We spend around 23 years of our lives getting an education, so we can finally find that perfect full-time job with a salary that can barely get us through one weekend. That’s life, we gotta start somewhere, right?
Landing my full-time writing job was a dream come true, being a Literature graduate, this was more than fitting. I love literature, I love writing, so what more could I ask for? I came in everyday at 9:30, with fresh ideas, and left at 5:30, knackered with no ounce of energy left in me. In the beginning, this was exactly what I needed in my life. But as time went by, the creative well that was flowing with ideas suddenly went dry. I had no time to do other things in my life; as a writer, this can be somewhat of a problem, because I needed somewhere to get my ideas from. I needed to get out there and get inspired so I could find something to write about again.
You see, this wasn’t my only problem with being a full-time writer. There was also the fact that whatever I had to write had to be approved from the people above me, and sometimes our ideas clashed together. I found myself writing about the same topics and not being able to experiment or think outside of the box. I also realized that this is usually the case when you get hired at a company. In one way or another, you have to follow a different vision and to some extent, give up on your own.
Don’t get me wrong, having a full-time job does come with a lot of advantages. It helps you organize your time and makes you a much more responsible person. It also exposes you to the real business world and teaches you how to deal with clients. It’s safe and you’re guaranteed a salary every month. But for a creative person to be able to express their creativity, the nature of their 925 job has to change a bit.
If I’m being completely honest, I sometimes feel like being a full-time writer puts barriers on my creativity. I need to explore life outside of my full-time job. I need to feel like it’s alright to have writer’s block and to actually do something about it, other than stare at the four walls of my office. I need time for reflection and introspection, I need to go out there and find inspiration away from the monotonous routine of a full-time job. I sometimes need to sit in complete silence so I can write. I need to surround my life with the other things that life has to offer, with art and a new city, and it’s hard to do that if I have a full-time job. While I do believe that some jobs blend perfectly with the full-time routine, I don’t believe writing is not one of them. That’s why as a full-time writer, I took the decision to re-explore my life, to upgrade myself away from my 925, so I could come back stronger and more inspired than ever.
