Another Another Girl at Play

Another Another Girl at Play Posted Feb-26-2005
For the past five years, I've had a plan. My plan was to chronicle the events in my life after I resigned from my corporate job in 2000 and help other people to realize their creative dreams. Along the way, I'd be realizing mine.

03/00: I left my corporate job after seven years with the company to follow my bliss.

04/00: I launched the Creativity Portal.

06/00: I enrolled in college to study graphic design.

12/00: I landed my first design job.

10/01: I was laid off due to the events of 9/11.

12/02: I completed my degree.

10/03: After several more design jobs, I made the decision to work for myself and pursue my creative dreams.

02/05: Creative dreams moving right along.

My creative passions always included writing, and later, art and design. My love for writing began in the third grade. Art was always fun and creative for me, but not necessarily "good". Graphic Design and publishing came along in the 90s, when I realized that by combining my art skills with writing, I found a happy medium and a field I wanted a career in. I went onto earn a degree in design, continued to write, and dabbled with art. To this day, these things bring me great satisfaction.

My plan included telling the whole world how I got from point A to point B. How at 28, I made the decision to leave a comfortable job at a corporate giant because a creative longing within told me I had another side of myself to fulfill. How afraid I was to leave the company after seven years to follow my bliss. How challenging it was to go back to school and earn a degree and start all over in another field. How frustrating it was to work for companies and bosses who were challenging in other ways, until I finally had enough and proclaimed that I'd never work for anyone else again. That decision was made on October 31, 2003 — and I haven't looked back since.

Within my plan to inspire and teach others was the idea that I'd work up to writing a book about it all. Meanwhile, I'd use my Web sites to inspire creativity and living dreams. Both the Web sites and eventual book(s) would help others develop the confidence to do what I did. To not be afraid. To consider the option of going back to school as an adult. To seek out personal passions. To chase dreams. To stop saying "I wish" and "I desire," and begin saying "I will" and "I have." To live the life they truly wanted — as a creative person, or the person they simply enjoy being.

Why did I think I could do this? Why did I think I was someone so special that others would look to me for inspiration and advice? Why did I think people would believe me?

Because they do — just like I believe people who become living proof by their actions.

Over the last 17 years I've worked alongside hundreds of people from all walks of life. From factory workers and food servers — to marketing executives and engineers. It doesn't matter where people come from or where they've been. Inside, people are amazingly similar. Inside, people desire fulfillment in their work. Inside, people are afraid of change.

I know that others are curious about what I've discovered for myself. I've talked at great length to friends and associates who want to walk this path but don't know where to begin. I know that fear of the unknown is the number one reason why so many people stay where they are. Some will stay in an unfulfilling job for years because they develop "tunnel vision" and think the world is flat outside of their cubical. I know that my former co-workers and friends are observing what's going on in my life right now and are saying, "I wish I could too, but I can't because…"

They can, and I use my skills to help them realize it. In fact, that's what I've been doing all along. Through a Web project I began in 2000, the Creativity Portal, thousands of people have been inspired daily to explore and express their creativity. People are encouraged to live authentic lives and are given simple and sage advice by ordinary people, creativity coaches, and teachers who've been there.

My life is not special by any means. I've worked hard at overcoming an enormous amount of obstacles to get where I'm at. I made some tough choices that others are understandably afraid to make. And sometimes, they have extremely good reasons not to. But I'm a firm believer that if someone is unhappy with their work or life, there are ways to change it. The creative solutions on "how to" become key. Through my own stumbling experiences, I realize that everyone needs a plan. And my plan was to to help others with their plan.

Self Doubts and Doing it Anyway

What's that saying, "The wind was knocked out of my sails."

Here's proof that everyone experiences self-doubt.

I've had this gnawing sensation eating away at my self-confidence today after discovering a link to a Web site called Girl at Play Productions. Until now, I didn't know anything about Alex Beauchamp and her work with Girl at Play. Her life has some striking parallels to mine: She left her corporate job to pursue writing. She launched a Web site to chronicle her journey and highlight the successes of others. She loves writing and graphic design. She's been inspired by quite a few of the same things I have.

