Thursday, February 15, 2007

Do what you love


and the money will follow.

In her book, Creating a life worth living, Carol Lloyd explores how to design a career for aspiring artists, innovators, entrepreneurs and other creative types. It was a facsinating book to read and I recommend it if you are a creator in hiding like me.

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself
Soren Kierkegaard


I know my parents wanted the best for me, they gave me a wonderful education and lots of support to make it out in the world. I have had a string of careers in finance, sales, crisis management and social work and yet deep down, all the creative stuff that I used in finding creative solutions to other people's problems just did not cut it with the inner creative person.

Downshifting for me, is an opportunity to explore my creative person and to give it an airing instead of giving it a creative opening from time to time. I have previously talked about following your bliss and as hard as it can be, I am trying to follow mine. Problem is that you can be so good at splitting that part off from you that finding it can be a bit of a journey.

The above book explores what stands in your way, how you sell your creative time to sometimes get a dead end job and provides a 12 week programme to get you on the creative path, doing what it is you do best and effortlessly.

Following my bliss, I have tentatively listed a few things on etsy......but be gentle I am just coming out of hiding and am not always giving myself permission to play with yarn and let loose...but thats what I am aiming to do. Will it make me rich slowly, I doubt it. It will however allow me to have the satisfaction that I am trying to share the sensational colours that surround us, and how we can wrap ourselves in them. It will also allow me to stay at home, drive less and use the natural materials that surround me in the place I live and am growing to love. A sense of place, a feeling of home, following your bliss......should be a career path.

Dumblittleman has an interesting post about finding your career here.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Your yarn is beautiful. But what does "14 WPI" mean? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation.

Your blog has become one of the ones that I check daily. I really enjoy reading about your family's efforts in downshifting. I'm trying to make similar changes myself, but as a one-person household it seems to be both more and less complicated making the changes. Anyway, thanks for sharing!

Downshiftingpath said...

Thanks Claire,
WPI means wrap per inch and it gives an indication of the thickness of the yarn.

this link can show you what it means ( you might have to copy and paste)
http://www.whirledyarn.com/WPIpage.html