I’ll start by saying that I really enjoyed Sabino’s take on “designing your life.” She discusses this a lot throughout Your Creative Career, insisting that it’s better to live your life by design than to settle for the illusion of being comfortable. That’s a concept that really struck me, and it’s one that I need to start practicing in my own life. Too many of us fall into our careers and settle, even though we’re capable of taking the reigns and controlling our own futures.

And what’s nice about Sabino’s take on this is that it’s a practical one. It doesn’t tell you to just drop everything and follow your dreams – it promotes planning how to get there. Seeing things as a matter of when, not if.

Another aspect of this book that I appreciated was that it focused so strongly on the business end of being a creative entrepreneur. Artists tend to dive headfirst into passion projects without really looking at the market or thinking about publicity. And that isn’t necessarily a smart approach if you’re looking to turn your passions into money.

My only real critique of this book is that it spreads the same ideas commonly seen in most business literature. It’s interesting to see it meshed with art, but otherwise it didn’t feel groundbreaking or authentic.

I gave Your Creative Career a 3 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads. It’s smartly written and inspirational, though it reiterates points that have been drilled into us before. I still recommend picking it up if you’re interested in turning your creativity into a side gig or a full-time career.

A helpful, engaging and well formed book perfect for budding entrepreneurs and also those who have had a prior venture. The book is encouraging and practical. I quite enjoyed it.

If you are looking to start something new, branch out and make some money building a small business this book is for you! Though it was a bit slow going at first the main portion of this book was filled with great insights on building a creative business.

Your Creative Career, written by designer and career coach Anna Sabino, has everything you need to know if you’re thinking or have already started your own business. It focuses on the creative industry, but the principles and guidance can be easily applied to other industries as well, so don’t let this stop you if your business idea falls under other category!

The book is a great guide and motivational source that will not only clear out any confusion and doubts you might have in the early phase, but also help you grow your business once it’s launched. It is full of valuable insight ranging from how to overcome the first setbacks, how to bring your idea to life and turn it into a successful business, to fresh and genuine perspective on generating more revenue, PR and marketing that works. Offering comprehensive research along with her own experience as a jewelry brand owner, Anna Sabino will show you that you can be more than a great artist, writer or a designer, you can also be one with a thriving business.

The years of experience and expertise she has gained in the creative industry are undoubtedly helpful and this book is a must if you’re contemplating starting your own business.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Career Press in exchange of a fair review.

Your Creative Career, by Anna Sabino, is an inspiring read for anyone who has a passion for working (and living) outside the 9-to-5 box. Sabino is a designer for a jewelry brand called Lucid New York, which I've read is sold in more than 100 stores all over the world, and it's been featured in high-profile magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Her book brims over with real-life stories and advice; you'll learn valuable information from this author, who has built a success and creative business she runs remotely, from Hawaii.

Very well researched and told in the easily understood voice of someone who has lived the process.
Valuable no matter at which stage of business you find yourself.
It is inspiring, reassuring, and offers creative advice, especially for anyone dealing with a product based business. A wonderful resource of additional written materials to look into.
I found myself taking numerous notes!

I did accept this book to review via Netgalley. I want to thank the author and publisher.

Full of excellent prompts to spur you on and to help you harness your creative ideas to really make some money!

Your Creative Career took me a bit by surprise at first, as the opening seemed to be more pep talk than anything else. However, as the chapters progressed, the author did provide practical advice, looking at the issue of creative entrepreneurship from a variety of angles. I didn't get a huge amount out of it personal, as it wasn't really geared towards someone doing what I am doing. Nevertheless, I can see that it would be a useful resource for someone looking to set up an Etsy store as a second income stream and/or attempting to build a business around a creative pursuit. It was well laid out and easy to follow, and overall I would give it 3.5 stars.

Anna Sabino is an entrepreneur and she wrote her debut work, Your Creative Career for budding entrepreneurs in mind who want to pursue a creative path.

I picked her book in during an important phase of my life. When I needed it. Her suggestions in this book are on how to build a business with a creative mindset that reflects one's skills and by putting one's effort, one can have earnings. The book starts with some amount of pep talk that I find essential in the genre the book falls under and motivating personally. A reader who wants to pursue long-term success by being creative and escape can benefit from. Her own story she covers along with some anecdotes from modern day and internet age businesses. It prompts a reader to consider their current situation and position in life and how from at that point, no matter where they are, can move forward with a set of clear goals.

She has put enough emphasis in her book creating a lifestyle or designing one as she likes to call, as creative enough to suit you. This does not mean one has to be comfortable and procrastinate all their work for the day or quit the job that is there a major source or only source of income. Her words do not convey this message. She urges you as a reader to find your passion or a niche where you can start putting your effort and time. She urges the reader to work hard on their dreams.

This one of the first book I have read that classifies dreamers into three categories: doers, squeezers, and postponers. On reading the book you will be willing to pick one for yourself. Apart from her analogy, she offers pragmatic suggestions and almost lays a blueprint on how to induce one's creative mindset in a field where one earn and thrive. Her own story of leaving Wall Street and starting a jewelry brand in New York is a great example she provides as an entrepreneur and as a writer in this book.

