Years ago I was told that I couldn’t be hired for certain jobs because I was an artist. People felt that I wouldn’t be able to handle routine work.
There was such a rigid way of lumping people into buckets, and there wasn’t the recognition that many of us fit into more than one category.
This proved to be false as we humans are actually far more fluid than the psychologists and Human Resource folks originally thought.
There have been many books written, seeking to compartmentalize people and specifically workers into certain categories and certain boxes. It was very much an “either/or” situation, and so many people bought into those rigid categories, in their efforts to understand people and to be able to sound like they knew more than they did!
The reality of our minds is they are much more flexible and adaptable than we gave credit for.
If we tell people they are only capable of or suitable for certain things based on those types of tests, people tend to ignore aspects of themselves that could otherwise be cultivated!
Throughout my life, I’ve had to reinvent myself a few times. In my teenage years and in my early twenties I started out as a private art teacher in my mother’s studio, then I worked in the Engineering field as a Draftsman (all done by hand in those days). When the Engineering industry went through a massive year-long slow-down, I had to switch gears to find work, so I started doing Graphic Art on the computer after taking a few classes. Only when the Art Departments left Montreal for Toronto did I need to once again shift gears and become an Administrative then an Executive Assistant.
It was early in my new career as an Executive Assistant that I encountered people questioning if I’d be able to do the work, day in and day out.
It wasn’t considered smart to say “I’m doing this job because I have to, in order to pay my bills!”, we were all supposed to say things like “It’s my dream job and what I want to spend the rest of my life doing!”
The reality of life is 99% of us aren’t the 1%, able to pick and choose if we want to work or not! 99% of us need to work! We have bills to pay, which many times means taking jobs that aren’t our ideal, but we buckle up and just do it!
Being forced into taking on a different type of job than what we might want to take gives us two options: be miserable or look for tasks in that job that bring satisfaction.
I have found that even in jobs that I didn’t care for I could still find aspects of it that spoke to my spirit.
Those are the things I choose to focus on and to develop!
Sometimes it takes a creative spirit to problem solve in new ways, and I have seen that the greatest problem solvers are people who are able to see things in brand new ways!
Creative people tend to be great problem solvers, and problem solvers tend to be very creative (whether they realize they’re creative or not)!
If you’re a good problem-solver, you’re probably creative in other ways too! If you don’t see yourself as being creative, maybe you just haven’t explored that side of yourself! Give it a try!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Blessings!
Thank you for sharing this post and for following me!
Tamara
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Tamara Kulish 
What an inspiring attitude! “I have found that even in jobs that I didn’t care for I could still find aspects of it that spoke to my spirit.” is so wise! ❤
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We can choose whether we make ourselves miserable or whether we choose to do things to develop our happiness! The viewpoint we choose ultimately will determine how we live in our day to day!
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It is so true that it wasn’t considered smart to speak the truth about why we end up doing or choosing certain things in life. I think I have spent most of my life glorifying and validating my choices that I made – out of no other choice actually. But I lived everything as if it is my drean life. Amplifying the positive and connecting deeply to those aspects that spoke to my spirit, like you say. That helped me climb up in terms of quality of my life, helped me hone some positive ways of living but also led me to the painful work of owning what choices were not entirely mine, and more from the conditioning and expectations.
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I feel I’ve done so much of the same things in my own life! Some choices weren’t my own, but I did my best to own them nonetheless, because I didn’t want to see myself as a victim of circumstances. Other choices were my own, but I received so much help from the universe and from certain individuals who helped me along the way. Like you, some of my most painful inner work was done in situations which weren’t of my choosing, so much of the damage I needed to do was through a lens of trying to understand betrayal and why it was happening to me.
I did my best at times NOT to be a creative person, because it seemed that so much of the negativity directed towards me was as a result of me honoring my creativity. That turned out much as one would expect, with me becoming absolutely miserable and the other person or people simply finding something else to criticize about me.
I learned that there are people who project their own inner anger and anguish onto others, so no matter what form we try to assume to try to please and appease them will never work.
