Here's the thing: I was fortunate to step away from running my consulting business and pivot to managing a family foundation. It's the dream job—creative, flexible, heart-centered. I consider what I do to be a form of art, and I get to work alongside incredible people doing justice work on the ground. And yet. Even with this life and this opportunity to make an impact, I still feel stuck sometimes. I hear you in that. I wonder if it's just some default setting in my brain, or if it's the water we're all swimming in.
It makes me curious: given your professional interests and your love of your work, if you stepped away to just make art, do you think you'd still feel that nagging pull toward what's not happening in the health sector that should be?
YES! I really wonder if it’s just a default setting that we’re primed to want something different than what we have. I’m positive if I left this job I would meet a different set of challenges…mostly financial, since being a full-time writer is a tough gig. Many of my writer friends are also editors, fact-checkers, teachers, etc. etc. It’s doable, and I’ve done it before, but I would be giving up a lot (including really rewarding work in health care!)
Well, you made me want to revisit Ladder of Years. Nice post, you gave me a lot to think back on and it wasn't boring at all. What has been working for me as I have been developing my art "career" over the past decade+ (I'm 64 and enjoying my sixties) is my insistence and determination to remain authentic. Maybe "authenticity" has been overused and perhaps lost some of its gravitas, I don't know, but sticking to "me" has given me satisfaction. I spent a lot of time in my room (once one of my son's) just sitting there lol. Keep writing and thinking and reading!
I strongly believe authenticity is the key to everything! I’ve also tried to remain authentic, and find I have a lot of trouble faking it (and when I find myself faking it I feel very unhappy.) I hope you do go back to Ladder of Years - Anne Tyler is a genius :) It made me want to read a couple other novels of hers that I haven’t read yet!
Oh, this is really lovely, Misty. I think that too many people imagine that once they have the house, the office, the desk, the chair, only then can they really begin, that moment forever poised on the horizon, which is somewhat of a relief, actually, never having to try. Imagining it's because of the chair. But it's not about the chair, and while I think balancing a creative life with a full time job is a lot to ask of a person, plenty of people have shown it's possible. Creating that space within the life you have right now is definitely possible, and also brave, and exciting.
Yep, or the perfect notebook, haha! I am realizing that another non-fiction book is not possible with this job (I mean, I guess anything’s possible, but not if I want to keep my mental health intact), and it’s been really hard letting that go…but at the same time, it’s opens up the possibility for other writing or other art. Time for music! Or pottery!
Here's the thing: I was fortunate to step away from running my consulting business and pivot to managing a family foundation. It's the dream job—creative, flexible, heart-centered. I consider what I do to be a form of art, and I get to work alongside incredible people doing justice work on the ground. And yet. Even with this life and this opportunity to make an impact, I still feel stuck sometimes. I hear you in that. I wonder if it's just some default setting in my brain, or if it's the water we're all swimming in.
It makes me curious: given your professional interests and your love of your work, if you stepped away to just make art, do you think you'd still feel that nagging pull toward what's not happening in the health sector that should be?
YES! I really wonder if it’s just a default setting that we’re primed to want something different than what we have. I’m positive if I left this job I would meet a different set of challenges…mostly financial, since being a full-time writer is a tough gig. Many of my writer friends are also editors, fact-checkers, teachers, etc. etc. It’s doable, and I’ve done it before, but I would be giving up a lot (including really rewarding work in health care!)
Well, you made me want to revisit Ladder of Years. Nice post, you gave me a lot to think back on and it wasn't boring at all. What has been working for me as I have been developing my art "career" over the past decade+ (I'm 64 and enjoying my sixties) is my insistence and determination to remain authentic. Maybe "authenticity" has been overused and perhaps lost some of its gravitas, I don't know, but sticking to "me" has given me satisfaction. I spent a lot of time in my room (once one of my son's) just sitting there lol. Keep writing and thinking and reading!
I strongly believe authenticity is the key to everything! I’ve also tried to remain authentic, and find I have a lot of trouble faking it (and when I find myself faking it I feel very unhappy.) I hope you do go back to Ladder of Years - Anne Tyler is a genius :) It made me want to read a couple other novels of hers that I haven’t read yet!
Oh, this is really lovely, Misty. I think that too many people imagine that once they have the house, the office, the desk, the chair, only then can they really begin, that moment forever poised on the horizon, which is somewhat of a relief, actually, never having to try. Imagining it's because of the chair. But it's not about the chair, and while I think balancing a creative life with a full time job is a lot to ask of a person, plenty of people have shown it's possible. Creating that space within the life you have right now is definitely possible, and also brave, and exciting.
Yep, or the perfect notebook, haha! I am realizing that another non-fiction book is not possible with this job (I mean, I guess anything’s possible, but not if I want to keep my mental health intact), and it’s been really hard letting that go…but at the same time, it’s opens up the possibility for other writing or other art. Time for music! Or pottery!