Hey friends, welcome to the blog.
I’ve been blogging for clients for years now, but I’ve never taken the time to dive into blogging as my own creative outlet. Do I have journals filled with thoughts? 100%! But very few of those thoughts make it off those pages and into the world.
I consider this blog to be a piece in a much larger puzzle I’m working on - the reclamation of my creativity.
I’ve always considered myself a “creative”, and I often took pride in that title. I believe humans are inherently designed to create, regardless of the outlet. It’s a crucial piece of the human experience. But what do you do when your income solely relies on your creativity?
I quickly learned the answer to that question over the last few years.
When you’re creating at someone else’s will, the lines between your own creativity and work start to blur. I reached a point in my last position where the last thing I wanted to do outside of work was create… regardless of if the work I was creating inside of my job actually fulfilled me. I spent 40+ hours per week designing, writing, and leading a team of other creatives - but in reflection, none of it gave me the spark that creating on my own did. I loved my job, and I loved the people, but I found myself going through the motions. Weeks turned to months, and months turned to literal years without me stepping outside of my work and creating anything for myself.
Then I was let go from that job, and my entire world was flipped upside down in a matter of minutes… literally. The title I had held on so dearly to was gone. Looking back I saw that title as a prize. A “Look how creative I am” and “I did it even when you thought I couldn’t”. (Which is a whole other can of worms.) But suddenly I was back to square one.
If I didn’t have the title - where was my creativity?
Oh friend, it was inside of me the whole time.
I think a piece of me had kept my real creativity locked away. It wasn’t the title that made me who I am, it was the abilities I’ve nurtured over the past seven years. It wasn’t the praise I got from clients, it was my ability to take a blank screen and turn it into something impactful.
It only took a few days to realize that my creativity didn’t leave with the job loss. It was unleashed.
For the first time since high school, I sat down in front of a sewing machine.
I picked up a book I’ve been meaning to reread for a year.
I took a yoga class.
Hell, I’m even writing this blog.
And most importantly - I’m planning on freelancing again.
I no longer have to abide by the boxes put in place for me. I can work with the clients that align with who I am, and create for people who are working toward the same goals I am. More importantly - I can create for myself again.
