Part 1. From beyond happy to the hamster wheel
After graduating from college, I went to San Francisco to work for an architecture firm as an interior designer. I was beyond happy to start earning a real salary after waitressing throughout college. Anyhoo, for a while, I liked my job, and everything was fine and dandy. Until it wasn't.
The day my office started me on AutoCAD was the beginning of the end for me.
My job changed to drawing up plans on the computer, printing them out on a plotter, handing them over to someone else, getting them back with corrections, making the changes on the computer, printing them out on a plotter, handing them over to someone else, getting them back with corrections, making the changes on the computer, printing... well, you get the idea. I. Hated. It.
It sucked all the joy right out of me.
It was so awful that I would cry in the mornings because I didn't wanna go. But I didn’t know what else to do. I mean, I had just spent the last six years of my life in college so that I could start a corporate career in interior design, only to find out my work was making me miserable.
Thanks to AutoCAD, I was working 40 hours a week in front of a computer. This was back in 1994, when most college students only used computers to type and print their papers. Spending so much time in front of a screen was completely foreign to me.
Anyhoo, back to my story. I had plenty of free time after work and on weekends, but I had zero time to do anything that really mattered to me, like my art. Because I just didn’t have the bandwidth for it.
My perfectionism had me convinced that all I needed to do was push through this difficult situation and try harder. So I tried being more disciplined with myself. I tried going to the gym every day. I read a lot of self-help books. And to be totally honest, there was also a lot of retail therapy going on during that time. But none of that helped me find my way out.
I still remember how totally trapped I felt.
Part 2. Following my joy
But I got lucky, because I had a roommate who would choreograph these crazy dance performances. And he'd always drag me along to dance rehearsals. And then he’d always convince me to make stuff he could use on stage for his performances. Smile.
Lo and behold, at one of those theater rehearsals, someone who worked there very kindly explained to me that the "stuff" I was making for my roommate's performances actually had a name. Turns out I was making “props” and didn't even know it. Not only that, I was told I could get a job making theater props. People actually got paid for doing that.
And that’s when a door opened for me. It was the way out of my miserable job.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I ditched my well-paying corporate career to become a properties artisan. No lie.
Well, first I spent a year as a props apprentice. And since that doesn't pay a whole lot, I also ended up waitressing on the side. Eeeek!
But get this, when I worked 40 hours a week in a workshop as a props apprentice, I had time to waitress on the side. AND I also had time to create new paintings. I was working 2 jobs AND making my art. Whoa.
Ya see, making stuff in that workshop was exciting to me. My new job demanded jumping in, getting messy, and trying stuff out. I learned new materials and tools every day. I had to play, to be inventive, to figure stuff out I’d never done before.
It boosted my life energy. And because it gave me more energy, it gave me more time.
And believe it or not, I was able to make enough paintings to start showing my art. Eventually, I even found my first gallery.
That’s when another door opened for me. It was the way to becoming an artist full-time.
Part 3. The time scarcity myth.
All this to say, that I made an exciting discovery about the connection between play, energy, and time.
Play is the way to get your time back to do what matters most.
I’ve learned that play leads the way whenever I feel stuck. It was the play of making stuff for my roommate that led me out of my miserable job to working in the theater. And it was the play of making theater props that led me to painting full-time.
There's an open door waiting for you if you choose play over push. You have the power to choose. And knowing this makes your life feel more like an adventure instead of a hamster wheel.
The answer is never pushing harder. The answer is always using play to unlock energy, motivation, and momentum.
We get so fixated on finding more time. And there’s never enough time to go around!
We think having more time is the answer, but it doesn’t work that way. You can have all the time in the world, but if you’re totally drained you won’t actually do anything meaningful during your free time.
Time only matters in proportion to the energy you have to use it, and play refills your energy tank faster than anything else.
Play is the secret ingredient to unlocking vitality by boosting your life energy. And because it gives you more energy, it gives you more time to do what matters most.
Play enables you to follow your joy in life.
Here’s something for you to check out:
If your creative projects are piling up while perfectionism keeps you stuck always trying harder, I get it.
Maybe you have plenty of free time after work and on weekends, but zero bandwidth to do anything that really matters to you, like your art. Your perfectionism has you convinced that all you need is more discipline. Go to the gym every day. Read more self-help books. Push through. Try harder.
If that's you, know this:
You don’t have to put your joy on hold anymore.
Get on my mailing list and grab the free Permission To Play Training:
This is a short, fun training (less than an hour!) where I'll guide you through my own 6-step framework for getting my butt unstuck through play.
Think of me as your personal trainer for getting your creative mojo back on track.
In this training, you'll be scribbling, doodling, making marks, and having fun with your art supplies. No fancy skills required. Just you, some markers or crayons, and a willingness to play.
What you'll take away:
• The satisfaction of giving yourself the gift of spending time on yourself
• The joy of having fun with your creative side
• A simple framework you can use anytime you need to jumpstart your momentum
CLICK HERE to check out what’s inside Permission To Play!
And here’s a little more reading if you want:
If your energy is being drained by your work, your activities, your phone, your TV, your home, your habits, your whatever, then for you to get your time back, you're gonna have to figure out those energy leaks.
What you think is a time management problem is actually an energy management problem. And when you figure out your energy leaks, you get back all the time you need.
If you’re curious about getting your time back, click this link to find out how:
How To Find More Time To Be Creative: 6 Sneaky Energy Leaks That Steal Your Time