When I think of working on my side project, I get overwhelmed then think about how little energy I have then feel guilty and the cycle happens over and over…What can I try to get inspired enough to make my idea real and get closer to doing the work I really want to do?
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Asking Not Asking #19: I Don’t Hate My Job
“Here’s the thing: I don’t hate my job. I don’t necessarily love it, either. It’s interesting and fast-paced and I like working with a team. I also like the consistent salary and the security that comes with it...But sometimes I get the urge to quit and start over. I get antsy and want to leave. Then I think about it and wonder why. Will I regret not trying something else?”
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Asking Not Asking #18: Freelance Life is Like A Drug
“Freelance life is like a drug. The just not knowing what might be possible around the corner can be addictive and exciting. But it can also be hard to know just when the time is to move on. To know when it’s over. You just don’t know. There’s always a maybe/possibly hanging around out there. It makes it hard to commit to something else, something more solid, something more stable.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #17: The Girl Who Got Lost in the Fire
“I’ve tried side projects, going on art-dates with myself, taking self-care days. I’ve tried making up small projects just for me, but I can’t seem to find the motivation or passion to do it. I feel trapped in this illusion of freelance because I constantly feel I can do it better, do more, do things differently, but every time I have some time off, I feel paralyzed and tired.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #14: Unqualified
“One of the real surprises of this process has been finding what I think is the type of work I want to make. Before getting sick, I actually never had ideas for personal work. I always felt blocked…It feels daunting that my interest is heading in a direction where I especially feel the least qualified. How can I move forward from here?”
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Asking Not Asking #13: Comparing Myself
Sometimes I’m proud of where I’m at and other times I feel so behind, like all of my friends and peers are further along because they make more money or they have jobs at well-known agencies. I’m in my late twenties and I want to feel like I’m making progress. Starting a business feels like starting over.
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Asking Not Asking #12: Stuck
I quit my management consulting job after 9 years because I am convinced I want to create my own business. I’m struggling because I have a lot of skills… Now I feel so stuck because I don’t know what I want to focus on. All of [my previous ventures] were great experiences but none of them were me and I am not sure what I want to do.
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Asking Not Asking #9: Frozen by Fear
What I have always loved and known to light me up are those one-on-one moments with people; that sitting in the darkness next to someone as they battle through something. Through journaling, I have thought that clinical psychology may be an option for me, but as a 31-year-old who just got out of an 8-year relationship and lives in a foreign country, I feel this deep sense of fear to pursue this.
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Asking Not Asking #5: Feeling Used & Confused
“Now this artist solely references the follower’s work. Together they've begun migrating my audience away. This is affecting my visibility, my bottom line, considerably; this also negatively impacts our shared agency's numbers.” … I need to determine what I can personally do aside from ‘keeping my head down and working.’
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Asking Not Asking #4: All Out of Love
The money and perks ad agencies offer come at a high price: crazy hours, high stress, and the expectation that you’re available for work 24/7. Plus, I’ve never been to a retirement party in advertising.
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Asking Not Asking #2: Mid-Life Freelancer
“I have had many achievements that I never imagined I would have as a professional photographer over my years practicing my craft. But now as a mid-career artist, I am looking on the horizon at my life as a freelancer and I ask, ‘Did I choose the wrong life?’”
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Asking Not Asking #1: Lost At Sea
“The last couple of years have been strange for me. The best way I can think to describe them is that I've been slowly drifting out to sea, further and further away from the energy and curiosity and creativity I’ve been known for my entire life. Instead of daydreaming, I stare off blankly into space. Instead of spending my weekends reading and writing like I used to, I spend them cleaning the house, doing crosswords, and napping. I don’t have the desire to be creative.”
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Introducing Asking Not Asking with Coach Tina Essmaker
We’re launching a brand new Magazine column with Coach Tina Essmaker. Each month, Essmaker, a creative life coach who came to know the creative community and landscape intimately as co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief of The Great Discontent, will respond to letters submitted by our Members. Learn how to get involved.
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