March 17, 2014

what do you want to be when you grow up

When I was little I wanted to be Walter Cronkite. And then Connie Chung. Then Blondie, Dorothy Hamill, John Hughes and Tootie (from Facts of Life). And with each new person/career I would imagine what my office would look like. My Walter Cronkite office had wall to wall bookshelves and a big mahogany desk. My Tootie office had awesome 80's blinds and a neon sign over my bean bag chair.

Sarah Richardson

My choices might have been... unique, but I think I went about discovering those options the same way everyone does - you see people you like/admire doing things you think look interesting. (or in Tootie's case - people who's skates your admire). Seems like a very logical way to discover and develop your path.

The bummer of all of this though is that when you are encouraged to pick your life's profession, you have yet to meet a quarter of the interesting or admirable people you will encounter in life. Eighteen years old is damn early to make such a decision. I liked to write, so Journalism school it was. I imagined a cluttered dorm full of old books and a bulletin board with all my articles and contacts. Very Woodward and Bernstein.

domino
And while I certainly do love to write, media wasn't my passion. But I stuck with it. I'm stubborn and I had made up my mind - journalism damn it. That is a real job.

I graduated and landed in the tech world just as it was bubbling. I was good at my job and got an apartment filled with the things I thought a young person on their own would have in their first place. Ala early Carrie Bradshaw. I wasn't particularly passionate about my work, but man did I love my apartment.

via
It wasn't until my girls came and I got an old stack of childhood books from my mom that I began to put it all together. All of my favorite books had a common thread. I couldn't have told you the plot in most of those stories, but I could describe to you how each room looked. I got the movies I loved to watch so I could share them with the girls and again, I realized that the movies I loved were not about the stories, but about the interiors. Pollyanna - kinda boring but damn I loved her Aunt's house. The walk in closet in E.T. was about the best thing I'd ever seen with that octagon window and the banquet in the kitchen with those awesome Levolors - loved it.

And once it finally clicked, I couldn't be stopped. All the research and studying I'd done 'for fun' for decades was paying off.  I started to take clients here and there and developed enough of a base that when the opportunity arose, I took my leap. I was able to become what I had always wanted to be, if only I had listened to myself. Sometimes it takes a while for your head to catch up with your soul.


Over the past few months I've experienced several growing pains in my little business which is, as my favorite boss would say, a good problem. But even with the stress and struggle, I really do FINALLY love what I do. I'll share more over the coming weeks about all the good things bubbling up, but for today, I just felt like sharing.

So on St. Patrick's Day this Irish girl considers herself lucky to have finally found out what she wants to be when she grows up.

What about you? Do you know what you want to be? Are you doing what you love?

33 comments:

  1. I love it! Walter Cronkite made me giggle! Can't wait to hear all about it :) xo Kristin

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  2. I love it when people share about how they came to be. Congrats! It's so hard these days to find your true love/passion. A bachelors degree in Accounting and two Masters later, I am FINALLY doing what I love to do - be a mom and staying home with my two children. But, there is still an itch to something a little less 'self-less' and I am not sure what that is. I don't think I need to figure it 'all' out, but I know it falls on the creative side. Honestly, If I get to be with my children and do a little creative stuff on the side, I am one happy camper!

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  3. Glad you found your way. I knew early on when I worked in visual merchandising in one of the largest furniture stores that I was on to something here but was led astray by some Graphic Design stunts in-between ;) now I'm back to furniture and rooms but man am I glad I did the graphics part too ;)
    I tell my kids all the time to follow their heart but that doesn't count for xbox of course ;)

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  4. Thanks for sharing your story - would have thought that you were a design girl from day one! I agree that 18 is too young to decide on your true interests and talents in life! I have my masters in genetics and while I love that field there was always something missing - it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized I'm a happier person when I'm also giving the creative side of my brain some attention (hence the start of my blog...). So it sure took me a while but now I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to do :)

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  5. good for you- you deserve all the happiness and success coming your way!

