As a society, we tend to put importance on picking that special career and sticking to it! But what if you didn’t follow everyone.. You Don’t Need To Be ‘One Thing’ For Everyone Else – Lessons learned from a creative who changed career paths.
I’m a writer..
A blogger…
An author…
A fashion designer…
An entreprenur..
And so much more.
So, What Do You Do?
The question people ask almost immediately upon meeting someone new:
“What’s your name?” followed by ‘what do you do?’
This is ingrained in our culture. We think that by knowing what someone does for a job, we have an insight into that person’s personality….
It’s a pretty dated way to look at things, especially in the 21st century.
But we are not our jobs/careers, and our careers can pivot and change altogether.
Change is not encouraged – but it should be.
Lessons Learned From My Creative Career Paths
I studied in Theatre Costume but I didn’t make that my career. Maybe to some that might seem like I failed from the beginning, but I see it as a stepping stone to where I am now. Through that I was able to make historical clothing, which enabled me to make wedding dresses, corsets, and try my hand at a more dramatic style. And through this, I gained experiences – winning awards, opening pop-up shops, in fashion shoots, building my own brand – showcasing in Australia and Scotland…which along the journey has inspired me to write.
But if I decided to just work in the field I was trained in, then I would be in a theatre working in costume. Which sounds fun…for a short time. I know that for me I need to be creative, and within that I need to change and go where my creativity lies.
Right now my creativity lies in writing. And that’s OK.
Putting Yourself In Your Own Box
This took me a while to get comfortable with…changing careers and following new paths. I felt like I couldn’t stick at anything…which made me feel like I was failing.
Most people are advised from school age to pick something, then that thing will define them for the rest of their lives:
You must pick the one career and love it for the rest of your life…
Erm no.
Why must we put ourselves in a box – is it for marketing purposes?
If we don’t appear as one thing on social media, will we confuse everyone?
Maybe we feel the pressure to pick one thing due to generations of people before us. Times were hard back then, there’s no doubt about it, but jobs lasted a lifetime – in today’s world it’s rare that someone can stay in the same role.
It is estimated that most people will have 12 jobs during their lives…
So when it’s likely that many of us will change careers anyway, then why do we care about what others think? Why do we still feel we need to stick to one career path.
Pick A Team & Stick To It?
I had been a fashion designer for many years, then had decided to become an author. This left me questioning myself. I was caught in a season of doubt…
Can fashion designers become authors?
I won’t look convincing at being either a designer or an author….
I’ll look indecisive and come across as flaky..
I was stuck this way for so long. Such wasted time that I can’t get back.
When I wrote my first book as an author, I decided it was my ‘one thing’, and I didn’t want to be distracted with other creative ventures. I was advised that if I want to be a fiction author, then I shouldn’t blog about other things. If I want to blog, then I must blog about my fiction, or on writing in some way so I can promote my work…
But I’m not interested in writing a blog about writing. If I did that, I’d have wrote two blog posts…then quit!
So I ignored what I Should do, and chose what felt right for me.
I am an author of fiction and I blog about mindset, creativity and self improvement (as well as other interests I have at the time!), and I have a clothing label.
But these still don’t need to be the only things that I do – I plan to keep the door open for other possibilities…
I love the idea of being a non-fiction author too…why not! If something calls…why not answer it?
My point here is to do what you feel drawn to. I’m not saying you’ll make lots of money that way…not yet anyway! But It’s a place where you can start and see where it leads.
Stop Comparing & Following Others
Stop looking for evidence that what you want to do is out there.
I would scan the internet searching for someone who might be doing what I wanted to do, and hope I could learn from their mistakes. But over time I couldn’t find anyone doing what I desired to do. By not finding someone, it made me worry if I was picking the ‘right’ career after-all!
Don’t fall into this trap. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. Have trust in yourself and your abilities, there does not need to be a clear cut path of where you should be going.
Things can be unpredictable, that’s where the real you lies..
Create your own path – don’t follow others
Follow your inner compass
You Don’t Need To Be ‘One Thing’ For Everyone Else
For me I have recently decided on the term ‘creator’, because that is what I’m doing – whether it be writing books, writing blogs, designing and sewing garments – I am making things and putting them out into the world.
If you have a yearning to try something new. Do what feels right, right now. You are not a failure to change direction, if anything you understand what makes you happy.
Use this inner compass to guide you.
This is your permission to do what brings you joy: try it on for size, see where it takes you and maybe it might be your ‘one thing’, or it might lead you to your ‘one thing’ or…it might be neither.
If nothing else, you are exploring what excites you and that journey will open the door to discover who you really are!
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you believe that we must try to find our one thing? Or is it better to keep changing? Comment below and let me know your experiences..
If you enjoyed this, have a look at my previous posts such as Letting go of my old self to embrace who I am now
Pin for later – “You Don’t Need To Be One Thing For Everybody”
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