Diversify

The economy is always changing and those who adapt normally stay safe. Safe from being left to catch up, and safe from financial ruin. Learning to adapt quickly is a skill set that many people don’t recognize. The other useful skill is having the foresight to realize that staying in the same routine will cause turmoil.

Knowing when you have reached the end and there are no more growth opportunities is difficult to notice. Leaving that situation or even attempting to modify it slightly to open up possibilities is the hard part. The hardest thing to do is figuring out a way to keep the current position but branching out to other opportunities to diversify. Diversify your income, your sanity, your mental capacity and overall challenge yourself to break out of the comfort zone.

I am busting out of my comfort zone. My friends are helping me a bit but I am still doing it. I was challenged the past few years to start drawing again. A creative outlet I left many years ago. Something that I used to love that others ruined for me by fighting on who got to keep me art and telling me I had to draw a certain way. Now, I am challenged once again, a few years later, to pick up my pencils and draw. I am scared shitless but I am going to try and help a friend who requested illustrations for her children’s book.

Now, art has always been part of my life growing up. I would not only draw and paint in sketch pads but I would also paint while fixing up homes. My first memory of painting trim was when I was about 7 or 8. Oddly enough I found it extremely relaxing. Just how it used to be relaxing to draw and paint for fun. Recently I got to cut a few rooms and paint some trim. Man did this take me back. I immediately felt at ease, relaxed, and happy. Something I have not felt in a long time when it came to ‘painting’. So here I am now thinking of how I can get back out there, market myself, and paint people’s rooms for a profit. Not only will it give me some peace of mind,  it will bring in some financial support for my family and will keep my diverse skills sharp. I am now even thinking about making cakes for kids birthday parties. Something else I used to love doing was decorating cakes with my fathers ex-girlfriend. We would sit for hours decorating holiday and birthday cakes. She taught me how to pipe icing and a few other tricks.

All of these skills have laid dormant for over a decade. Hell I think it may have been two decades. But recently they have been emerging because of my kids. Friends and family members are noticing my creative side as they see my sketches I do with my kids, and the cakes I create for them and my nephews. So now I have friends and family members requesting I make their cakes and even illustrate their books. It is scary being noticed for something you not only walked away from but also hide for so many years of your life.

I am realizing tho, that the tech job market is no longer the safest route. The safest route is realizing the economy is shifting again, and I need to shift with it. This time instead of leaving one profession for another. I plan to juggle diversify my professional portfolio and call up on my dormant skills of being an artist.