Do not quit. Or, do.
Thu 18 December 2008
It all started when I was reading on the Future of Web Design site and admiring the on-site snow flake effect that certainly looks Flash-y but in fact uses the jQuery library. Reading on about the team behind FOWD: Carsonified, I then started reading about their recent (2007) rebranding efforts. Quite a job well done I must say. Not only for the the rebranding itself, but how the process was made transparent and shared with the community. Good job Elliot!
On finishing the reading, I stumbled upon an entry that the Director Ryan Carson posted:
If you’re educated and wealthy enough to be reading this blog (which is true as you’re reading a computer screen), then you’ve got a massive advantage in life. You have the power, the wealth and the education to actually choose what to do with your life. Most of the population of the entire world doesn’t have that ability. You and I are lucky to not be fighting to stay alive day-to-day. So if you’re not doing something that you believe in – something you can be passionate about – then do something for me.
Quit.
The good thing is, I’m already a believer in the notion that you should do what you are passionate about in life. The bad thing is, it seemed to have got me into a situation with two pitfalls.
- I’m doing too many things because I love them all, and it kind of drains me out a bit.
- I’m not doing enough on any particular ‘thing’ to make sure I get somewhere with it.
The first one is recently starting to get to me because I know I’m only going to get interested in more things, and before I know it I’d be trying to build a home studio to do some recording. A bit luxurious, but it’s been at the back of my mind for some time.
So I gathered together the kind of things that are occupying most of my time at the moment:
- Web design & development: project work, general read-and-learning, and an upcoming site-wide redesign
- Dancing: teaching, rehearsal, and some upcoming performances & competitions with the FuNkoLoGy crew
- Brand strategy consulting: regular contract work with Promise and a looking out for career down that path
And this is where the second pitfall comes in. At the rate in which the economy is going down, I can’t be thinking about doing all those things when the one that I’m most experienced in – dance – isn’t really getting myself much well paid except the huge amount of joy I get out of it.
(Fortunately) Promise contacted me yesterday for another short contract to work on some new projects. The projects sound interesting already, although I shouldn’t really be taking on something else to delay the other projects on hand. Too bad the recession is hitting everyone quite hard and I couldn’t get a guaranteed longer contract, but I think the early January start with them will be a great opportunity for me to push myself on getting the other web design projects finished beforehand, and really start balancing bits of my life and look out for myself.