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  6. I also loved Design as a child, but never realized it was a career! Go figure! In my youth, a girl was "permitted" socially to became a teacher, nurse but most importantly, a wife and mother! That was it! I now look back and realize that design was my passion. My "design" passion was expressed in our homes.

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  7. I wanted to be Tootie, too! I never thought that I could turn my blog into a career....but it's a fantastic part-time job. I love where my life is at the moment. I can't wait to read about your new ventures.

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  8. It's hard to look at your home and imagine you and all that creativity bottled up sitting in an office behind a computer! Lucky girl to have such a gift and be able to share it!

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  9. When I was young I really thought that my adult home would look like Pam Dawber's character's loft apartment in My Sister Sam. It doesn't.
    I have all kinds of things that I wrote when I was really little about wanting to be an artist when I grew up. Most of my adult life I told myself that I did not have any talent so I did not do anything about it. Now I am very glad that I showed up and tried and glad you did too.

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  10. So fun! Love all of those paths your mind took. Big Aunt Polly's house fan over here too :)

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  11. Such inspiring pictures and words! I'm looking forward to reading about how your business is growing.

    I'm still figuring out what I love. I enjoy design and food, but I can't see myself making a career out of either—it takes a real talent to do that! Right now, my job is a great time when I can grow professionally and my blog gives me the space to be creative.

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  12. Love this post... Your early career path sounds so much like mine, except I took the PR route instead of journalism. And after giving it all up, I'm again at a point in life where I'm wondering what I will do when I grow up... I still haven't figured it out yet, but I am enjoying the journey! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  13. Thank you for getting this conversation started. It has been so fun for me to hear your story and also the comments of others on this topic. I feel that I took the opposite route of many of you. My degree is in Interior Design, and worked in that field for years. But I think I really belonged in Journalism/Graphic Design. I'm so thankful that I have finally found a way to combine my interests by blogging, and I SO enjoy being a part of this community with all of you talented "soul sisters" :) Keep creating!

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  14. Thanks for sharing! I'm so jealous that you are doing what you love! I'm still in the corporate world with my full time accountant job. I love the people I work with, but not so much the work itself. My little blog and shop are really what I want to pursue, so I'm hoping to get some of your courage one day and make that happen!

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  15. Love getting insight on your childhood dreams!! When I was a kid I always wanted to be an architect and design homes that made sense! I felt the world needed a home designed from a woman's prospective and not a mans :) During my 9-5 in my very best Dolly Parton sing song voice, I'm doing what I love during the after hours, being a mom, slowing creating the perfect home for my family to enjoy, reading and drawing...I'm hoping one day I won't let fear hold me back & I can do what I really love full time and make a living too :) :)

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  16. Oooh such a good topic and so nice to find out how you ended up doing what you love :) I started off in sales (hated) then marketing (liked more) and then moved to Product Management (mistake). It was only once I started the blog that I realised how much I loved it - that lead to my job as an Editor for a Lifestyle Blog for a big retailer here but soon, I hope to continue to pursue my dreams of going freelance. A little design work, a little consultancy, a bit of writing - so far, it's good. But my dream dream dream would be to open a little bricks n' mortar shop selling homewares/wallpaper/fabric with a coffee shop/bakery on site. Ahhh. Someday. xxx

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  17. Ok so the Journalism degree explains your smooth writing. And it's so funny because I alluded to how much I love my work on my blog just this morning. And yes, it's very stressful but I can't imagine doing anything else!

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  18. Oh, I love this!!! And can't wait to hear more! Your background sounds similar to mine...loved to write, went into media and public relations, had kiddies, looked back and saw that fun in high school for me was making binders w/magazine cutouts of interiors (What!!!??$%#@) and now am just figuring it all out! Thanks for sharing and inspiring! :) - kate

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  19. Ha!! What a great post....Tootie!! she was awesome! I loved that show so much. DO you remember Mackenzie Astin? I was in love with him. Well, I'm struggling with your question still....not sure what path I'm embarking upon. I'm trying to give myself time and learn a lot about many things....I hope someday it becomes clearer. I'm working hard on it though.

