely filled with confidence. If someone would have told me that my eighteen year old self would have a rock band that supported Iggy Pop & The Stooges I would never have believed it!
The real paradox is that I actually feel very happy about living in my mid 30s but I don’t get as excited as I used to be anymore.
The question I ask myself is: how does one maintain fun & freedom when you turn a spontaneous idea into a real business?
“The question I ask myself is: how does one maintain fun & freedom when you turn a spontaneous idea into a real business?”
(if you do have the answer, please feel free to share your experience in the comments below!)
I have a hypothesis… No compromise. No regrets.
This is the mantra I adopted from being in a rock band, but I also believe we should apply it to all types of work situations. I don’t know who invented all of these rules about success but one thing I am sure of is that nothing new can happen until you actually put yourself out there and go for it.
Don’t listen to other people’s thoughts on how you should run your business. They often will project their own insecurities onto you or they just don’t understand the vision at all. You have to trust your inner instinct.
That said, it is so important to surround yourself with good partners that will help your vision exist. But that’s where things get complicated: to be able to pay your co-workers, you need your business to make profit. For that to happen, you need to increase you sales by producing more, creating more merchandise around your project, and accepting to compromise your vision in order to achieve an economical dynamic.
Which leads us once again to the ultimate question: how to maintain fun & freedom when you turn a spontaneous idea into a real business?
Is that event possible?
Maybe I am not seeing the whole picture here. It’s time to disconnect and reconnect.
Can a business exists without making profit? Can we create something that exists but is not meant to make you rich? Is becoming rich the only thing that matters? Why do people feel the need to do *great* things instead of doing *good* things?
“Why do people feel the need to do *great* things instead of doing *good?* things?”
I think we should “calm the fuck down” and lower our expectations. If you truly enjoy what you are doing, is that not enough? So I say let’s dream again, stay curious and kind to yourself. Embrace your weirdness, “have faith in your own bad taste”.
This is one of the reasons I decided to remove all the digital content from La Chatte de Françoise’s Instagram page because I dont feel like it is a safe place to express myself anymore. I know this will have an impact on the brand sales as it represent 90% from our e-traffic. I just know I needed to make a statement to reinvent myself again. To deconstruct and to rebuild better.
I guess this is the lastest risk that I’ve taken, and it feels good.
Marine
Hey Marine, first off - love the newsletter! Such a great idea for your brand. So cool getting to hear your thoughts and ideas :) I loved everything you had to say in this one and couldn’t agree more. I also recently had this feeling like Instagram just wasn’t cutting it for me. It felt like it was draining all my energy and not producing any results. I am a photographer and everyone kept telling me I needed it for my business but I just felt miserable dealing with its upkeep. I kept my account but basically archived everything. It’s been so freeing & has allowed me to access other creative spaces instead. Since you did rely on Instagram for a big part of your income, I think this is an especially brave step! I know that because you have followed your gut, good things will come from it. I don’t think we should ever be scared to step away from what everyone else is doing because the ones who do are always the ones ahead, setting the trends and becoming an inspiration for others. Excited to follow along with your journey xxx Haley
Love this! I couldn’t agree more. So proud & grateful to be a part of the journey with you 🥰