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MrsTracy
True Blue Farmgirl
145 Posts
Tracy
Beaufort
South Carolina
USA
145 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 09 2014 : 09:07:22 AM
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I will be 46 in August. I have held many jobs and am about to quit another. I work at a Barnes and Nobles and while I enjoy it, we can't get more than 28 hours a week (unless you're management) and the pay sucks. As I'm a grown woman with grown woman bills, this cannot continue. I travel about 1.5 hours coming and going. I listened to Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods) in about one week. Lots of time in the truck It basically costs me more to work than to not work. So, leave I must.
In the course of all these years of working for other people, I feel that any creativity I had, has dried up. I want to find my passion, I want to find my creative juice and hopefully find a way to make a living doing it. My biggest fear is that I am a "Jill of Many but Master of None."
I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt, I can't continue on like this. Our daughter and her family will be leaving sometime in November/December. Our youngest son will be moving to Virginia sometime in September. We're about to be empty nesters.
We've got an entire house that needs to be remodeled with little to no money, student loans coming do, auto loans, mortgage and, well, you know...stuff!
I think I'm going through an early midlife crisis. Anyone else dealing with this? What steps are you taking to find your new nitch. any suggestions?
Aspiring Titus II and Proverbs 31 Lady. |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2014 : 10:28:51 AM
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To jumpstart your creativity (you still have it, by the way) a good book to read is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It has lots of exercises and suggestions for ways to get in touch with your creativity. Your library probably has it. I have a job that stifles my creativity so I have to find other ways to nurture it. I listen to Celtic and Native American music and try to spend time in nature. Do you have a garden? Growing things is an act of creativity. I've gotten back to doing what I do best, that is, writing stories and I'm trying to get published. I once felt like all my creative juices had dried up but I was wrong :) Think of your soul as a child who must be nurtured and challenged to bring out her gifts. Hope this helps.
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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Autumn
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Holly
Ontario
Canada
44 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2014 : 2:16:08 PM
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I understand most of what you're going through. The economy has been terrible and work is few and far between where I live. I've applied for hundreds of jobs and had no call backs. I'm a recent University graduate with seven years retail experience but haven't been able to find work anywhere. I asked a friend how things were going at her store and she informed me that they hire plenty of people but give them one four hour shift a week. Apparently most stores are doing this. It's just not feasible that anyone could live off of that kind of income, it's insane.
If it weren't for my fiance I'd be living with my parents again. I feel awful about not having work and I really want to contribute my share to the finances. Having no other option, I have decided to sell my art. I know it's a crapshoot but I'm going to try anyways to see what happens. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a market for my crafts. I've been working really hard on developing some pieces for sale. It's taken a long time and a lot of experimenting but I think I'm getting closer to opening up my online shop.
Like you, I've always felt as though I'm a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. Everybody will tell you that I'm such a good seamstress, I'm so good at knitting, crafting, so on etc. but I tend to disagree. I'm very critical of myself and my work. I've never felt I was great at anything! Perhaps you suffer from the same problem of being too self-critical? It was only recently, after a lot of soul searching, that I found what I believe is my "creative niche". Painting, crafting and sculpting are the only mediums I feel most comfortable and enjoy doing. Don't get me wrong, I love to sew, but I can't imagine sewing for other people day in and day out. I prefer to just sew for myself lol. I can certainly see myself making art every day! I love it. I think that's the key to finding the right creative medium, you have to love it no matter what. That's especially true if you plan on making a business out of it.
My suggestion is to try your hand at a variety of different creative mediums and see which one "clicks" for you. It could be writing, music, baking/cooking, crochet or tatting. The possibilities are endless. Even if you don't make a living off of your chosen craft, at least you have an outlet for all that creative energy! : )
I hope that helps.
Cheers~
*AUTUMN* |
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