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  20. Great post! I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately. I like what I do but I don't love it. The problem is that I make good money and I have bills to pay, including a ridiculous student loan. I know what I'd do if I won the lottery though. I'd buy all of the houses in my neighborhood that have been turned into apartments and convert them back into single family homes and update and decorate each one in a different style (because I love so many styles). And then sell them, of course. I wouldn't care about the profit at all, not just because I won the lottery and am now loaded. I just would love the work. I could never be a designer though. I like what I like and I don't know that I could wrap my head around picking things out that aren't my taste. And I'm really not a think outside of the box or particularly creative person. But it would be fun.

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  21. Awe, I loved this post Elizabeth! I am still finding my way or maybe way back... I have a BA in linguistics an MSc in occupational therapy, which i really loved and only gave up cause I decided to stay home with my kiddos, and now I refinish furniture, sell vintage stuff and decorate stuff (you know in my spare time). I think I can safely say I've been all over the map!

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  22. I am doing what I love. But when I was younger I wanted to be Agent Scully or a writer for the New York Times. Love this post.

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  23. I think I may need to take a queue from you Elizabeth and share more of my story as well. And it's funny because I've had a similar conversation with my husband a few friends recently as well. If only I had really gone with my gut when I was younger, but you really can't look to the past. I really want my girls to know that they should follow their gut when it's time to go down the career path and study toward their ultimate goal and I want to support them 100% whatever that path may be. I can remember wanting to go to fashion design school. I had even inquired with FIT and got brochures etc but it was too "big time" for me back then. I decided to go to a small school and entered "undeclared" which should have told me right then and there - don't do it. haha...well I won't blab anymore but I do believe as we get older we get more comfortable with ourselves and we truly learn the path that is meant for us. Thanks so much for sharing and I'm looking forward to reading more about your design adventures.

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  24. Love this! And it reminds me so much of myself when I was younger. I loved to decorate from the time I was a kid, and I night I would fall asleep imagining the kind of house I wanted some day and how I would decorate it. But when I grew up and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, it never occurred to me that decorating was something I could do for a living. It had always been what made me happy, and that didn't jive with my idea of a "job". Sure wish I would have figured out a lot sooner that it is possible to make money doing what you love!

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  25. I love this post so much, Elizabeth! So glad you found what really floats your boat and can make a living out of it! It's so wonderful to read about someone who loves what they do. Happy for you that great opportunities are coming your way.

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  26. I'm taking the journey of finding what I love at this very moment. I thought I knew, got my degree in Advertising, got a job related and figured out that it just wasn't what I was expecting my whole life. So now where? I'm soul searching to figure out where I belong, what I find fun as a job, that way i'll never work another day in my life. I really enjoyed this post. :)

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  27. I am so excited for you that you are doing what you love! You have such a talent for design and I'm so happy for you that you are following that dream. Your girls will look up to that strength and admire it!!

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  28. I am so happy and excited and intrigued by your upcoming adventures!

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  29. Can't wait to hear about what you have up and coming! I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. :) I feel like where I'm at right now is pretty good though!

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  30. Oh, Elizabeth, I knew we were soul sisters. Your journey and mine sound oh so similar. I was a journalism major too and went into PR/Corporate Communications following graduation. I had NO idea what I wanted to be/do when I grew up. People just told me - you can write well, you should do that. Made sense. I didn't know what interior design was (my parents aren't exactly the creative/decorator types), but I knew I loved magazines and style-related topics. Fast forward to my first apartment and first homes, and I was obsessed with decorating. Slowly but surely, I realized what my talents were and have been trying to pursue them ever since. I feel like you need to give me a tutorial on the business side of it though because my decorating jobs are extremely sporadic. I need a better plan to grow my business. Can't wait to hear what you've got going on!

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  31. What a great topic. I'm now just starting to do what I love but man it's a struggle (a good struggle). Can't wait to read more about what's "bubbling up."

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  32. With you! Love to you! Thanks for sharing this. You're a favorite and I'm so glad we're bloggy friends. Go get 'em! xo

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