472: Find Your Creative Spark And Revamp Your Boring Career

Angela Barnard 00:01

When I think people are really saying when they say I want to be more creative, because I hear this all the time as a coach, I feel like what they're really saying is I want to live in more of an alignment. I want to feel better about what I'm doing. I want to feel good. I want to have more fun. It's like this feeling that they're really chasing.

Introduction 00:23

This is the Happen To Your Career podcast, with Scott Anthony Barlow. We help you stop doing work that doesn't fit you, figure out what does and make it happen. We help you define the work that's unapologetically you, and then go get it. If you're ready to make a change, keep listening. Here's Scott. Here's Scott. Here's Scott.

Scott Anthony Barlow 00:48

Okay, it's Scott. But you're not going to hear from me in this episode, because I'm taking some of our HTYC advice, and I'm stepping away from work. And this time for an entire month to be able to spend time with my family, and unplug. So I'm not going to be on this episode, or the next few. I am leaving you in great hands, of the Happen To Your Career podcast team, I know you're gonna love it.

Angela Barnard 01:09

Have you ever thought, I just want to do something more creative for work, but struggled how to make that a reality for you? If so, listen up, because you're in for a treat. Today, on the HTYC podcast, you're hearing from me, my name is Ang. I'm one of the career coaches on the team. And you're also hearing from another member on our team, Celena. So Celena is in charge of our book projects, and she also happens to be a fellow HTYC podcast listener. She was a former career coaching client. You heard that right. She used to be a client before she ended up working on the team. So it's really cool, because we get to get her perspective around that thought that she used to have, like, I want to do more creative work. So Celena, tell us a little bit about that thought, like, when you had it and what did it led to.

Celena Singh 02:03

I wanted to add one thing about me, is that I retired from the corporate world last year. And that is what led me to working with Happen To Your Career. And in my previous life, in my corporate life, I had so many thoughts about bringing creativity into... I used to work in safety, and safety is not the most exciting topic for people. So how can we bring in some creativity? And I really wanted to start a podcast. And it just didn't happen because work was piling on all the time. And I linked that because I'm in my early 20s, I wanted to become a sports broadcaster. So I can relate to so many jobs that I had that I wanted to become. We use creativity, but because I wasn't in a creative role, I thought that things that I was thinking about was not creative.

Angela Barnard 02:57

Yeah. And I was listening actually to something recently about, like, our thoughts around creativity. And a lot of us tend to think, because I think we've been trained this way, to think of being creative, like, it's only for the arts, specifically, music, drawing, like, things like that. And I think we've even been, like, programmed that way to believe that like, even in our school system around, like, what we thought was creative stuff. So then we, like, grow up, and we're in roles and we think like, well, "because I'm not, you know, a musician or legit like, artist, then I'm not creative." Like we start to, like have these beliefs, but there's still that desire in us that wants to be more creative that we're seeking. So that got me thinking about the whole definition of being creative and what that is. And I was on Google, Googling, like, "what is creativity". And really, in a nutshell, it just means that you are creating something, right? Or you're using your imagination to create something new. And when you think about it that way, it's like, all of us are creative in some way. And what I think people are really saying when they say, "I want to be more creative" because I hear this all the time as a coach, like, I always hear people say, "I want to do work that's more creative." I feel like what they're really saying is... I want to live in more in alignment. I want to feel better about what I'm doing. I want to feel good. I want to have more fun." It's like this feeling that they're really chasing.

Celena Singh 04:29

Yeah, that's almost like a psychologically safe environment that they can be themselves

Angela Barnard 04:33

Yes, that's it! It's, like, being in alignment where you can be yourself and you can, like, work to create something that you like to create.

Celena Singh 04:41

And you don't feel judged or, you know, you can really create. And I feel, like, working at Happen To Your Career and working with the coach that I did, really opened me up to realize that a lot of things I was doing more outside of my job was creative, and it's like, "that's creative." It's like, yeah, but you're looking for something. You're looking for that thing, right, that makes you feel good, makes you feel in alignment, right?

Angela Barnard 05:09

Yeah. And when we think about being in alignment, it's like some people might be like, "Oh, what do you, like, really mean by that?" I feel like it's a term, like, Celena and I are like, but... so we're always chatting about, we just geek out about all this stuff.

