Living the dream
For anyone considering doing something crazy and spontaneous like giving up their day job and setting up their own dream business, I am here to tell you… Do it.
After having my first daughter I had to decide whether to return to my London based, corporate 9-5 job. I’d recently read a book about making the most of opportunities so this was already in the back of my mind. When we sat down to work out our finances, we soon realised travel and childcare costs meant it just wasn’t feasible for me to go back to working in London. Added to this the fact we didn’t have any family nearby to help out meant neither of us would be around for much of the time to be ‘on hand’ if there was an emergency.
Me and my daughter around the time I made the move away from the London office. Credit: Lola Rose Photography
In reality, my gut had already told me I wouldn’t be able to spend the time away from my daughter when it wasn’t a career I was particularly passionate about. Don’t get me wrong, graphic design has always been the lesser of 2 evils- I could never do a ‘real’ corporate job, which involved spread sheets and a lot of meetings (like my husband!). I just don’t have the attention span to be sat for any real length of time in that sort of environment. Instead, I took my first steps into being self-employed and became a freelance designer.
Whilst I loved the freedom of choosing my own work and own hours, I soon started wondering what other possibilities there might be which meant I didn’t have to sit at a desk constantly. The small step of moving away from a traditional office setting had given me a new confidence that actually, I could do anything.
“We only regret the chances we didn’t take”
It wasn’t until a few years later when I stumbled on a job advert for a jewellery studio assistant that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It was a real ‘penny drop’ moment for me. I wasn’t in a position to go for the job at the time as still had my youngest daughter at home but the pang of wanting to be involved in making jewellery only grew stronger. The following day I enrolled in the first of many silver jewellery classes and I was hooked.
It has taken 2 years of learning and making jewellery for friends and family, but this year I decided to take myself seriously. I now have a full workshop, a small instagram following, my own website and am soon to start yet another silver course. If 10 years ago you’d told me this is what I’d be doing now I don’t think I’d have believed you.
Making such a big change to your way of life is daunting and can feel overwhelming but I have learnt to not let self-doubt get in the way of my dreams. It’s about taking small steps to the next small bend in the road. With each step, you will get closer to the next cross roads where you will be given a decision on which path to take. When you get there, give yourself a pat on the back for getting that far and step forward, into your next life. It’s important to remember we can’t walk the same path again. This is our only life. We don’t get a second chance, so lets make it count.