Up to that point I experienced some major déjà vu while skimming her Web site. But, she's excelled in areas I have yet to cover. She's written articles for major magazines and has been featured on other Web sites and in books.

Here's a human nature revelation: It took about two minutes reading Girl at Play for me to start feeling ambivalent. Why? Because after reading Alex's story, I felt like someone else beat me to the punch. Someone else already accomplished what I set out to do. I was left with an overwhelming feeling of "been there, done that."

From her Chronicles page:

In April 2001 I had a simple dream — to write.

I had no idea what I would write, how to write or how to even be creative. It was all a mystery to me and the only thing I had to go on was a feeling deep inside that said, "You can do it."

And I did.

Three and a half years later, my dream was more than real; I was published in magazines, newspapers, books and web sites. I spoke at conferences, created artwork that sold as prints and as licensed images in magazines and CD covers. I started with nothing but an idea and ended up with success and over 90,000 friends coming to read this site every day.

But the time has come on for me to move on. I'm not longer satisfied to write on my own, I have no need to prove I am creative (I am!) and no desire to maintain such a public life. …. I want to rock out.

It appears that the Girl at Play phenomenon has played out on the Web, in books, and major magazines over the last few years. Alex has chronicled her journey, inspired millions, and will soon be publishing a book about it all. On top of that, she's an awesome graphic designer, writer, and artist. And now she's moving on.

After I realized all that Alex Beauchamp had said and done, I began feeling like I'm an Alexander Graham Bell clone trying to reinvent the telephone. From the books she's read, to the free fonts and software she's used to design her Web site, I feel like if I continue on the same path, it'll take on the appearance of being a copycat. I don't want to do what someone else has already done. And done so well, mind you.

So what do I do with these feelings? Do I continue on my not-so-unique path and try to celebrate the differences between people? Do I push forward and engage my own style, hoping there's room for me to inspire others too? Do I hope people never discover the Web site Another Girl at Play?

LOL. Listen to me. It's human nature to be insecure. And envious. And afraid. I'm feeling the same things people that I want to inspire feel.

"Why should I study art when I'll never be as good as so-and-so?

"Why should I write a book on cooking when there are already millions of cookbooks?"

"Why should I do what someone else did?"

While it's tempting at times like this to 'throw in the towel', it's also a great time to reflect on what drives us forward despite perceived challenges. I wanted to be original, but the fact is, so many of us are experiencing the same things at the same time. My message is not new, but my voice of experience is unique.

Should we not express ourselves through art just because millions of other people do and may be further along? Should we not write books on topics others have covered? Should we not start a home-based business because of competition? How many different Pizza chains are in your town?

There is so much truth to the saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." But it's also true that there's many ways of doing the same thing. We learn amazing things through the experiences of other people. And for some reason, we remain engaged in a subject we have passion for, especially when we gain the perspective of more than one individual on it. How many books are there about creativity by different authors? How many movies have been made about romance, war, aliens, and the Titanic?

Yes, there's room for Another Girl at Play. And another. And another. And another. I didn't come up with the idea of leaving a corporate job for a creative one. And neither did Alex Beauchamp. Or SARK. Or Suzanne Falter-Barnes. But we all have our unique experiences to share and inspire others with. We all tell a story of finding ourselves and discovering our passions. We all had different obstacles to overcome and various opportunities come our way. We opened our own doors to great things and cried behind other doors closed behind us. We are all in different places in our journey, but we are on a journey that may inspire others.

Something compelling came out of this experience for me today. The importance of originality and authenticity became ever more clear to me. And the realization that some of us are so alike that we are indeed walking similar paths. It's no less the truth when experiences honestly coincide.

And maybe I should take this all as, "I must be doing something right if others have been through this too." And if so, I have some amazing things to look forward to. (© 2005 Chris Dunmire) •