I have news that is both small and big. But it's good news, so it doesn't really matter the size. As I said, it felt like it was time to start taking some actions. I've digested quite a lot of information and deep thoughts on what makes for a great job and how to find work you love/are good at. I've processed a lot of that information, doing some exercises when suggested, thinking about what elements of someone's ideas apply to me. Going over some of my past notes and tests and such collating some of the themes that have come up consistently.
One of the common suggestions, was to figure out what you like to do, by doing things. Because we are not good at predicting, or even remembering clearly, what really makes us happy. Not that we are always wrong, but if you're wrong 50% of the time, that means your brain is only as good as using a coin to predict it.
So, I used my coin-brain to narrow things down a bit, and today was my first mini-experiment, which was a great success. I thought I would try doing something similar to what I'd done in some of my fondest memories of enjoyable work, in my college creative writing teachers class, a mix of writing and drawing, and added in the element of positive psychology/personal transformation, choosing a topic I wanted to teach some of my students about.
At first, I opened various ipad drawing apps that I'd downloaded, trying them out, looking to find one that was frictionless enough to use for my rough-draft thumbnail. after about 15 minutes of that, I paused and considered that this did indeed feel like work, and was not giving me energy, but draining it. I then switched to analog: just some printer paper on a cardboard backing, a pen, and a highlighter in case I wanted some color, and began sketching out a rough draft of the educational comic.
An hour later, I paused because it was time to wrap up for the day (and write this blog post) and, making a note in my small "work I Love" journal, realized that this did indeed meet my criteria with flying colors. It did not feel like work, and it gave me energy. I'd love to somehow be getting paid to do this kind of thing. Which is I guess, what writers/artists strive to do.
Now, I'm not done with my experiments. The next part is going to be a little more difficult to test out because it involves other people. But I don't want to stop, because there is a whole other element to the dream job I sat down and imagined, that involves actually teaching others, and/or presenting the things I created.
But this is a very encouraging result. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to find and identify things I loved doing, even once I started experimenting. As I'd mentioned before, there was a part of me that was afraid to even try the things, whispering in my ear that it would just show me that there was actually nothing that I loved doing, and so I would be stuck back where I started, having wasted my time.
That seems not to be the case, which is wonderful.
There are still plenty of unknowns, not least of which is "how do I make a living doing this?" which has its own roller coaster of ups and downs and voices of doubt and figuring things out. But, having something that I know I love to do, and that not everybody loves to do (there are apparently a lot of people who get writers block, who are afraid to just create stuff and share it, or can't think of what to create) would be hugely motivating. I need a bit more experimentation obviously, not just with other possible elements of my hypothesis-job, but with doing what I've already discovered I like to do, over time, to double check that my enjoyment holds up long-term.
But, it's already encouraging:
a) there is stuff I love to do
b) I am capable of identifying things I really like doing and things I don't like doing, without too much trouble (probably. again, need to do a long-term check. But results are promising)
That makes the first step goal of "finding work I love" (that uses my stregths etc.) seem possible.
And if that goal is reached, it makes the second (final-ish?) goal of "...and get paid enough doing it to support me and my family" possible. And, knowing what it's like to do work I love, to know that exists, will I think, make me highly motivated to do whatever I need to do to make it happen.
So, I'd say that's pretty great news, but I should season that with a grain or two of salt, knowing there's still a long way to go, and I have perhaps just taken the first step on that journey, after reading a bunch of guidebooks and planning my trip for weeks.
But still: weeeeee!
Until next week and with Love,
-Isaac
P.S. I thought I'd include a photo of page one of my thumbnail first draft of the comic, for your enjoyment:
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