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There are 2 reasons behind why I decided to write this post about the key 5 lessons I have learned when reconnecting with my creative side. First of all, I want to share as much of my own journey as possible with you because we need to be more honest about our experiences in this online world! Secondly, I hope that it might even inspire you to delve into your creative passions… which would be incredible. I just think it’s so important to share our stories because you never know who might relate! OK, let's delve in.
What Inspired This Topic
Earlier this year I was hugely inspired by Carrie Green of the FEA* 3-day “Create & Sell” challenge that I joined last week – and not just from my own perspective! Seeing so many women start to believe in themselves and realise that the possibilities are endless, was just incredible. Some even created and sold their digital product in just a few days, when the idea had been stuck in their heads for years. How crazy is that!
But this challenge really just got me thinking… how many people out there don’t realise their creative potential? It felt as though I just had to “spread the word” and share my story with you.
An Epiphany at 30?
It seems apt to begin with my 30th Birthday in September last year. Despite being one of the most uneventful (due to Covid-19 restrictions), it was actually one of my most significant of the last 3 decades! Of course, this may be coincidental, but I had reached a point where I was starting to properly evaluate my life and began putting a lot more energy into my blog. I realised that having this creative outlet alongside my “numbersy” job made me feel so… alive.
Then, I dug deeper into the various chunks of my life and realised I pretty much had left my creative side at school – 14 years ago!
I think it would have been useful if my younger self had known – and believed – the following 5 things*.
*But to be clear I do not have any regrets because every step I’ve taken has led to where I am now. It’s just good to reflect and pass on what we’ve learned to others.
1. Do what is right for You
I was pretty creative at school, generally better with words and images rather than numbers. So, after I got my GCSEs here’s what I did.
I dropped Art and French (which I was very good at), and decided to take Chemistry and Maths at A-Level (which I wasn’t terrible at, but didn’t come as naturally to me). Why did I do this? In short, for whatever reason, I didn’t have the confidence to do what was right for me. I had taken a look at what everyone else was doing and decided to follow suit!
People have different opinions based on their own paths
Having attended a Grammar School, the general consensus was, the more academic – the better. I was told that art wouldn’t “fit in” with my University plans, so of course, I listened to that one person… 🙈
2. There is more than one definition of "success"
Another idea in my head was that I needed to get onto my professional training scheme as soon as possible to climb the corporate ladder and earn a “stable” income. What I didn’t consider was, whether this kind of path suited me and my skillset/personality!
Just to clarify, I am not suggesting that this was a bad decision because it’s not unusual at all. In fact, this is a pattern that I’ve noticed a lot during my personal development journey. Many entrepreneurs and creatives originally worked in corporate jobs too, but ended up realising it’s not the life that they wanted – even more so after achieving great success!
You may experience "Magpie Syndrome"
Don’t get me wrong, the start of my career was all very exciting to begin with and was a whole new world to me. Ultra-modern offices with high ceilings, card entry systems, coffee machines, floor-to-ceiling windows, smart work attire, healthcare package, pensions, and more!
But even with all this, the shine soon began to fade – for me anyway.
What you don't know - you don't know
I suppose it’s always easier to look back in hindsight, isn’t it? And very easy to judge the decisions you made in the past on your current circumstances. Plus, you never know until you’ve tried something to then decide if it’s not for you – so it’s a very tricky one to assess!
One of the main problems, however, is that I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted to do with my life when I went to University to study History aged 18. So I had to decide what was next for me after graduation – this is an issue that so so many people face too! It’s not particularly common to just know what you want to do when you “grow up” from a young age.
3. You're allowed to "Try"
There is every chance that my reluctance to pursue something creative earlier in life also came from a place of fear. At the time I believed it was highly unlikely that I would “make it” in a creative job because of the huge amount of competition in the industries.
But, who is to say that I wasn’t good enough to even just try? It can take some time to get to where you want to be, and that’s OK! You don’t have to have it all figured out – in fact, many rarely do, I’ve found.
Satisfaction levels are important too
Perhaps I didn’t properly consider how rewarding a different kind of job would have been – it’s not something I even thought about to be honest! As my career went on though, I discovered that I wasn’t feeling satisfied with the work I was doing and I did want to help people in a way that felt more meaningful to me.
4. It's OK to be “unconventional”
I’m not afraid to admit that during my teenage years and early to mid-20s I just wanted to fit in and stick to “the rules” – at school, I hated getting into trouble or disappointing someone! So, the idea of deviating from the conventional style of working (or what I understood it to be anyway) would have felt uncomfortable for me. This is something I definitely have had to do some inner work on based on my own insecurities!
I think I had to allow my confidence to grow organically in order to grow into my current way of thinking, but I would love to go back and tell my younger self that it’s totally fine to take a different path and explore new avenues. You are never stuck in one place either, as there are always alternative options.
5. Explore your Creative Side
When I began delving into the brand creation of Ceejyloves in December 2020, I started to realise how much I actually loved designing and making “stuff”. To the point where it’s pretty addictive actually! Did it matter if there was a "plan" in place? Not at all.
Your intuition will take you to where you need to be. Trust it.
I have Canva (aka the most fun design program ever) and the lovely Michelle Rohr to thank for the intuitive, creative life that I now lead – she has been a huge inspiration for me! Oh, and did I mention it’s a great excuse to buy fun colourful stationary!?
During Summer 2021, I had the courage to pursue a new idea that took a while to exit my brain and unleash into the world. But, better late than never! I am now the proud founder of the Creative Goddess Club and busy behind the scenes coaching uninspired corporate women to lead a life with more creative fulfillment 🙂
I also followed my gut and started a Podcast, now called the Creative Goddess Show which has reached nearly 20 episodes and (22 have been recorded) and will start a new guest series on Friday 3rd December 2021 with creative businesswomen. It's going to be SO juicy.
See what happens when you follow your creative inspiration?
Conclusion: There was definitely a point to this...
I hope you enjoyed reading about my 5 key lessons learned regarding creativity in life and business and it wasn’t too “rambly”.
In a nutshell, there are 3 main points to take away:
Do what is right for you – there is no right or wrong
It’s OK to try something new if your current situation is not fulfilling you
Always explore your creative side – you never know where it might take you!
What strikes me today is that there are so many incredible opportunities to unleash your creative side and just put your ideas “out there”. It has quite frankly never been easier to get started and show the world your creations! You can start a blog on your favourite topic, open an Etsy store and sell prints, share your knowledge with others (on basically anything – no I mean anything) creating online courses. And all so inexpensively too!
I just want you to realise this, because until just recently I didn’t believe that the world was big enough for all of our ideas and know-how. And, just for the record, I’m not saying everyone should do this because everyone is different in their own amazing ways. My post is just my way of reaching out to anyone reading this who has been afraid to listen to their creative voice!
Happy creating, my lovelies!!
Charlotte xx
P.S. Enjoyed this post? Check out this awesome blog article by my good friend the Mental Millionaire! I absolutely love her insight into the common misconception that some people are just "born" creative - read her story here. She will also be featured on the Creative Goddess Show Podcast in January, so watch this space!
Keen to connect with your own creative side?
Also, if you're ready to start delving into your own creative passion but in need of some support on the specifics of where to start, book yourself in for a Clarity session below and we can discuss actionable steps for you to take!