Celena Singh 05:21

We can just flow into conversation, right?

Angela Barnard 05:23

Yeah. And it's like, really like the whole getting into alignment. We always, like, mentioned those terms. And it's like, you know, like, when you're in the zone, or you just feel really good, you feel lighter. You see a lot of people that we think of as creative. Like when they get in the zone, it's like, you want that. It's like, I see you going into the zone. I want that.

Celena Singh 05:40

Like when Oprah would interview someone, right? And she would get into that zone. And you really know she did her research, because she would be like, "Oh, on page this..." like, she was just so...she used her voice, her kind of boss style, and to kind of twist if she could on one minute, like question somebody and the next minute, she's like, making the person cry. Right? So everybody has it. It's finding that and channeling it so that you can go with this, you know, go with the flow of it, and let it guide you.

Angela Barnard 06:12

So when you think about that feeling of being in the flow, like, doing work that I would say is creative, what are some of those things that you do now to add creativity into your life, or that is creative to you?

Celena Singh 06:25

So many things. So after I retired, I decided to start a podcast, I had no idea how to do a podcast. So I researched how to do a podcast and I wanted to... it wasn't something I wanted to do for a living, it was more I wanted to share my story. And that was a creative way to do that. And I learned something and I connected with people. But also so many things, I do yoga, meditation, I became a holistic nutritionist. I started learning how to play the piano during COVID. I just recently started an apprenticeship to learn more about astrology and tarot reading. So those are some of the things that I do for, you know, outside of my job to help me with creativity.

Angela Barnard 07:10

I love that you like pursued your curiosity. Like that's something we always talk about is like being in that energetic state where you follow your curiosity, so that you can align and be that creative person, I think that we want to be, because it's like those feelings that we're really chasing. And when all the things that you said that you did, you know, in your free time, or you're doing now, those are all examples of, like, you being creative, you creating something. The piano stuff, you create music with it. The podcast, you create content that people want to listen to. So it makes me think about like, if you were feeling like this, you're listening now and you're feeling like I want to do more creative work. I want to know, as a coach, just because I'm nosy like this, I want to know like, what do you really mean by that? Do you mean that you want to have more fun, that you want to do something that lights you up? Like what exactly do you mean? Because when you get that clarity, then you can decide what that looks like to you, and then you can take steps to be that person. And I want you to think about in your life, how can you, instead of, like, do something that's more creative, like if I get this job, then I'm more creative, then I can be more creative. I want you to think about how you can be more creative now in your life now. Like, how can you bring that creativity to whatever it is that you're already doing? So that got me thinking, Celena, for you, like, do you have an example of where like, maybe you were doing some work that you thought was kind of boring, and then you like brought creativity to it?

Celena Singh 08:38

Being in roles that I have been in the past, like, I used to do a lot of project management. And project management, a lot of times people, like, it was really boring. And I was also in safety, which is another very boring topic to people. And I loved both of those things a lot. So one of the things that I like to do is, even in my role at Happen To Your Career, any anytime I'm doing a project, is I really like to get to know the people who I'm going to be working with so that I get to know like how to work with them the best. So I feel like that's something creative, that engaging and building relationships with people, not just managing the project and making sure everybody's getting things done. It's building relationships, engaging with the team, and even how we manage the project, like listening to people's ideas and how we can work collaboratively together. How can we track things and you know, see, like, as we're working on a project where we started and where we ended up and that journey that everyone's been on, so I love to incorporate that somehow, and that didn't always come across very well in different roles I was in, because there was like, "why we're just gonna track things?" and I thought, well, sometimes people can feel more creative and inspired if they see that people really care about what they're doing. Even if somebody was doing one thing on a project, if they didn't do that one thing, it can affect the entire project. So seeing, visually seeing their progress and results and where we came from is something I really like to bring into my work.

