GanzChroma 0274
There's a prevalent belief among artists and creatives that who we are is intrinsically tied to what we do.
It’s easy to see why though, pouring our heart and soul into our work feels like the most natural thing in the world for us. But what happens when that work is taken away? When the project ends, the job is lost, or the rejection emails start piling up?
For many, it can feel like the floor has fallen out from beneath them. The identity we’ve carefully crafted around our art suddenly seems fragile, and the worth we’ve assigned ourselves begins to crumble. The professional title we once held with pride feels like it’s slipped through our fingers, leaving behind a void that no amount of future work can fill.
This experience, though deeply painful, can also be a turning point. A moment when the relationship with work is reassessed. The realization might dawn that no job title, no finished project, can ever fully define a person. It’s a hard lesson, one that often comes at a high emotional cost, but it’s also one of the most liberating.
Imagine a world where there were no jobs, no projects to complete, and no deadlines to meet. What would you bring to that world? What human qualities would you add just by being yourself?
For some, this exercise reveals an entirely new perspective. Creativity, curiosity, kindness; these traits are not bound by the confines of any one job. They are inherent in the person, not the profession.
When this shift in perspective occurs, the search for work can become less about proving ourselves and more about finding something that aligns with personal joy and fulfillment.
It becomes easier to approach each opportunity with a sense of calm and clarity, knowing that our worth isn’t determined by a resume or portfolio or by what others might say about us, but by the qualities we carry within.
As the creative journey continues, I hope this newfound understanding might lead to a more balanced perspective where work is still a source of pride and accomplishment, but not the sole measure of your existence.
Successes are to be celebrated, but they should not hold the power to define the person behind them.
Because, ultimately, there’s nothing to prove.
P.S. What would you do if your job didn’t exist?