If there’s one thing that I know all too well, is figuring out where my true passion lies as a creative business woman. I have worked for companies before and do several things on my own, but the several things is where it gets confusing:
One of the main problems, I think as a creative, is having too many options. I always tell people that as a creative, you’re probably good at just about everything creatively inclined. Baking? Yep, I can do that. Styling? Got that down too. Doing makeup flawlessly? Damn right I can.
I’m one of those fickle people who tires of things fairly quickly (who knows how I kept this blog running for so long!); I’ve wanted to do (and have done) so many things from makeup to making exotic ice cream.
But this is where it becomes problematic; having your finger in too many pies only leaves your utterly confused. It’s hard to pin down whether you’d like to make cakes for a living in hopes of opening up your own bakery one day, or start your own fashion line because so many people covet your style, or whether you should become a professional photographer because your pictures get countless likes on Instagram.Or worse, whether you even enjoy doing any of the above or if you just happen to be good at it.
Aside for that, it’s an incredibly competitive industry. If you’re good at baking, chances are your neighbour is too, and she just started a home industry so there goes that option. Think makeup artistry is for you? Look at just how many girls have professional MUA in their Instagram bios. It’s hard to determine what’s your perfect fit.
I had the option of doing just about anything with my life. I applied for the usual things like Occupational Therapy and Law but I was lucky enough to have a mum who sat me down and told me I’m not set out for mediocrity and I should attend LISOF instead. It’s very very rare to come across parents that support creativity in a child and allow them the option to go that route. (As a matter of fact it’s very rare to come across humans that support creativity in a person. I was once told by a girl just a year older than me that I need to study something proper first, and then go about having fun with LISOF. I guess you can be brainless whilst simultaneously being considered smart.)
One of my majors at LISOF was marketing and it was the one thing I enjoyed the most, so I decided to work in my second year of campus in PR, but I quickly learned that I’m an entrepreneur and made a lot more money working for myself than sitting in an office making someone else at the top rich. Yet a very good friend of mine said to me that she’d never have the discipline to work for herself and she’d prefer to work her way up in a company knowing she has something stable to go to every day and a stable income at the end of every month, and that’s needed too.
It’s confusing, especially as a teenager that’s in grade 11 or Matric that doesn’t really know where their career path lies. Many kids know from a young age that they want to be a medical professional or an architect like their dad, but then you get those few who don’t seem to have direction and simultaneously have added pressure from teachers and parents to figure it all out now; but I think it’s important to know that you will figure it out. Whether you’re 18 or 28- you will find your niche.
Are you a creative that has yet to find their calling? What do you think you’d be happiest doing?
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