by Hey, it’s me. I haven’t seen you in a long, long time. And anyone who’s deadline-driven (like me) knows the dread of putting something off for so long (say, a blog post) that actually doing said thing (the writing of that blog post) feels wrong. On top of my procrastination rests a global pandemic, which makes everything seem so much less important. So I’m pretending this is Barton Springs and, as shiver-inducing as I know those first reluctant steps into the pool are, I’ll take the plunge. Because getting in and getting it done always refreshes in the long run.
So let’s dive in and talk about work.
Do You Know Your Dreams?
At a 2018 Freelance Austin meeting, our group created vision boards. Some dismiss these cut-and-paste assemblages as New Age-y business mysticism, but this process of sorting and collecting images has revealed inner themes and leanings I wasn’t fully conscious of. Now, I’m an image-oriented thinker, so perhaps making vision boards allows me to express my dreams more freely and fully than, say, goal statements. I mean, look at my notes:
After that June meeting, I brought my magazine clippings home, eventually assembled them into a poster, and tacked the resulting collage to my office wall–in the closet, next to my filing cabinet, behind the curtain. And forgot about it.
Time for a Change
After five-plus years working for myself, I’d learned two things:
- freelancing was too solitary for me
- I craved professional affirmation
This isn’t to say I hadn’t made the right career move. Managing a magazine had drained me; I needed rest; I wanted freedom to travel with my husband, who’d taken a very demanding new job. I threw myself into blogging, editing, travel, and volunteering (not necessarily in that order). Everything was awesome. . . and yet I wasn’t happy. I missed people; I missed regular creative exchange; I missed feedback and reward for work well done.
So when my friend approached me about a contract position on her content marketing team, I was intrigued. After all, I’d applied for a similar position almost a year earlier; this gig would allow me to sample the office job while maintaining my other activities.
Win, win, right?
I came onboard at the end of October. Work felt like water to a parched plant. People contact! In a real office! For a non-haggled over, appropriately-awarded fee! Sweet! #livingmybestlife
And then the team opened up a full-time position and the question became, did I want to go back to work full time? How would I feel about that contract work if they didn’t hire me? And if they DID hire me, how would my life change? Gulp.
Fear rolled into a knot in my stomach. But it’s those things, that what the hell am I doing lump in the gut, that bring growth. Hell, yeah, I applied! And got the job.
On December 2, 2020, I joined Indeed as a content marketing manager.
The Great In-Between: Working From Home
Flash forward to March 2. Our boss was in town; our team assembled to toast her arrival in Austin. We chatted over happy hour nibbles and sips, and I joked that the party was actually celebrating my “3-monthiversary.” That night, a company-wide email landed in everyone’s inbox; to protect us (and everyone else in our respective communities) from the rising pandemic, we were working from home until further notice.
Working remotely is the smart move. I’m sure it’s kept me and thousands of other people healthy while flattening Covid-19’s curve of contagion. I’m glad my company can accommodate that shift. And so I’m back in my home office, ironically with less social contact than I had as a freelancer. No morning workouts with friends. No professional organization meetings, no book club. No shared lunches or happy hours. A lot of Zoom meetings.
But I do have the continuity of a team, people working together as best they can through this uncharted time. Navigating together, if only a virtual togetherness.
Today, my friend and I held a meeting in the time of pandemic. We walked outside along our neighborhood streets, more or less six feet apart (I tend to veer, so there were a few tense moments when I closed the gap). And I’m so grateful.
About That Vision Board …
So, how much of that vision board was realized? Between June 2018 and now, I
- traveled to many countries (Spain, Singapore, Japan, France, England, Denmark, Ireland), including the cities of Paris and London
- hiked and ran trails at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, Palo Duro Canyon, and all over Ireland
- reclaimed my healthy mojo, along with workouts with friends and a race (my first half marathon in years!)
- picked up pens and pencils to complete 100 days (and more!) of blackout poetry
- landed sweet jobs (book editing, magazine articles, and my work with Indeed) and made real money
- spent quality time with loved ones
- let my hair grow! It looks like this. Kind of.
Now, if you can shed some light on the meaning behind those pink and blue blobs, I’d sure appreciate it!