Even though it can be painful at times to live our lives authentically, ultimately this is the best thing we can do for ourselves and for others!
As we work on living our lives authentically we are much more able to help others to do so as well!
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“I did my best at times NOT to be a creative person,” – I relate to this, I literally spent my life dimming my light, not doing anything that lights me up 🙂 And my findings were the same as yours. The light of truth does carve a tunnel though, there is pain in this journey too, yet it keeps bringing us such peace, relief, richness of life as respite for a while until we are nudged in to the next leg of the journey 🙂
True it is so fulfilling to use our journey as a mirror to others, to show them the way.
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Right?! Being true to ourselves is difficult at times, but as you know, the alternative of “dimming our light” doesn’t lead anyone to anything higher nor does it help us! I prefer to struggle with any difficulties that dealing with the depression that comes from dimming and diminishing myself!
Very good points! 🌻🌻🌻🌻
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I left a very good paying job to do ‘me’ at 40 years old. Freshly divorced, dared God to show me how could all of this mess in this world have purpose…and did He what. First step was to do something I loved but didn’t know how…Remedial Massage Therapy. Healing…and the journey had begun. Best thing I ever did and my work friends couldn’t believe me looking forward to come to work with a big smile on my face 😂 🤣 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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Good for you for following your heart and for choosing to live a joyful life!!
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And even more amazing, this is the first comment that has gone through for ages…it must have meaning for someone to follow their heart too. Thank you for sharing yours dear lady 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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I’m deeply appreciative that you keep trying and that you got through! 😊🌻🌻🌻
Yes, absolutely, it’s important for men to see that after divorce they can turn things around to live their most authentic life! I feel saddened when I see divorced men angry and bitter, feeling they don’t have a say in their future.
I applaud men and women who are able to come out of difficult situations and in turn become their best selves! These are messages and examples we need to share!
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Amen! 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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😊🌻🌻🌻
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I thought a great deal about this subject as a high school teacher. I did my best to incorporate creativity and art in my English teacher classroom. I often saw a side of students not seen through traditional teaching. I do think public education needs to do a better job at cultivating and celebrating creativity and artistic abilities. Our world needs more creative thinkers!
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You’re indeed a peach of a teacher! It would be wonderful to see more teachers and professionals embracing the idea that creativity is such a blessing for many subjects and jobs in life, instead of perpetuating limiting tropes!
Since so many people need approval, they will find it difficult to step out of those limitations placed upon them or others!
I’ve seen some creative people shut it down inside of themselves for fear of the labels they may receive, so they don’t recognize it in themselves any more!
When I see someone doing some creative problem solving for an issue, I look at other things that they’re doing in their lives, and often I see a highly creative person who has stuffed down their creative outlets and haven’t felt they have permission to fully explore their interests! I give them a nudge or two to do something about what they’re interested in!
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I did my best. It never felt like enough, but that is the nature of teaching, in public school settings especially. I was always amazed by what students could create when they were given room to do so. Students who maybe did not enjoy reading and writing could make brilliant and inspiring art. Too bad traditional school does not allow more room for students to explore their gifts.
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I totally agree! I taught art privately and had volunteered with an inner city community center.
One year I had brought students to the art museum for a children’s workshop. One of my students used each color of the tempra paint and used his hands to mix the colors. The docents were trying to stop him because he wasn’t creating a picture so they felt he was wasting the paint. I kept stopping them and just allowed the student to continue with his process. He declared it “done” when all the colors were mixed to one uniform brownish color. The docents were questioning me why I would allow for the waste of a piece of paper and a few squirts of paint, and I told them that this student was experiencing art and color in a completely different way. He had been humming to himself through the whole process and felt very satisfied with his result.
The docents (who were art majors) asked asked me why he would be so pleased with his finished piece which was a mass of brown paint all over the paper. I told them that sometimes the process of doing something is far more satisfying than the finished result!
If a person ENJOYS what they are doing, are totally immersed in it, feel deep joy as they connect with the colors and love the tactile feel, who are we to judge that their experience is any less valid than someone who produces a finished piece which people love?
Deep lessons were learned that day!
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