Unveiling the Artistic Entrepreneur: Navigating Small Business Ownership as an Artist, Woman, and Nonprofit Founder.

Sunday marked the beginning of my workweek, kicking off at 8 am and wrapping up at 1:40 am. Now, you might be wondering how I managed to fill such a long stretch of time. Well, I’ll admit, since it was Sunday and I wanted to cherish some moments with my family, I made sure to take breaks between 1 pm and 3 pm, and then again from 5:30 pm to 10 pm.

As the afternoon rolled around, I dove headfirst into editing those photos, getting them just right before swiftly sending them off to the client. In the midst of all that hustle, I also managed to handle invoices, record payments, and craft some business proposals. Oh, and let’s not forget—I also put together a reel for Instagram, showcasing a brand-new art piece. I poured my heart into making this art piece, especially considering the current global climate, particularly focusing on the tensions in Iran and Israel and the disconcerting surge in hate crimes and antisemitism.

As night fell, I shifted gears to tend to another client’s needs. While the project had been wrapped up weeks ago, there were loose ends to tie up, and the printer needed the original logo file I’d created for them.

Around midnight, I made a decision to streamline my upcoming week, determined to tackle the seemingly never-ending to-do list more efficiently. And by 12:45 am, I found myself jotting down this post, aiming to encapsulate all the various aspects of my daily, monthly, weekly, and yearly endeavors. Why? Well, because if I’m serious about growing and thriving, I know that expanding through hiring is essential. That means carving out time to delegate responsibilities and communicate tasks clearly to potential hires.

Amidst this bustling schedule, I also need to recognize all the different hats I wear—as a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. Additionally, I dedicate my time to nonprofit work, where I volunteer and share my skills mainly with local organizations. I also serve as the founder of Unchained Mothering, where I work to develop and advance our mission. And of course, I make sure to carve out time for myself, whether it’s through sports activities like those 30-minute power sessions with Carole White owner of the White Tiger Dragon twice a week or delving into learning modern Hebrew. Although I’m proficient in reading and writing, mastering spoken Hebrew has been a dream of mine for over 20 years. So, I’ve jumped into a small group with Jessica Kaplan on Zoom twice a week for one hour, facilitated by the Center for Jewish Life.

I have crafted for you two blog posts to keep a lookout for. One with a non-exhaustive but pretty complete list of tasks typically performed by a small business owner, with the specificity of being an artist; and a second one with suggestions on tasks that can be delegated to free up time and focus on income-generating activities. 

Last but not least, It’s Women’s Month, and Unchained Mothering is a full nonprofit with a big mission to complete. So, I engage you, if you can, to head to our website and make a contribution. As Unchained Mothering has a 501(c)(3) status, your contribution will be fully tax-deductible.

Here’s a link to see the art work I was working on: It’s a small tryptic, the original will be available for sale soon,

With love and light, always,

Jessica de Vreeze.