Angela Barnard 10:15

Well, I love that. And that makes me think about how, like, what you're actually creating there is like you're creating these joyful experiences. That's what's happening there. And I see you do that often on our team of like, you just point out the goodness that is there. And then from there, this is really what we're talking about is like this energy that we all want to create more of. And if you want more of that kind of creative energy in your life, that joyful, fun energy in your life, what you need to do is generate it. And that's what you did to be more creative. So thinking about in our lives, like instead of always thinking that it needs to be external outside of us, like when I get this creative job, then I get to be more creative. Think now, how can I generate creativity and joy to where I am now even if it's, like, the most boring estate? That, maybe other people would be like, "safety?" What role, you know, snooze, you know, project management, like there's some stuff like that people will be like, "Well, you know, I already do a boring thing." I used to teach a HIPAA class. Okay, HIPAA class that people were required to go to. And I made that thing so much fun, because I remember the first time I taught it, people were like, I could hear the sighing, they did not want to be in the class, people are falling asleep, and it's like, this is so boring, like, I cannot be in the space. And I thought, like, okay, if I'm a creative person, how can I bring creativity? How can I bring joy here? This also reminds me of another statement I love which is this whole concept of rejoice always. So rejoice actually means to bring joy to. I remember when I first heard that concept, I thought it meant like, you know, it's like, okay, so I'm supposed to be happy. And like, the most miserable situations, like, how does that happen? It's like, no, you're being called to bring joy to. So then it made me think about, okay, and that HIPAA class, Ang, you can bring joy to this, you can bring creativity to this, you are in charge of like the energy that's there. Like, if you don't like the energy that's there, then shift it you have power to do so. So what I did was I made up these scenarios where people had to like act out things, like, there was HIPAA violations that would happen, we'd always talk about this is what could happen if you had a HIPAA violation, and you've violated, you know, a patient's privacy or whatever. You're the actor, you're the person that's going to call, you're going to answer the phone, and like yada, yada. So I put people in these different positions. So it was like, it was fun, because we used to, like, have a fake phone and be like, "hello, I'm calling to report..." We just like, laugh so much about this, but it's still like taught the entire concept.

Celena Singh 12:43

And people will remember. People will remember that because you're able to connect with each other rather than just reading slides or reading a book. Right?

Angela Barnard 12:51

Exactly. That's what it's really about. And I think about anything that you're doing, like I don't even care what it is, it's like, you can make it fun, you can bring a great creativity there. You don't need to feel... wait to feel good when you get an X job that's more creative.

Celena Singh 13:06

I think we were talking about this one day, it's like, when we have our status meetings, you're going for a walk. So you know, going for walking meetings, like incorporating nature, you know, just changing things like that. I know, one thing that I learned about recently is something called sentence stem. So you could say something like, "I really want to be a part of this project, because..." and give people like two or three minutes to write down why they want to be part of something, and then you can share it or keep that so that when things get really hard, you can look at that and go, "This is why I wanted to be a part of this" and then you can look at your values again and go, this is lining up with my values, this is lining up with what I really want to do.

Angela Barnard 13:50

Yeah, that's cool. So it's like when you think about it, it's like, what are the creative approaches that you can bring into what it is you're already doing? You can think about it that way. And then sometimes you get ideas. Sometimes you're like, "I still don't resonate with being creative. So I don't know what you're talking about. My dad's going to pick me." Like you still go there. But what if you switched it to kind of like, what else can you do to make this more fun? Because if you think about it, when we're saying, "well, I want to be more creative." A lot of times we're saying, "I want to have more fun. I want to enjoy my life more. I want to live more and more in alignment." What else can you do that to have more fun? How can you bring joy here? How can you bring creativity here? How can you be the light kind of thing? And what I've seen, as a coach, is like when you can do that with where you are and you stop making it about, like, I won't change to feel different until my circumstance changes, like, when you take your power back and you're like I can feel good here where I am, I can be creative here. I can bring joy here. What happens is, you shift into the state where opportunities come your way, more opportunities to be creative, come your way. And I think that's what happened with you, Celena, because if you think about who you used to be to who you are right now, like, you're doing so much creative stuff. Like it's crazy. You could write a whole novel here of all the things that you...

Celena Singh 15:07

I don't even recognize, like, what I felt and what I'm, like, what you're describing, it's almost like embracing things that people want to do as a child, but they, you know, your circumstances or people's expectations get in the way. And now, because I have this freedom, it's my time. I just have this, like, all these ideas that it's like, okay, it's okay that even if it's something people think is stupid, who cares? I can do it if I want to, and or not. And it's just really embracing my inner child is what I feel I've done or I'm doing right now.