With a direct and straight-forward writing style, one should read this book to be productive. On reading it, I observed that there must have been a huge amount of research she has to go to pick as if the reality references she provides seem right at the moment she introduces in her book for her readers to be aspired by them.

5 out of 5!

The title grabbed my attention as I dabble in the creative field and I am looking to pursue a creative goal in 2018. I have all the excuses (time, money, resources) so I hoped this book would help give me some direction and idea and I am pleased to say it did! I found if anything this book is very inspiring. Its a great pep talk throughout which helps defeat those voices in your head that come up with all the reasons you can't do something. I think this book is perfect for those just starting out- like myself -rather than someone with a thriving business. The author is an excellent motivator and I would recommend it to those looking to pursue a creative venture. Thank you to Netgalley for an e-copy of this book.

The title is great, and so is the cover, but the excitement ends there. It feels like a smattering of blog posts, featuring feel-good quotes from other bloggers and "thought leaders," and admonishments to be your best self. There's nothing new here.

I loved this book. As a creative with the stereotypical self doubt this was what I needed in my life. Advice, confidence building and honest, a must for any creative graduate. Well written and structured you can read chapters as you need to or devour it all, like I did. Brilliant book - thank you!

Background information for why I wanted to read this book so badly first! As those who know me will be aware I have an Etsy store which I started midway through last year, and since I’ve only had 10 sales I’ve felt a little demotivated lately with it. I wanted to read this book partly to get my motivation working again for the store and to flame up my creativity a little – and it definitely helped with regards to that! After my first reading session, only about 20% in, I felt motivated enough to spend the whole of the next day working on my crafts.

The book is an excellent resource for those wanting a creative career, it is full of prompts to really consider your current position and what the next steps could be for you. On a personal level, having read this I feel like I’ve been taking the wrong direction with my Etsy store. I started off with a product I knew people liked and then started putting the emphasis on things which, in all honesty, aren’t selling as great as my original products.

I guess I needed to read something that gave me a way to fix and spot my errors. Not only that but there’s a lot of advice for how to market your brand included – something which I’ll be following 100% when I feel ready to restart that element of my creative career. As well as this, there are so many motivational quotes throughout that it really helps you to feel positive whilst reading.

The amount of research which has clearly gone into this book is spectacular, the whole book is backed up consistently by either real life case studies or references to other texts. What makes it such an interesting read also is who has written it – it definitely makes a difference to see the journey of a creative entrepreneur and I can’t emphasise how much this book will help you if you aspire to start your own creative career, or if you need a little advice after starting!

Anna – thank you for writing this. It’s exactly what I needed to read right now.

Anna Sabino’s book is a must-read if you are seeking to harness your creativity and become a successful entrepreneur. She transformed her own dreams into a reality, making the transition from being a market analyst on Wall Street to setting up and successfully running her own jewelry business for well over a decade at the time of printing.
Sabino writes in an engaging and interesting way about how she achieved this, using anecdotes from her own business experiences and life. Her aim in writing the book is to save her readers some time and help them to avoid making the mistakes that she did. It’s not often that you find an entrepreneur with this generosity of spirit, coupled with her flowing writing ability and clarity of vision..
Your Creative Career is also amazingly well-researched – Sabino has obviously read widely and thoroughly, and the bibliography at the end is impressive. Helpful quotes from successful business people such as Steve Jobs and James Altucher appear throughout the book and inform her writing, as well as motivating lines from Proust, Thoreau and others. Sabino gives frequent prompts and tasks to help you determine your own creative path, so that reading becomes a pro-active experience that helps you to learn. There is even an accompanying web page with checklists and worksheets to make sure you get the most out of the book.
Here is a coach who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, and is offering her advice and encouragement to you. Any serious new entrepreneur would be doing themselves a great disservice if they didn’t buy this book and read it from cover to cover. It will save you from years of going down blind alleys and making costly mistakes. Most of all, it will give you the confidence you need to take your first steps and make a success of your chosen creative career.

Anna Sabino is writing from her experience, which I appreciate a lot. If you are going to follow in her footsteps, this is one book that you should not miss. But having said that, Elon Musk did say: if you need words of inspiration, don't do it.
Although, if you are doing it, this will be a great addition to your collection

I found Your Creative Career to be full of information, ideas and useful tips for creative entrepreneurs. There was so much to absorb and as I was reading sections, certain ideas would pop into my head and I would have to stop and write them down. It is a great tool to help you plan, start and grow your business. There is so much that I learned in this book. I would definitely purchase a physical copy to read again.

Your Creative Career provides the motivating, passionate support that every creative entrepreneur can use to develop the business that supports the life that they want to create for themselves. Honest, forthright, powerful examples and straight talk make the book feel like a life-changing session with an intelligent, perceptive coach. Sabino has your back in every aspect of developing your career, encourages the reader to be smart, to be mindful, and to look forward into the future with excitement.

This book is an intense Business Administration course you can take in an hour or less!
I really enjoy it and to be honest made me analize why I had postponed the creation of my own business. Obviously I will take all the notes and start working!
This book got me really inspired! Thank you so much