The Deinfluencing of Female Creative Entrepreneurship: Let's Get Real About the Myths

Hey dear,
We need to talk. Like, really talk. Pull up a chair, grab your favorite mug of something warm, and let's have one of those conversations that might make you squirm a little but leaves you feeling so much clearer.

I'm here to deinfluence you. Hard.

Not from your dreams—never from your dreams. But from all the shiny, filtered, perfectly curated bullshit that's been sold to us about what it means to be a female creative entrepreneur. Because honestly? Most of what we've been told is not just wrong—it's harmful.

The Myth of Effortless Success

Let's start with the big one, shall we? That gorgeous Instagram feed showing someone "casually" building a six-figure business while doing morning yoga, sipping matcha lattes, and never having a hair out of place.

Here's what they don't show you: the 3am anxiety spirals when you realize you have $47 in your business account and rent is due next week. The days when "self-care Sunday" means crying in your car between client calls because you're so overwhelmed you can't see straight. The months where you question everything—your talent, your worth, your sanity.

I've been there, sisters. We've all been there. And pretending we haven't is doing a disservice to every woman who's trying to figure out if she's cut out for this entrepreneurial life.

Real talk: Most successful female entrepreneurs I know have had at least one complete breakdown, multiple identity crises, and way too many nights eating cereal for dinner while working until 2am. This isn't failure—it's the real journey. And it's time we owned it.

The "Passion Project" Trap

Oh, this one makes my blood boil. How many times have you heard, "Follow your passion and the money will follow"? Or my personal favorite: "It doesn't feel like work when you love what you do!"

Bullshit. Beautiful, well-intentioned, but complete bullshit.

Here's the truth they don't want you to know: You can be madly, deeply, soul-level passionate about your work and still have days when it feels like the hardest thing you've ever done. You can love your craft with every fiber of your being and still need to do things that feel boring, scary, or completely outside your comfort zone to make your business work.

Passion is not a business plan. Passion doesn't pay your rent. Passion doesn't automatically make you good at sales, marketing, financial planning, or any of the hundred other skills you need to run a successful business.

I'm not saying passion doesn't matter—it absolutely does. But this idea that if you're truly passionate, everything else will just magically fall into place? That's the kind of toxic positivity that keeps women stuck in poverty while chasing their dreams.

The "Balance" Myth

Can we please, for the love of all that's sacred, stop talking about work-life balance like it's something achievable for entrepreneurs?

Balance implies a steady state. Entrepreneurship is the opposite of steady. Some weeks you'll work 80 hours because you're in flow state and everything is clicking. Other weeks you'll barely work 20 hours because you're burned out, dealing with personal stuff, or just need to exist as a human being for a minute.

Instead of balance, let's talk about seasons. Let's talk about rhythms. Let's talk about giving yourself permission to be fully human while building something meaningful.

The women who seem to "have it all together" all the time? They either have way more support than they're showing you, or they're headed for a spectacular burnout. Neither is a model you want to follow.

The "Authentic Personal Brand" Pressure

This one hits different because it sounds so empowering, doesn't it? "Just be authentically you!" they say. "Share your story!" they chirp.

But then the pressure starts. Suddenly your "authentic" self needs to be consistently inspirational, perpetually motivated, and always ready with the perfect quote or life lesson. Your struggles need to be packaged into neat little growth stories with clear resolutions and actionable takeaways.

Here's what authentic actually looks like: Some days you're wise as hell. Other days you're a mess who can't figure out basic adulting. Some days your business feels like your calling. Other days it feels like an expensive hobby that's slowly driving you insane.

Real authenticity isn't a brand—it's messy, contradictory, and often unmarketable. And that's exactly why it's so powerful when you stop trying to package it and just live it.

The "Community Over Competition" Fantasy

Don't get me wrong—I love women supporting women. I believe in lifting each other up. But this sanitized version of female entrepreneurship where we all hold hands and skip through fields of collaborative abundance?

It's not real, and it's not helpful.

Sometimes other women in your field will be competitive with you. Sometimes they'll copy your ideas, undercut your prices, or just plain not like you. Sometimes you'll feel jealous, threatened, or frustrated by other successful women in your space.

These feelings don't make you a bad feminist. They make you human. And pretending they don't exist just leaves you feeling guilty and confused when they inevitably show up.

True community happens when we can be honest about the full spectrum of our experiences—including the uncomfortable ones.

What We Need Instead

So what do I want to influence you toward? What's the alternative to all these pretty lies?

Reality. Messy, complicated, sometimes boring reality.

Building a creative business as a woman is hard work. It requires skills you might not have yet. It demands sacrifices you might not want to make. It will challenge every story you've ever told yourself about who you are and what you're capable of.

It will also be one of the most rewarding, growth-inducing, soul-expanding things you'll ever do. But not because it's easy or natural or aligned with some cosmic purpose. Because it's hard, and you'll do it anyway, and you'll become someone incredible in the process.

Community. Real community. The kind where you can admit you have no idea what you're doing and someone will help you figure it out without judging you for not having it all together.

Skills. Actual, practical, unsexy business skills. Learn to sell. Learn to market. Learn to manage money. Learn to set boundaries. Your creativity is your superpower, but these skills are what will keep you in business long enough to use it.

Support. Not the kind that tells you everything happens for a reason, but the kind that brings you soup when you're too stressed to cook and reminds you that businesses take time to build when you're comparing your chapter 2 to someone else's chapter 20.

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

Here's what I want you to know, beautiful human:

• You don't have to love every part of running a business.
  
  

• You don't have to be grateful for every struggle.
  
  

• You don't have to turn every setback into a lesson or every challenge into content.
  
  

• You're allowed to have days when you hate everything about entrepreneurship except the fact that you can't imagine doing anything else.
  
  

• You're allowed to want both creative fulfillment and financial security without apologizing for either.
  
  

• You're allowed to be ambitious, competitive, and demanding of excellence—from yourself and others.
  
  

• You're allowed to change your mind, pivot your business, or even quit if that's what serves you.
  
  

• You're allowed to be successful without being inspirational, wealthy without being humble about it, and powerful without being palatable.
  
  

This journey of building something from nothing while staying true to your creative spirit? It's not for everyone, and that's okay. But if it's for you—if you feel that pull even after everything I've just told you—then welcome to the real work.It's messier than the Instagram version, but it's also more meaningful. It's harder than the motivational quotes suggest, but it's also more rewarding. It's scarier than the success stories let on, but it's also more life-changing.The world needs what you're building. But more than that, you need to build it—not because it's easy or guaranteed or aligned with your chakras, but because you're brave enough to try anyway.Now let's get to work.With love and zero bullshit, Your sister in the beautiful chaos of creative entrepreneurship

With creativity & courage,
Anna

Ready to connect with other women who are done with the pretty lies and ready for real talk? Let's build something real together.