Before I finished school I considered a number of career ideas. One was as a graphic designer, specifically as a book designer, which is what I did end up doing. Another was in medical research. I thought that this would be interesting and rather noble. At some point it got crossed off my list, because I never applied for anything like that with my end of school results.
Thinking about it since, I wonder whether I would have found it fulfilling. Of course, finding cures for things and making medical breakthroughs would be pretty exciting, but I imagine that actually making those sorts of breakthroughs happens very rarely.
I also wonder whether I could have been happy in what is likely to be a fairly uncreative profession. You see, I am driven to create. If I’m not creating, I get this hankering that cannot be satisfied any way other than by making something and trying out a new idea.
I’m feeling a bit that way at the moment, though that’s not through lack of creating. Its more than I am not finding much time to work on what *I* want to work on – I’m mostly doing other people’s work – stuff for magazines, class preparation for next year etc.
What I’d really like is a couple of weeks of no interruptions to get stuck into my next book. I could enjoy getting a whole lot of instructions written and a whole lot of stitching and designing done. Unfortunately, I just can’t see that happening.
So in the mean time I’ll just have to satisfy myself with being creative for other people. And quite frankly, that IS better than not being creative at all. And it generally does mean that you get paid…!
Sorry, I’ll stop moaning pathetically now.
Today is the 15th – the last day to sign up for our Christmas ornament swap.
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
Yvette, I hear what you are saying. I have taught classes off and on for several years, and I would always get frustrated because it always meant I never had time to do what I wanted to do. I hope that you can find fulfillment in the work you are paid to do; your work is so beautiful, and I am in awe of the consistent quality that you are able to produce. I wish that we could get more of the Australian needlework magazines here in the US because we don’t have anything here of the quality that you are able to produce. Your country has been able to hold onto a needlework tradition that is being lost here, and I am glad there are people working to keep it alive. Sandi
Thanks Sandi – that’s really lovely!
It is exasperating, isn’t it, that we can’t spend more time doing what we feel we really should be doing!
Me – I have a stack of ironing to do before I dare set another stitch!
I only iron when absolutely necessary. My daughters don’t even get their school uniforms ironed, except on school photos day.