career evolvement

Sometimes we think of evolving as 'getting better', and while this is absolutely true, we can also look at evolving as 'shifting and changing'--maybe even changing direction in a particularly dramatic fashion.

This shifting and changing is something I didn't really expect when I embarked upon a writing career. I just always presumed I'd write books. Forever. I didn't even think the genre of my book writing would change. I presumed it would always be the same (at the time, adult fiction).

Then things morphed into children's books, then came editing, then came publishing and book layout and design, then came marketing and social networking and teaching and presenting... and now, nearly 30 year later, I've found myself on an illustration journey (among other things), and sometimes I take pause and realise it's all quite surreal.

How did this happen?


In fact, yesterday, I pitched my illustrations (one of them, above) to one of my publishers. If you'd told me I'd be doing this, even a year ago, I would have had to have a cup of tea and a lie down.

On this rollercoastering, creative journey, I think it's important not to box ourselves in too tightly. Not to stereotype or label ourselves. I think this kind of self-labelling can really be limiting, and can keep us from growing or exploring things that might bring us even greater fulfillment.

I believe that sometimes we don't even know what latent talent or desire we hold within. Sometimes, a word, a look, an event, can cause a teensy spark that soon becomes a burning flame... and we might experience shifts and growth and changes in our world that completely alter our life path, make us happier and more fulfilled. Maybe even more 'successful' (though I would argue that being happier and doing what we love is the ultimate in success).

What I'm learning on this journey is this: if it feels good, do it. Don't listen to the naysayers and don't worry about the people who might be waiting for you to fail. This most especially includes yourself. We can be so terribly hard on ourselves. We can let ourselves down with our own self-doubt and lack of courage. We need to run our own race, never look sideways or worry what anyone else is doing, and just do stuff that makes us HAPPY, even if it makes no sense to anyone else, let alone ourselves.

What are you feeling called to do? Is it wildly different to what you're doing now? Does it make sense? Does it even need to?

How will you evolve?