Angela Barnard 15:39

Yeah. So that makes me think about how you said, it's like that childlike state of us that we want to like, bring back out where we used to feel like we could be ourselves, we could play. It's like, how can we bring that energy more into whatever it is we're doing. But I think what happens is, like, stuff gets in the way, like you were alluding to, it's like, the rules, like a lot of like structure in rules...

Celena Singh 16:03

Applications, structure, stigma, like stigma gets, like you're saying about, oh well, people who do music, they don't make very much money unless they're, you know, they become Taylor Swift, right. But that's okay if they're happy. And so I think I grew up around that, like, any creative things, like music, or... I was in sports, and that was creative, all of those things I love to do. And then because I was working at a very young age, it was like, that wasn't as important. It was more like, "Oh, you gotta go to school to become a doctor or lawyer." And so all the creative things, they're still there, it's just they get pushed down.

Angela Barnard 16:42

And there's this rule that you have to follow. Like, you need to be this kind of person. Like, I was literally just talking to one of my clients earlier today about this, how he went to law school, and he was talking about what he's interested in now. And instead of like, writing and stuff, like coming up with these stories, and it's so cool, and I can tell you, so like, gifted in that way, and he lights up when he talks about it. And he was like, you know, like, it's really interesting to me, because it's almost like that part of me has been like, no, like, you need to focus on this side, like be a lawyer or do this thing. And then that creative side of him was like, kinda like, tucked away. And he said, in his own mind, he also never thought of himself as a creative person. And now he's like, "Wait, like I am creative. There is stuff I'm interested in where I create things." And, you know, it's interesting to see, like that shift starting to happen. And I think a lot of that unfulfillment that was showing up for him, for a lot of us, is because we desired to be that creative person.

Celena Singh 17:39

And we don't want to be vulnerable about it. Because it's like people like, "why would you want to do that?" You know, it's like, because it lights me up.

Angela Barnard 17:48

Exactly. It makes me think into about like, how energetically if you think about when we start placing rules around how things have to be like, we're like, you have to do something exactly this way, kind of stuff it, like, we're not creative any more about it. I was just listening to an author earlier talk about how... when she knew that she wrote her book, like without a publisher and everything, like she did all of her stuff on her own, because she was like, I know myself, and I know, as soon as they start placing expectations around this whole process, my creativity isn't going to come out. And that makes me think about, like, the workplace and how there's all these expectations around like how people have been behaving, like, even in meetings, like you come to the meeting, you know, starts like this, and it ends like this, yada yada. But like, no one thinks about, like, the creative things we can do to make this meeting more fun. Because that got me thinking about when I was doing consulting work before I came to the HTYC team, I was coaching on my own, and then also doing crisis communications consulting work. So I was working with a lot of governmental contract stuff where we're designing crisis scenarios to train people on how to handle them. So I'm in these meetings with a lot of people, primarily men, I was like, one of two, I think females, and it was random in a very, like, rigid way of like, you know, just boring and not shouting.

Celena Singh 19:02

Like military. Very structured.

