Over the past year, art has been calling out to me again in a way I can’t ignore. Her pleas have been getting stronger, more urgent—and more disappointed in my lack of resolve to commit more time to her—time I simply don’t have right now.
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Asking Not Asking #27: Looking to Leap
It is a wonderful stable job with good benefits so the thought of leaving something so steady is scary. But my dream is to do something focused more on spirituality/new age modalities and/or personal development…
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Asking Not Asking #26: Trying to Break the Cycle
When I think of working on my side project, I get overwhelmed then think about how little energy I have then feel guilty and the cycle happens over and over…What can I try to get inspired enough to make my idea real and get closer to doing the work I really want to do?
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #24: In Search of Patience
I graduated top of my class and it’s humbling to be a small fish in a big pond again. I know I’ll get better in time, but I’m struggling to be patient with myself and my career. How long does it take to get really good at something? To be recognized? To have better opportunities?
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Asking Not Asking #23: King of None
“My biggest challenge is not being able to quantify and expose my strengths. Jack of all trades... King of none.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #22: Jack of All Trades
“I guess the underlying dilemma is that I’m not sure how to maintain the idea of myself as a kind of ‘jack of all trades’ or to make some kind of active choice and promote myself as a product/niche service.”
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Asking Not Asking #19: I Don’t Hate My Job
“Here’s the thing: I don’t hate my job. I don’t necessarily love it, either. It’s interesting and fast-paced and I like working with a team. I also like the consistent salary and the security that comes with it...But sometimes I get the urge to quit and start over. I get antsy and want to leave. Then I think about it and wonder why. Will I regret not trying something else?”
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Asking Not Asking #18: Freelance Life is Like A Drug
“Freelance life is like a drug. The just not knowing what might be possible around the corner can be addictive and exciting. But it can also be hard to know just when the time is to move on. To know when it’s over. You just don’t know. There’s always a maybe/possibly hanging around out there. It makes it hard to commit to something else, something more solid, something more stable.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #17: The Girl Who Got Lost in the Fire
“I’ve tried side projects, going on art-dates with myself, taking self-care days. I’ve tried making up small projects just for me, but I can’t seem to find the motivation or passion to do it. I feel trapped in this illusion of freelance because I constantly feel I can do it better, do more, do things differently, but every time I have some time off, I feel paralyzed and tired.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #16: Searching for Fulfillment
“Options I am considering: 1) Go back to school to get an MBA in Marketing and do…marketing?…somewhere? 2) Leave and start my own photography and design studio. Options I’m definitely NOT considering: Staying where I am. I’m so ready to jump that I can feel the wind in my face.”
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Asking Not Asking #15: Waiting to Be Seen
“I want to be heard and be part of bigger things, alongside better people. Yet any new attempt is met with another refusal...How can I be heard? How can I make you see me? How can I contribute?”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #14: Unqualified
“One of the real surprises of this process has been finding what I think is the type of work I want to make. Before getting sick, I actually never had ideas for personal work. I always felt blocked…It feels daunting that my interest is heading in a direction where I especially feel the least qualified. How can I move forward from here?”
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Asking Not Asking #13: Comparing Myself
Sometimes I’m proud of where I’m at and other times I feel so behind, like all of my friends and peers are further along because they make more money or they have jobs at well-known agencies. I’m in my late twenties and I want to feel like I’m making progress. Starting a business feels like starting over.
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Asking Not Asking #12: Stuck
I quit my management consulting job after 9 years because I am convinced I want to create my own business. I’m struggling because I have a lot of skills… Now I feel so stuck because I don’t know what I want to focus on. All of [my previous ventures] were great experiences but none of them were me and I am not sure what I want to do.
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Asking Not Asking #11: Overwhelmed
I am very good at getting started. I can get pretty far with that motivation, but somewhere along the way I start to question myself and also try to create balance between work, life, love, fitness, etc., and I get overwhelmed and let things go.
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Asking Not Asking #9: Frozen by Fear
What I have always loved and known to light me up are those one-on-one moments with people; that sitting in the darkness next to someone as they battle through something. Through journaling, I have thought that clinical psychology may be an option for me, but as a 31-year-old who just got out of an 8-year relationship and lives in a foreign country, I feel this deep sense of fear to pursue this.
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Asking Not Asking #8: Balancing Act
My fear is that I’m spending too much time in this comfortable space and not enough time pursuing work or opportunities that truly excite me. I don’t want to feel uninspired or bored with the work that I’m doing, but the money makes it hard to turn down. How can I find a better balance between steady work and new business ventures?
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Asking Not Asking #5: Feeling Used & Confused
“Now this artist solely references the follower’s work. Together they've begun migrating my audience away. This is affecting my visibility, my bottom line, considerably; this also negatively impacts our shared agency's numbers.” … I need to determine what I can personally do aside from ‘keeping my head down and working.’
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Overshare Podcast: Tina Essmaker on Resiliency and Embracing the Great Contentment
Tina Essmaker opens up about loss, divorce, resiliency, and new beginnings as she moves on from her role as Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of The Great Discontent. She embarks on this next chapter of her career as a coach, speaker, and writer with courage and enthusiasm.
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