Happy Sunday! Usually I blog on Wednesdays but I decided to toss in a bonus blog this week because this has been on my mind a lot! Here’s a little reminder if you are stuck in a rut!
DO WHAT YOU LOVE and accept nothing less for your life and career.
TRUTH ~ when my mother was sick with lung cancer about two months before she died when she knew it was growing again and she would need at least one more surgery that would probably leave her paralyzed from the waist down she said to me “if I make it out of this, I’m going back to painting. I hate graphic design.” I knew she wasn’t making it out of it. I hoped, but I knew she wasn’t going to, and this crushed me. I thought, “I don’t want to be dying and have regrets like that.” It changed the course of my life. You see, society tells us from the moment we are born that we need to do certain things. Get a college degree, get married, own property, pop out some kids, and have a steady career that makes money.Art and everything creative is fine for a hobby but not for a career. Why is that? EVERYONE enjoys art.
Yes even those who pretend that they are so above it all that they don’t own a TV, go to the movies, go to concerts, etc.. and yes all that POP CULTURE stuff? All the commercial films and TV shows, and books, etc.. all that is ART TOO. I once had a friend of mine go off on an article she read about an actor on set who was wasted and he was caught from mandatory drug testing on that set. She was pissed off because she felt that it was a “nothing industry” and wasting money that should be going to something else. I was like, “Um don’t you watch movies? Shouldn’t the sets be safe?” only to get an F you and delete from her FB friends list. Movies are art. TV is art. Comics. Video Games.Books….etc. This is all art! Sorry if I got distracted about this but as a creative, I’m passionate about it and I refused, and have refused my entire life to accept anything less for my career. Full transparency here—I don’t own a house and I don’t have kids. I always thought I would have those things but the kid thing didn’t happen because like in my career in my life I refused to get married just to get married. I watched my mother get divorced in her 40s and marry the man she really loved at 49. She didn’t love my father in the way she should have. I asked once when I was in my twenties, why she married him and she said, “because that’s what we did back then” It made me sad so while I always hoped that I’d get married in my thirties and have kids, when I hit my thirties the universe had other plans and started killing off members of my family almost yearly, it was devastating, and at the time I was working in animation-which I did love-but it wasn’t my dream, it was a great job in the entertainment industry. But dating and marriage? That just wasn’t a priority as I had to survive. Survive grief and survive my career. *** BTW I met the man I love in my early 40s and married him in my late 40s and I’m so happy that I waited.I made it work because I always knew that I had to continue to do what I love. What is that? Working in entertainment. Being a creative. Storytelling and everything that goes with that.
I have a chapter in a new book called She Did It And So Can You that explains what I did to make this work for me. And there are 16 other stories too. You can get that HERE it just hit number 1 on Amazon and is an international bestseller. 🍾❤️ I want you to really think about what you are doing 40 hours a week and ask yourself these things. Is it what I LOVE?Does it bring me JOY? If I was dying today would I have regrets? Be honest with yourself. If the answer to the top two are no and the third is yes, please make a plan of action to do what you love. A friend & colleague sent me this email today “I’ve been studying all kinds of self help things lately, and they all boil down to what you said in your email about the book: Following what makes you happy. I’m so glad you found that out while you are young!” It’s important to always do what you love! In my upcoming career course, STORY CONCIERGE, for female writers who work in (or want to) film, television, and novels I go deeper into this and WHY it’s important to always follow your dreams.
You can get on the waitlist HERE and by signing up for that list you will get access to free trainings that are coming this spring. I want you to be happy and never have regrets. Do what you love always! If that is writing, then write. If it’s painting, then paint. If it’s having a boring desk job, then have a boring desk job! 
Don’t let society or ANYONE tell you what you need to do and or how to live your life. Okay, that’s my extra blog for today. Come back on Wed for some writing craft or career tips to help you succeed and reach your dreams!! xo Stephanie Here is a YouTube video I did from 2019 on this very subject CLICK HERE
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Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach 