#21 Should you follow your dreams?

I’ve finally settled into the new house, have an internet connection and despite everything else in my life still raging on, I finally have the time to sit down and write in peace.

I’ve been thinking about advertising and marketing recently (as part of my role as strategy consultant) and it’s become more and more clear to me how much structure, organisation and intentionality lies behind even “creative”, “artistic”, “self-made” successful businesses or people.

Which is quite funny in a way.

When I was younger I thought artists and creators were having the time of their lives. It was them and their muse, exploring their wildest dreams, embracing natural flows of thought, even pushing away the tragic (and boring) confines of strategic success.

They weren’t tied to the less refined tastes and inclinations of mortals like me. Somehow thinking that Da Vinci could’ve dampened down his creative genius to fit what would be better appreciated by the rest of us feels like a sad state of affairs.

Surely it’s just natural that incredible creative genius is to be appreciated by everyone. Not that it’s been created with us in mind.

I’m going somewhere with this.

All this dampened my romantic notion of a creator. The dreams I never followed, the “running away with the circus”-things: becoming a painter, or a tattoo artist, or a sculptor or philosopher - well apparently weren’t as much of a “dream” really, but more of a job.

I read this amazing phrase, that said that the more fun a career is, the more competitive it is going to be. And therefore the more you need to work to rise above. Work, with your target audience in mind.

I don’t know if this made any sense to anyone else, or how I feel about it overall, if it’s a good or bad thing. I don’t think it’s either really.

So what do you think? Would chasing your dreams have been less of a job than what you currently do?

Wishing you a killer weekend,

Elizabeth xx

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