I Am Not My Job (Repost from SeeJonesCreative)

So…about a week ago, I parted ways with my employer. There wasn’t anything bad that happened. I actually liked working there, but tough decisions had to be made and that position is no more. I had no hard feelings. I thought about making an announcement on social media, (isn’t that the knee-jerk reaction to anything that happens these days?). However, I quickly found that as soon as I told some of those closest to me what happened, the most common response I got was, “I’M SO SORRY!”

While I am grateful to have some amazing people in my corner who genuinely care about my well-being, I was a bit caught offguard by all the “I’m sorry”s I received, so I stopped saying anything. Perhaps it’s because it took me back to the last place where I heard those words repeated so many times – facing death in my family earlier in the year. I decided months ago that I didn’t want to feel sorry anymore, and I don’t want anybody else to feel sorry for me. I began telling people, “Please don’t be sorry, because I’m not.” I actually felt a sense of relief when I got the news about the job ending. Part of me wanted to laugh at the irony. My freelance workload was growing, but the time and energy available to devote to the creative work I was getting was limited. Where some people saw a loss, I saw an opportunity.

If you’ve had any substantive conversation with me over the last few months, I may have told you how I was wrestling with the idea of either going full-time with my business or seeking another growth opportunity (Clearly, some of y’all weren’t paying attention!). I had been “looking for a sign”, “praying about it”, “reading Proverbs” – the whole nine yards – trying to hear the direction that God wanted for my life, and not just jumping the gun because I wanted to. I’ve resigned from a job before, and knew the sense of liberation that comes along with such a move, but still, something was keeping me from writing that resignation letter so I could go out and follow the calling I felt inside. I had gotten comfortable, and that didn’t sit well with me. I was going through the motions. I finally gave myself a deadline to be in another role by January 1, 2016. A few short weeks later, there was nothing to wrestle with anymore. I’m learning to better listen to my instincts.

I’m now focusing my attention to running the company I started almost two years ago, on a full-time basis. I am settling into the reality of living my dreams — being a full-time artist, designer, and entrepreneur. It feels surreal. Last year, I completed two business accelerator programs for creative entrepreneurs. Two years ago, I completed my MBA. I often attend professional development workshops/bootcamps, network in the start-up and arts scene, and read in order to build my skills and knowledge. A week before the job ended, I met with one of my mentors to develop a plan to transition into my art career. Long story, short, I had been preparing for this moment. Now it’s time to put all that learning into action. I am not job hunting; I’m identifying and establishing profit centers.

This experience makes me think about how many of us find our identities in our jobs, and lose ourselves in the process. While a job can provide a financial means to provide for one’s family and to be able to afford the daily needs and wants of life, it is a means to an end, not the end game. Am I completely debt-free? No. Is everything perfectly aligned in my favor? No. And it may never be. Tomorrow is not promised, either. Entrepreneurship may not be the path for everyone, and in no way do I try to discount the realities of what unemployed and under-employed people across the country may be experiencing. However, I do wonder how many situations could be changed by building a door with the tools at our disposal instead of waiting on one to open. It is a not an easy one-size-fits-all solution (Few things are), nor a path without obstacles, but I am willing to take the risk. I know there are no guarantees of my success. I don’t know how long it’ll take to work out all the kinks. But what I do know is that I could not go on sitting idly by watching others making strides toward their goals, and encouraging others to believe in their dreams, when I was too afraid to believe in my own.

I am not my job. I am a man. I am gifted. I have a vision. I have something of value to offer the world. I am passionate about helping others communicate their messages more effectively and see the world a little differently through creating impactful visual communications. I am intelligent. I am determined. I am resilient. I am underestimated, but I am enough…I am a lot of things, but I am not my job.