Here's one of those lists everyone loves so much. It might focus my mind which is in Dangerous Butterfly Mode...
- Pitch script for Kickstarter for The Colour Of Her Scream
- Finish Of Night And Light - the novel
- Write the first ten pages of a new feature for the MoviePoet contest - which I can't name because submissions are meant to be anonymous.
- Look at existing short screenplays to see if one could be a theatre piece for Off Cut
And in my spare time...
I have an awful lot of admin and marketing and promotion to do. Isn't it odd (not) that when I try to think of writing tasks, I CAN? When I try to think of admin, marketing and promotion tasks my mind goes BLANK.
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| Image courtesy of inz-feelgood on DeviantArt |
Funny that!
Caroline, I just caught up on the last week or so of your blog posts, and they are all excellent. I'm glad you quit your stressful job and feel good about it! I think a lot of us have something(s) like that in our lives that we keep doing because it may be good for us in one way, yet it's really bad for us in more ways...and eventually either we make the right decision and give it up or keep putting ourselves through ridiculous unnecessary stress. So good for you! And thanks for the reminder in this post's title. I had a lifelong career dream that was crushed soon after I began university studies, and now I'm going to graduate school for something else...but lately I keep thinking, why? As good as I am at this and as much as it will be an "okay" career option, I don't love it. I love the other thing. I wonder if I can work up the courage to pursue it even though circumstances forced me to quit it before. Sorry, I didn't intend to tell you my life story! But thank you for your good thoughts and inspiration. Have a wonderful night!
ReplyDeleteBrianne - don't worry. I love to hear about people. What is it that you want to do so much? Who was responsible for crushing your dreams? What is it that's stopping you from pursuing them?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caroline, I'd love to hear your advice. I want to do music, anything and everything musical: piano, sing, write/arrange music, teach (publicly and privately), conduct, flute, French horn, everything. I have always been a talented musician, but I learned mostly on my own/through my mom until I was 12 and could take lessons at a nearby university. By that time, most of the other piano students had been taking professional lessons since they were 4 or 5. Even though I was behind, I worked hard through high school and received local and some state recognition. I got into the university I had always wanted to attend and auditioned for the music program three times. I thought I would make it, but each time I was rejected. I don't know how you feel about God but I am deeply religious; I prayed hard and felt that God wanted me to stay at that school and go with another field of study, because I can still teach music lessons from home one day. Yet while that idea placated me temporarily and I know it was good for me to stay there, I still miss music a lot. I don't find any sense of fulfillment with my current field, even though it's going well, but I always feel something real when I'm studying/practicing/enjoying music. I have had multiple friends study music and complain about how hard it is, how much they hate their theory classes, how much they hate music history; every time I hear that I think, "I would love to be in your place. I love music theory. I love music history. I know it's hard, but I love it anyway."
ReplyDeleteI reckon what is stopping me from pursuing music is a combination of the blow to my musical self-confidence, my concerns about being able to succeed enough in it that I can be financially stable, and my worry that it's just not going to work. I know I'm talented, but I don't have the university training (I wish I did) or the professional experience. I'm just not sure how or where to proceed...
I can only tell you what I think - it doesn't really count as advice!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky because my husband has a good job so finances aren't a serious problem for me except in so far as I hate not to contribute fairly to the household. You have to be realistic though and accept that bills have to be paid in order for you to survive!
I think, too, that if you were studying music you too might find that the theory and the history became a drag. At the moment it's unobtainable, so you long for a dream that might not be as rosy as you imagined if you attain it.
I am not religious though I believe there is some higher presence at work somewhere. Would your God want you to be unhappy? Wouldn't He want you to be fulfilled? You aren't honouring Him or yourself if you pursue a path that makes you unhappy. So - change how you feel or change what you do. (Accept that this other career WILL be fine and you WILL be happy, and if you can't do that PURSUE YOUR DREAM)
Wouldn't teaching music be something that would allow you financial stability and offer you the chance to be fulfilled as well imparting your passion to others?
I'm not sure what you're doing INSTEAD but if you feel you must continue with it you have to look at it as a means to an end - okay, so this is not the perfect job but it earns me enough money so I can go to concerts/buy a new French horn/take lessons...whatever it is.
Well, I'm sure that's all completely unhelpful but it was written with best intentions!