Angela Barnard 19:04

It was very much like that. And it would just be... you could tell everybody would disengage. They were never listening. They're always doing something on their laptop, you know, like watching, like, I've seen someone watching YouTube videos like, while someone was, you know, presenting. And I'm just thinking like, they zoned out because it's boring. And I remember being like, "Hey, I have a recommendation. Can we do a quote of the day? Just a quote of the day at the end of the PowerPoint." And I remember that the leader was like, "Okay", and I was like, "Well, I know you like quotes because I remember you shared me that you like these quotes", and he's like, "Yeah, okay." And then I remember he's next PowerPoint, and it had a quote of the day like, I was so proud. And I told him, I was like, you know, "I think other people would really enjoy it, would inspire us, keep us on track, like, you like to do, you know", and he, like, put this quote of the day and it was always like a funny thing. At the end of the PowerPoint, we're all waiting to see what quote he came up with, and it will make people laugh, and it like shifted the energy and I saw people even take their headphones out when they knew the presentation was about to end to like, listen to like the corny quote of the day. But it's like little things like that. These are really what I like to think about it as like energy shifters. I remember also back in the day, when I used to do a lot of auditing when I worked in county mental health, we had to prepare for all these crazy audits. And people would be like, "Oh, it's gonna be hell week, you know, these audits happening." And it's like, that's where people's mind goes. And I'm like, I'm gonna figure out how to make this fun. Like, how can we make this a fun thing. So what we did was like, we brought each other presents, like every day, like, I just did this thing where it's like, we're gonna drive high. Each day, you know, like, we have different presents we're bringing, some small, like, you know, candy bar, or something, I don't know, like tiny little things that, like, got us excited. And then we vow that we were dressing nice that week, we like, put ourselves in this other little room. And then I did like these competitions, because we noticed that we were really low in our performance indicators, with mental health, and I started doing competitions for like, each group where there was like, pizza parties that you get if you won, and like I would display information and like weird, childlike ways. And I remember even having so much mind trash about that– are they going to think I'm silly or whatever. But then you have to remember this, going back to what you said earlier, there is an inner child in each of us that's wanting to come out. And like if we play on that, it's just like, someone has to be the first person on the dance floor so the party starts.

Celena Singh 21:21

Like you were for our fun squad photo challenge. You were like the first one, right?

Angela Barnard 21:26

Oh, yeah, I was. That was fun.

Celena Singh 21:28

You kicked it off. And then everybody started sending the pictures, and everybody was so... it was so much fun. Like nobody really cared who won, it was so cool to share everyone's personality, right, or their inner child for the different categories we had. Like, that's some fun things that we do at work, you know, that helps us to be more creative as well.

Angela Barnard 21:46

So I love that you're bringing up that story. Because at HTYC, we really try hard to practice what we preach. We learned so much, even from our clients, we've all felt like those same feelings. So it's just like a really cool place to be because one of the things we practice is being intentional about having fun, being creative, and things like that. So we have like this, we have our fun squad who like has activities, and you know, like we generate that. So I'm just thinking about those that feel like maybe you work in a boring place, like can you be the change that you wish to see in the world? We need to go back to quotes, you know. Like, how can you start that there? Because what if the creativity and stuff isn't happening because no one's taking ownership to start it and be that person they're waiting? Like they're waiting to like, move to an external thing? Versus like, how can I be creative now because the thing is, if you can bring that to where you are now, watch the doors open for you, the opportunities to be more creative will show up for you. Because now as, Celena and I would like to say, you're in alignment with that.

Celena Singh 22:46

Amen. This is exactly why I started listening to this podcast is because we're very consistent with our message because the message that Scott started when he started his journey, we believe this is, you know, this is the HTYC, not just our why but the why for like what we want for the world, right? People having meaningful work, having a psychologically safe environment to work in, being able to be your inner child and not be judged. And you know, we want to serve the world this stuff so being... It might be hard work at the beginning, but the results and the way you get to live your life going forward is priceless.

Angela Barnard 23:24

Yeah, it's about like, it definitely is priceless because oh, that brings up another thing I always do talk about is because now that I'm here to be, like, selling you on the whole coaching process itself, like, I like to always say, "it was all you on yourself", because it makes me think about the concept of priceless like, when you think about investing in yourself like you did, like you invested into this whole coaching process. Because you know that it was priceless to truly enjoy your life. And you knew that there was like, you needed that clarity, you needed that help and that support and you were willing to invest in yourself to be that person.

Celena Singh 24:03

And ask for help. That was the thing for me, is to ask for help.

Angela Barnard 24:07

Yeah, and I don't know why I brought that up with the whole creative thing, but I just felt like it's in alignment because we're seeking to be more creative, to create more and do more things, you know, like be our true self. But sometimes there's that hurdle, that thing that's getting in the way, and then really what is happening here is you just need help. I kind of think about it as like I'm a hiker, so I always like really everything back to like hiking. Like let's say I'm trying to like hike up these crazy boulders and I just know I want to get over those boulders and get to this top of the mountain have this beautiful view and just really enjoy it, this boulders in the way, and it's like I can't because my bag is heavy. I got the sticks and all the stuff and I'm like trying to get over it and I can't, but maybe I just need to, instead of giving up and just like being like, I guess I can't do this, you know, look to see who can help me, give me a hand to pull me up. And maybe it's someone that's already up there that got there. And that's how I think about with HTYC is like, our whole team, all of us on our team had been in situations where we did not like what we were doing, we felt like we were meant for more.

