Quitting for the Sake of Winning by Alexie Young

Soon I will be known as the woman who put Chicago’s Westside arts and culture scene on the map in a new way. While using this opportunity to affirm what is becoming of my art career, I’d like to share my artrepreneurial journey.

After I gave birth to my son in 2010, party time quickly came to an end. While I had much time on my hands, I hadn't figured out how to relieve stress. My love for art influences me to paint. I simply went to the art store and bought supplies. I had no clue what I was doing but it felt right. I shared the paintings with my boss, and she was ready to purchase. Not before long, so were others. I never thought about selling art but it was bringing in some extra cash.

I continued to work in the educational field and youth development. That is where I learned the art of facilitating and creating workshops. Over time, I learned to use the fusion of art and workshop facilitation to step into the sip and paint industry. While it was my side hustle, it brought in some steady money that was at least a weeks pay.

After having clients all over the city, I decided that I was ready for a storefront. Girl, I was not! However, I saw the MLK Exhibit Center and was fixated on how I could take ownership of a space that I wanted others to see and enjoy. Meanwhile, I kept working but was implementing phase two of my business. I began offering workshops to organizations and bigtime clients using art for team building workshops. It rendered more money in two hours than I made from my job in two weeks. Whoa!

Eventually, I decided that it was a good idea to quit my job and go after a position that doesn’t exist. I first had to evaluate what my job description would be, what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it and who would support this effort. Through my network, I found a funding source that would pay my salary for a director position. I was then able to make more money than I’ve ever made from work thus far.


The moment, I knew it was time to quit my youth development job was the moment my proposal to become the director of the exhibit was approved. The comfort that I once prayed for was no longer for me. Imagine leaving a job with benefits, freedom, work-life balance, a great team, and it’s only a few minutes from home. Quitting for the sake of winning has now allowed me to impact the arts and culture scene in my community but the next chapter involves the entire Westside of Chicago. I’m unsure of what kinda money I could potentially bring in but I am almost certain that this level of fulfillment is priceless. 

Learn more about Alexie  www.invizioncolorz.com  Twitter @invizioncolorzinc

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