Career experiments

Will I be a designer for the next 25 years?

When I founded Joy I was adamant I didn’t want to run a traditional design consultancy. I’d seen how stressful it could be and ultimately I just didn’t love the business model. This has been in the back of my mind for the last 2.5 years as I’ve wondered whether to grow the company and if so, how.

I’ve toyed with the idea of different models, like co-ops or associate networks. I’ve had brainwaves from swimming pools in Madeira that have never taken root. And I’ve just pondered the question for a while now with nothing really sticking.

Recently I’ve started to wonder; what if I just stayed as I am? An agency of one. A freelance service designer working on projects that are meaningful to me. That sounds ok. But in approximately 14 months, I’ll be 40. And the question does start to loom large. Is this what I’m going to do for the next 25 years? Being a solo freelancer there is no career trajectory anymore. I deliberately walked away from the corporate ladder, and I stand by that choice. But it feels like I want to start laying a path for myself now.

So I wondered. Maybe I’m supposed to stay freelance so that I can train to do something else.

Over the next month or so I’m going to do a couple of experiments, and one of them started today. Both are things I am embarking on that push me out of my comfort zone, something I find myself doing less and less these days and I miss it to be honest.

So inspired by the lovely Nat Shaw who shared a similar story the other week, here are my career experiments.

Experiment 1: A residential life writing course

I’m writing to you from my room at The Hurst as Day 1 of my life writing course comes to a close. There is a single bed and a desk facing a window that looks out onto a beautiful vista of the Shropshire hills. The house is full of character (see image of the scarf wearing bird) and books. It’s peaceful.

However, there are also 15 other people here whom I’ve never met. Despite meeting new people through my work all the time, pre-arranged big group style situations where I’m not in control horrify me. I’ve scurried back to my room like the introverted mole that I am at every opportunity so far. The one time I did share today I got told to speak up for the hard of hearing in the room!

Having said all this, it feels like a welcoming and safe space with wonderful tutors guiding us through the week. I’m coming with questions and a scattering of things I’ve tried to write that haven’t really taken hold. What I’m really looking for is a way forward with my writing that could, down the line, turn into an alternative career.

Experiment 2: Becoming a therapist

This is a new thought that has been brought to reality by the wonderful folk at Self Space. I spotted a course they are running this year which allows you to spend two weekends exploring if training to be a therapist might be the right thing for you. This is never something I have seriously considered but this course peaked my interest.

Training to be a therapist is an expensive and committed business. It’s not something I would take on lightly and I think this course is a great way for people to dip their toe in before committing, or equally deciding it’s not for them.

I have no idea which way I will fall. All I know is that therapy has given me so much over the years and mental health is something that is really important to me. I’ve also been finding myself drawn to more 1:1 work through my mentoring and seeing a way forward where I could help people for a living feels like something I’m keen to explore.

As usual, this feels like a vulnerable thing to share. Which I guess means its something I should be writing about because that’s what I do. But openly saying you’re considering stopping doing the thing people pay you to do is - a lot, even for me.

Both of these experiments are just that. They are ideas I’m playing around with, roles I’m trying on to see how they might fit. I love design and I always will. I’ve found something I’m good at that I could easily do for the next 25 years but there is something in me that is wondering if there is more I could do.

Stay tuned for a full write up of experiment 1 next week.