Celena Singh 25:15

We were looking for our second mountain because we like this valley, right? And it was like helped me start climbing up, but, you know, we're all in these jobs where I can say firstly, where it's making all this money, and, you know, had all these inner side, like, "but I'm not happy", and then you kind of fall into this not so good place. And then that's when you know, HTYC kind of helped save my life, so to speak. Because then, I started asking for help to go up the second mountain, which is more about community and more about serving others and helping others and helping each other. When you say what you said, it resonated with me. And I thought, I have to say this, because we have...we're all supporting each other on our second mountain in life. And that's what we want to do for others.

Angela Barnard 25:59

Exactly. Like, truly, I hope people can hear that, like, what I love about our team is that... and I'm glad that you guys are getting to hear from more of us is that, I believe, we're just authentic, like we really are here to help you– our entire team. So like when you come to work with us as like, even coaches, it's not just us that you get, you have access to our whole team. And we're really cool. But I'm obviously very biased.

Celena Singh 26:21

Very cool team.

Angela Barnard 26:23

Super fun to hang out with. But we just like to give you the space to be your true self, you know, to say how you really feel. So there's one quote, I think, I want to just give to wrap this up. And actually I'm gonna recap two tips, two things that you can do, because I'm all about strategy. But before we get to that, the quote that I just want to say to wrap this up is like, "the reason why you feel so drained is that you're not doing enough of what lights you up." And that's really why you feel that way. So just paying attention to your energy, what else is going to light you up. And maybe you just need to bring a match into the space you're already in and lighten up where you already are. But it's something to think about to get clear... So the tips in a nutshell, in summary, that we think that you should do, the next steps you should take is, number one, get clear on how you want to be more creative/ maybe think about it as having more fun. What exactly would that look like to you? How can you bring it into what you're doing now? And then the second tip relative to the first one is that I want you to think about being a creative person, not just doing creative things, but being a creative person. If you were a creative person, how would you act where you are now? How would you do the work that you're doing now? So think about that, ponder on that, plan it out, like, this week. Can you think of one thing that you can do that's more fun or more creative for you? I think about this comes from like, if you're familiar with the book, "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, she writes about a play date. Are you familiar with that, Celena?

Celena Singh 27:54

Yes, yeah.

Angela Barnard 27:55

Like having a playdate every week, like one day a week. And I just love that concept of just being committed to like, putting it actually in your calendar that you're going to be creative, you're going to show up creative, at least one of those days, like whatever goes into your calendar, I like to think about it as the things that matter most to you that you want to prioritize. And if you're feeling, if you're asking yourself the question, or you're saying, "I want to do more creative work. How can I do that?" Then that means you got to prioritize being that person now. That's how you become a creative person, is you act like a creative person now. That means, you use your time in that way so it needs to go into the calendar. So in a nutshell, put it in the calendar. Anything else you want to add, Celena, before we go?

Celena Singh 28:36

I would just say just to add to what you're saying, is believe it and you will see it.

Scott Anthony Barlow 28:40

Hey, I hope you loved this episode. Thanks so much for listening. And if this has been helpful, then please share this podcast with your friends, with your family, with your co-workers that badly need it. Here's a sneak peek into what we have coming up in store for you next week.

Angela Barnard 29:03

It takes your power away, you know, when it's always based on something externally outside of you, for you to feel better. So I see that the people that create just really cool results in their life, it's because they focus on themselves, what they can control and keeping their energy high.

Scott Anthony Barlow 29:22

All that and plenty more next week right here on Happen To Your Career. Make sure that you don't miss it. And if you haven't already, click Subscribe on your podcast player so that you can download this podcast in your sleep, and you get it automatically, even the bonus episodes every single week, sometimes multiple times a week. Until next week. Adios. I'm out.