Finding Your Joy Part 3

To recap, in the last two weeks you’ve discovered some of your natural gifts and talents and you’ve taken a look behind those activities to find out exactly WHAT it was that you enjoyed!

CONGRATULATIONS! I love hearing from all of you about your big “AHA” moments!

Now it’s time to look at how you can renew or recast those talents into something that brings that same joy to your life today.

I’m incredibly blessed to have a J.O.B. that allows me to work from home and a creative business that I love! It wasn’t always this way! I did exactly what you’ve been doing to rediscover a few of my passions and bring them back to life!

There are so many of you who are searching for what’s next and who are trying to figure out how to make a transition…to restart, reconnect, or reboot! What I hear most is that we all want to have more control over our destiny.

My reinvention happened because massive change was needed in my own life. I was asking myself “Is this all there is?” “Is this how the rest of my life is going to be?” It was wholly disheartening, and I felt lost…with no map, no compass, and no idea what do to next. Sound familiar? I had to dig deep to reconnect with the true “ME” and reinvent “what I did” with “who I am.”

Many of you may be experiencing this same level of doubt. Maybe you got laid off, maybe you retired, maybe you made a shift intentionally. Whatever the reason, I’m here to support you and tell you that YOU CAN reinvent yourself…and it’s more fun than you thought!

I decided to suspend my disbelief and start from zero! You’ve already done one of the short exercises that I did – the “Post-it Note Party.” Let’s continue and use that information to begin your reinvention!

A little history: My last position in the garment industry was wonderful. I was the Director of Product Development at a company that served large retailers. I was charged with leading the creative teams by helping them stay creative, focused, and motivated. With all the outsourcing, the industry began to shrink, and I was “outsourced” out in my mid-50s. I cobbled together a different source of income for a short while. But you can only hang on for so long before you realize you’re at the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, at the wrong time. I was lost! Disconnected from something I loved. No direction. No passion. No zest for life!

That’s where reinvention comes into play.

I had to rediscover my talents, my strengths, and my creativity to build a life I love. Yes, I had prior design experience, but here’s the thing – that makes it even more upsetting when you lose your direction and can’t find your way back! (ya know – the whole “preconceived ideas and expectations” thing!)

Do you have a creative passion you’ve been ignoring? Do you feel disconnected from something but can’t quite put your finger on it? Maybe you’ve wanted to start a small creative business but have no idea where to start? If you answered yes to any of those, it’s time to lean into it! Stop dreaming and let me show you how to use those “talents” you’re discovering to build a plan.

Let’s get started!

Now that you’ve looked at your post-its and discovered several underlying psychological factors, let’s use them to brainstorm.

For each “category,” consider the following:

1. Inventory the activities and see if there are any that you would like to reignite. Did you forget about an “old love,” and did you discover WHY you loved it? Are there activities that can be revisited in a new and updated way? Is there a new medium that can be explored? Example: Kay’s favorite activity as a SPED teacher was planning and decorating the classroom so her hearing impaired students were visually stimulated and took pleasure being in the room. The new ideas each year and the search for materials along with the glee on her students faces brought her joy. Now that she’s retired, what can she do to revive those feelings? She is starting a small décor line so that her friends and clients can experience joy as she decorates their home environment.

2. Brainstorm NEW activities that you haven’t tried yet that might use that “talent.” As I mentioned last week, one of my underlying factors was “finding what needs to be found” alongside my love for dimensional design. These “loves” were recast into collage and mixed-media that includes fabric and stitched elements on canvas. But more than that, my job as the Director of Product Development was all about mentoring other creatives by helping them expand their thinking, stay focused, and manage their time well. The underlying factors are being recast into an online business that guides midlife creative women. Creatively-U will do just that. Brainstorm new and exciting ways you can bring your talents to life.

3. Look for overlap between categories. Does one relate to another and, if so, in what way? “Hand work and color” relate to “painting,” which leads to “finished products” and a “sense of accomplishment and pride.” But maybe you no longer want to mess with large canvases. How about hand painted greeting cards, or Christmas ornaments? Or maybe you love doodling, drawing geometric shapes, or flowers in a sketch book. What can you do with that? Have you heard of surface pattern design? It’s a huge creative industry you might consider where you can transform those doodles into repeating patterns for fabric, paper, and other products.

The New Year is around the corner, so now is the perfect time to brainstorm all the wonderful things that you are capable of! Take this exercise and suspend ALL preconceived ideas about what’s possible. Grab your notebook and start to list all the possible ways you can reignite your creative spark with all the ideas that came out of the “under the hood” exercise.

Let me know in the comments what new activities you’re going to try. Or email me directly for a conversation! I love hearing from you.

Remember,

Be-U, on purpose, 4-life!

XOXO,

Virginia

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and family. Click your favorite social platform below. And join my email list for weekly creative inspiration. Join my free Facebook group, Virginia’s Studio Cats at https://www.facebook.com/groups/virginiasstudiocats