Do You Need a Degree to Start a Creative Business?

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All genuine education comes about through experience.
— John Dewey

 

Do you need a degree to start your creative business?

The answer is simple: NO.

Having a degree is not a prerequisite for living a more creative life or running a successful creative business.

Do you want to know how many times I’ve had design clients ask if I have a degree? Zero. My skills show in my portfolio of work. Skills matter. Degrees don’t. Drive matters. Dedication matters. Creating systems that work for you matter. Providing great customer service matters.

I do have a degree in graphic design and I’m glad I had those experiences, but everything I really truly needed to run this business I learned from real life work experience. The rest I taught myself as I went through reading books, watching YouTube, and through asking for help from community. Another incredibly important component is being willing to keep showing up and working hard at it. Running a business is not easy. You have to be mentally prepared to fail over and over as you grow and figure things out.

If you desire to get a degree, great, but you can still do amazing things without one. Don’t let higher education be an excuse to stop you from pursuing your dreams today. You are ready to be creative just as you are.✨

RECOMMENDATIONS

These are my top three favorite books I LOVE to recommend to people getting started in their journey as a creative entrepreneur:

  • Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller

  • Start With Why, Simon Sinek

  • Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (not business specific, but I recommend it to ALL CREATIVES!)

If you’re in need of some direction, or have big ideas but aren’t sure how to get started with them, check out my creativity coaching sessions. I would love to help you work through your next steps in your creative journey.


In an effort to foster a creatives community I’ve started a Facebook group called Art is a Record Creatives Community, the same name as this blog. I would love for you to join in the fun as we discuss creative living, projects, art, and life.

Thanks for reading and be sure to follow Paper Heart Design on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more art, design, + how to’s. You can also subscribe to my newsletter below to stay up to date with all the latest and greatest.

Beauty is everywhere.