Priorities and shifts

Since I finished my tarot card series I haven't managed to have much in the way of art to use as images on this blog. Naughty of me but I figure I can post pretty pictures I've taken of nice things and that'll do too...but don't think of me as a photographer. I do like photography in a 'my camera does all the work and my photos look spanking good when the light is right' sort of way, but start talking to be about the ISO and the filter and the zoom and I sort of glaze over. It's something I leave to the very talented photographers in my life. Besides, I have a lot of other things to get on with.

Which sort of presents a problem and was my round-about way of getting to the point of this particular post.

I have a lot of passions in life. I have a lot of ideas and creativity which sometimes feels so pent up that I can't seem to find enough ways to get it all out.

I love making costumes. I love designing and conceptualizing them and then making them real and wearable and magnificent.

I also love to sculpt and have a knack for it. I've often wondered about doing something on a larger scale and living in London can make me ache at the thought of it. Seeing a stunning stone dragon or the smooth, elegant curves of a sculpted silhouette makes my fingers twitch and my imagination run wild. Oh, the things I could do. And on a smaller scale too. I discovered Netsuke and would adore creating my own small creature to hold in my hand, carved with patience and love.

I want to revisit animation - as 'Affinity' gets more screenings I consider all the other ideas I have busting to be let out. A few cell animations, classic hand drawn ones which I think would be novel to try and fun to promote.

And of course there's my writing. I'm rapidly co-editing one of my novels, having another edited by a professional and getting ideas for new stuff which I'm jotting down here and there. I'm finding myself lost in the prose I've been dreaming of, wondering where to take it next and itching to give it another go.

Finally there is my painting - custom shoes and my tarot series, not to forget my Buddhist inspired work.

All jumbled up together these things feel like they should all come first, should all get my focus and time. But there are only so many hours in the day and unfortunately, at the moment a lot of them are spent doing menial administrative tasks so I can pay the bills and fund the supplies for this stuff.

Which is why I'm working on a shift. I'm evolving what I do to survive financially so that it not only meets something I'm passionate about, but gives me the freedom and flexibility (and funding) to continue with and truly pursue everything I want in good time. I may not be about to step into a studio with a chunk of granite awaiting my imagination. I may not be hunched over a drawing table putting the final touches on an animation. I may not be opening a box with a hard copy of one of my novels contained with in. I may not have that mascot costume I always wear entertain my cousin. But I do have the desire for it and that gives me a lot of motivation.

This motivation I have has led me to really look at my life, what comes to me naturally and what my options are for fostering that whilst creating a sustainable income. That was how I decided to look into this Life Coaching business, to explore it further. Now I'm realising that I need to look at how I'm using tools at hand, such as this blog, to promote myself. I've presented myself as a creative (which I am), but now I want to show my professional self.

This gives me a lot to think about as this blog has been an incredibly fantastic tool not only for sharing my art and writing, but for making connections and for giving me a sense of confidence in the talents I have. To that end I don't suppose it would be too different to use it for my life coaching, when I start to develop my career and put myself out there as such. The key difference will be creating confidence in others for their own incredible talents and limitless potential.

I'm mulling all this over and, fortunately, I have time to as my course doesn't start until the autumn. But in the mean time I'm practicing focusing my energy onto this one very important thing with the fact that it will be a fun, sustainable career choice for me that will allow me a great amount of freedom, as long as I go about it effectively. I know from experience that spreading yourself too thin is never effective, unless you want to suffer a nervous breakdown.

People aren't marmite.