It’s ok to change directions

In the past couple of months two different creative women I follow online have announced they are changing directions. One is a crochet pattern designer who after ten years has decided to sell her business and spend some time just living her life without having to answer the internet 25/8. The other is an artist who is selling her studio and doing a thing that she hasn’t publicized yet. And I want to talk about making these big decisions. I want to talk about how it’s ok to change directions. Because I think in our culture we frown on this like it’s a negative when in reality it can be so life giving and takes so much strength to make these changes.

I know from my own experience, building an online presence/brand/community (yes, I too hate that language but it is applicable for this moment in time and for this conversation) is hard work. It takes a lot of a lot of things. Creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, self discipline, business acumen, the thickest of skins, social media savvy, and being just plain ol’ stubborn helps too.

And after you’ve done that for five or ten or fifteen years, you just get tired and sometimes you want a change. But you are stuck! Because you’ve been building this thing for literal years and it’s finally being successful! So you don’t want to move for fear of the house of cards tumbling! But you just want to try something new! Or take a freaking rest and not be in charge! Or just play with your dogs in the yard for a few afternoons without the internet falling on your head!

What is it about our culture that demands we never change? Never grow? Never allowing for a change of heart? I mean everything about our existence is change. Our kids grow up. Everybody’s bodies get older and older. Our houses deteriorate over time. We hate it when our favorite band starts making a new kind of music. Or the store stops carrying our favorite brand of juice. I mean I get it. I like the surety of a Big Mac always tasting exactly the same no matter where you buy it. But that’s completely artificial and we’ve built it up to be the norm instead of the exception.

Change can be disruptive and hard especially when it isn’t under our own direction. And also when it’s under our own direction. It takes a massive amount of energy to change course. There are so many unknowns. There’s often a lot at risk: emotionally, physically, financially. So I get why it can be, and is, hard. I told my kids when they were little that “hard is where you learn” meaning that we don’t necessarily learn and grow from easy school lessons. And I have to mutter that to myself even now sometimes because it’s so stinking true for just life in general. Ugh.

Letting people make changes and go in new directions should be a chance for us to celebrate each other. Congratulate one another for trying something new and rejoicing when we follow through with it no matter the outcome. Making new music or new art or taking a break or learning to bake or playing with your dogs in the backyard. Making space for changing course or taking a breather or a nap or leaving the internet for good.

I don’t know where this post is going exactly or how it relates to making art other than sometimes our heroes are gonna go and do something different. And we all need to learn to be ok with that. Maybe you won’t love the outcome. I mean I am never gonna buy U2’s album Pop on vinyl. But Pop led to How to dismantle an atomic bomb and the lyrics to Vertigo will live rent free in my head forever. So you just never know how things will turn out in the end. And I think that’s my ultimate point. Be true to yourself and your journey and things will happen as they happen.

What about you? What changes are you contemplating? I want to cheer you on! Catch up with me on socials, email me, or go old school and leave a comment on this post to be immortalized for all of time.

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