Rising from the Ashes
Reclaiming My Creative Spirit Beyond a Career Path
For those of you who don’t know me (probably all of you at this point) and haven’t read my intro article, my name is S. R. Godderick. I’m an aspiring author, and I’m only a little obsessed with cats. Today, I want to share some tidbits from my past to really showcase a particular struggle we face as creative beings—matching our creativity to a career. Sometimes the work we complete in our day-to-day lives doesn’t allow us to be creative, but at the end of the day, we just need to hit the escape key and find our happy place.
I’ll start with a little narrative for dramatic effect.
NOTE: This was way too long ago to remember verbatim, so think of it as a reimagining based on how I felt leaving that appointment.
S. R. skipped down the hallway toward the guidance counselor’s office, beaming with glee. Today was the day the results from the aptitude test arrived! Like many 17-year-olds, S. R. had no clue what to choose for a college major. Does anyone really know what their lifelong career should be? Finally, these results would reveal the answer!
Nearing the office, S. R. gradually stopped skipping, and with a rapid heartbeat in tow, S.R. sucked in a deep breath and reached for the door handle. The door swung open. A not-so-cheerful guidance counselor ushered her nervous student toward one of the visitor’s chairs.
“Have a seat, please.”
S. R. choose the seat on the right, nearest the file laying open on the counselor’s desk. The counselor closed the door behind them, and S. R. read the nameplate on the desk–Becky Walters.
“So, we’re going to go over your aptitude test results and see what career opportunities you have ahead of you.” She plopped into the chair on the other side of the desk. “Short version, there are none.”
S. R.’s heart dropped. “Uhh…What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s not realistic to do anything with the arts. You stated you like helping people. And there definitely aren’t any careers where you can help people using creative talents. So there really are no good options for you.”
Becky waited with a very matter-of-fact expression on her face while S. R. sat perfectly still, with wide eyes, staring straight through the stone-cold woman on the other side of the desk. Random, rapid blinks came and went. But no words.
“I really don’t have anything else for you. Do you have any questions?”
I have ALL the questions! You didn’t help me at all! How am I supposed to make this decision?
S. R.’s mind swirled with frustrated thoughts and unanswered questions. While the mind was occupied, the mouth and body went on autopilot.
“No…” As if in slow motion, S. R. stood and turned to leave.
“Alright then, good luck with everything.” A hand touched S.R.’s back applying gentle pressure toward the door.
Once out in the hallway, S. R. turned toward the insensitive Becky with pleading eyes, snapping out of the autopilot trance. But before words could form, the dream-crusher spoke one last time.
“Oh hey, maybe landscape design? You should look into that.”
Before S. R. could say anything, the door slammed shut.
Now what?
Has anyone else had any experiences like this? Someone dismissing your interests as impractical career options? Feeling like you don’t fit anywhere in the world because your creative nature isn’t valued by others?
Well, that ONE session with the guidance counselor sent me down a long and winding road, traversing fields of exhaustion and potholes of stress, but it eventually led me right back to myself–almost 20 years later! I finally feel like I have a handle on what makes me tick, and I’m DOING something about it. I’m writing a book (or maybe three). I’m blogging. I’m surrounding myself with other creative peeps. I’m finding my creative energy again!
To all the other creatives out there:
KEEP. GOING. STRONG.
MINI RANT time…
Rudimentary aptitude tests (like the one I took in high school) are extremely misleading and unhelpful. Typically, they’re limited to common and practical career fields, and the tests have a small number of questions, leaving a huge margin for error. All that combined with the pressure to understand yourself on a very deep level at such a young age is absolutely freaking insane to me. Maybe aptitude tests have gotten better over the past 20 years, but the horrible experience I had definitely made a bad impression.
END RANT
Now, I will say there are some really great tools out there to help on the path to self-discovery. For example, I took Insights (a sort of in-depth personality test mixed with a personal development training), and I had a lot of light bulb moments about myself and how I function. This was an offering through work for me, but I found it very enlightening and would recommend it to anyone.
I also read a book called “Eat That Frog” which helped me pinpoint my strengths. I focused my time and energy on areas where I could be the most useful which made me feel much more valuable at work and home (and incited less annoyance when my spouse didn’t help with tasks I’m particularly good at).
WIN. WIN.
My biggest take-away–I NEED a creative outlet! I feel hollow without one. So, since I can’t currently fulfill that need at my job, I’m working on a number of side projects to keep my soul happy.
My list of side projects most recently includes, Inktober, which I’ve wanted to do for a couple years now! ARClark and I will be making creations using the Inktober prompts this year, and we plan to share our works (mine will be a combination of drawings, poetry, short stories, and crafts — I’m going to get a bit creative with the use of ink for some).
How about you? Where are you on your creative journey? If you feel so inclined, create stuff for Inktober with us! Part of developing a community is realizing a shared trait, so please share your trials and tribulations to help encourage and inspire.
What do you all do to recharge?
Anyone have any self-discovery tools they’ve used?
Or stories that could be helpful to others?
Please share in the comments!
Great post, S. R.
I'm glad you've found joy in the freedom of embracing your creative side!
While my background is different, I also spent a number of years devoted to a work/lifestyle that left little space for writing (or reading) the things I loved and enjoyed. It wasn't until my late 20s that I rediscovered a joy in writing and realized, "This is something I can actually do."
That was 2010, when I started freelancing as an editor. I've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients by editing books, articles, blog posts--fiction, nonfiction, poetry. To ensure I was doing it right, I went to school to get a degree in English, then Creative Writing.
At the start of the journey, I had no idea what was in store, or just how much of a world I was opening up by stepping out in the direction of creativity. I hope your experiences prove to be just as eye- and heart-opening.
Looking forward to seeing what you'll be sharing for Inktober! Sounds like a lot of fun.