my struggles as a woman creative in new orleans

hear me out

Lately, I have been thinking long, hard, and silently about what my life as a creative looks like in the future while residing in New Orleans. Truth is, I’ve simply really been struggling. While I am grateful for my time here over the past two and a half years, I’ve experienced a lack of value and worth as a creative freelancer that I have never felt anywhere else. It’s taken me quite some time to cope with the fact that this feeling is very real for me but it is something I ‘allowed’ myself to be the victim of for far too long.

When I moved here, I lowered my rates, questioned the value I brought to the table, let myself accept inferior treatment in collaborative efforts, and abided by payment situations that left me feeling uncertain. I was ‘green’ af and I share all this to say that with me taking ownership of what I’ve allowed, it’s something I will not stand for in the future. I know my worth and my value, and I am doing everything possible to push forward in my creative path embodying this as a fact.

There is so much that I wish I knew about protecting myself and standing up for myself when I moved here. Like how “your market matters” when it comes to where you choose to live as a creative. Like how in many times women and men have very different perspectives on running businesses. Like the fact that surrounding yourself with other creatives who have a growth mindset and not a scarcity mindset is so key. Like how you must establish your core values as a business to align with the right people to work with. I could keep the list going and going, but that’s enough venting.

It’s like in this season the fog has been cleared from my eyes and I can now see through it all. When I look back, I’m left with the remnants of my falls, missteps, and mistakes but I am owning them with so much stride. Hindsight is truly 20/20 and it’s just like the saying goes, “when you know better, you do better.” I’m sharing this all to say that I hope it provides other woman creatives out there with the wisdom to look around and realize when something is off, something is not working, and that you really need to trust yourself AND do what’s best for YOU. It’s all about what you will and will not accept.

The past few months I’ve been doing a lot of complaining and wondering if I will continue to call New Orleans my home and figure out how to confidently grow my art, business, and life here, and the answer is: I really don’t know. But what I do know is that I am trying to look at things from a new light and perspective every day. I am getting advice from people I respect. I am more focused than I have ever been. I am speaking up and expressing my concerns. I am trying to figure this out, one day at a time.

I’m studying, reading books, listening to podcasts, and trying to find new strategies to solve my problems. I mean even sharing this newsletter today is me just “trying”. If you are a woman creative freelancer based in New Orleans, I've created a survey to better understand the needs and experiences of women freelancers in the city. Your insights will help the process of brainstorming some type of supportive community solutions and experiences to come in the future for us. I’m ready to see some changes here and I really believe that it starts with us coming together first.

Please take a moment to complete the survey here.

Your input is valuable, and I'd appreciate it if you could share this with other women freelancers you know. And if you are not based in New Orleans and want to help in any shape or form please feel free to email me.

With gratitude,

Taylor Simone