We are very excited to bring you this special guest interview with Nuala Convery aka Wee Nuls our senior speaker at our next JUNIOR.SENIOR event on Saturday 15th June!
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your business?
Hi! I'm Nuala, aka Wee Nuls. I'm currently juggling my business around being a mum to my 1.5 year old daughter. My business is currently just myself working as a sole trader, working on various creative projects including graphic design, illustration, street art / mural painting, facilitating art workshops, speaking at conferences and lectures, managing events and more!
Nuala Convery aka Wee Nuls
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I've worked freelance most of my working life, it basically came down to the fact that I couldn't find a job that allowed me to do all the things I wanted to do. I was interested in gaining experience in a variety of creative areas and working project to project. The lack of stability can be a bit scary but if you're proactive and get talking to the right people you'd be surprised by what kind of work you can do!
Can you tell us about a typical day in your business? Are there any routines you follow each day?
So obviously this is all a bit different now that I have a daughter. My work is so varied as well so some days are much more exciting than others, for example one day I'll be live painting street art, another day im just making phone calls, replying to emails and researching the cost of different paint brands. I'm only working a few mornings a week at the moment at most while my daughter goes to crèche, and I'm arranging family childcare for any bigger projects like murals. On a typical day when she's going to creche, I'll get up around 8am, make us both a yoghurt bowl to start the day right, strip her inevitably yoghurty jammies off her and get her ready for the day. She'll bumble around the house pulling things out of cupboards, throwing her toys around and babbling to herself while I get ready. I bundle us both into the car, drop her to crèche at 9:45 and then if I'm doing 'desk' type work I'll often go to my mum's as I have a computer set up there and it's near the crèche. If it's a creative day I'll either go to my studio in Vault in town, or whatever site I'm working at that day. On desk days I usually like to start by looking through my 'business to do' list on my phone which I constantly use to remind myself of priorities. I'll then often look through any emails / projects that need chased up and plan zoom calls or phone calls to happen during this time. I'm religious about using Google calendar to plan my life. A typical desk work day might include phoning clients and talking through project ideas for custom murals, workshops etc. I'll then take their ideas and draft a budget breakdown for them and a pitch doc or even just some example images to help me sell the project and get it locked down! Creative days like when I'm painting a mural I'll be up early loading the car with spray paint, my iPad, painting clothes, my spray mask and my step ladder. I'll get down to the site and get stuck in to making a doodle grid on the wall, I'll use my iPad to get my design plan in proportion, and I'll spray paint until the suns going down or til it starts raining haha.
I'm just starting to get bigger projects booked over the summer which will take up more time, and I'm looking into further childcare options for that!
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out? Are there any particular challenges you had to overcome?
I was really confused about how to actually set up a business, do taxes etc it honestly scared me so much. I really think we should be taught that in school but that's probably another whole conversation to have! Once I actually reached out for business support from mentorship programmes like Go For It NI, everything became much easier to understand! There were times near the start of my freelance time where I was really burning myself out and I was taking on way too much, and also taking on projects that I didn't enjoy. But I don't regret it as you have to try these things to learn what you like and what suits you!
What do you love most about working for yourself?
The freedom! The flexibility! It's really empowering knowing that you can make projects come together and earn money from projects that you choose, rather than feeling frustrated in a role that you've had to squeeze yourself into to fit / to make a living.
What do you find most challenging about working for yourself?
Having a slow period is something that happens to us all at some stage and it can be stressful and scary, and can cause you to doubt yourself and your abilities.
Any advice for other women starting their own creative business?
Finding mentors throughout my career has been like a secret weapon for me. In a mentor/mentee relationship you can both get so much out of it. If there are any local businesses or creatives you admire - reach out to them! Offer to shadow them for a day, or offer to volunteer with them for a few hours. You don't ask you don't get, so start asking!
To hear Nuala’s story in person join us on Saturday 15th June in our Hill Street studios at 11.3oam, book your ticket below!