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A teenager recently presented me with an amazing question about creativity. It started when a colleague asked if I would talk with her her 15-year old about my career path and the path of other creative people I know. After briefly flashing back to myself at age 15—no where near setting up informational interviews about what I may want to do with my life—I excitedly agreed because when a teenager wants to talk with you, you say yes. I gave my usual career path recap on only applying to colleges in mountain and pacific time zones to get far from Northeastern Ohio (I love Ohio now fyi), not settling on my major until junior year (sociology), minoring in music, loving tutoring and education classes, thinking I’d be a teacher, studying documentary radio, realizing media is a form of education, producing live radio shows and non-fiction TV, bouncing from NYC to DC to SF to LA to Oakland for jobs, having a million creative side projects to stay inspired, feeling like I woke up one day on a marketing team since my producing experience was appealing as content and dying a little on the inside, my career flourishing leading creative operations teams, and now here I am doing a combination of all of it on my own. She seemed to still be listening. “So basically,” I said, “there is no straight line, be open, be curious, try things out, you can always change your mind and evolve.” Stepping down from my virtual pedestal, I ask, “What excites you at school and outside of school?” She told me how much she loves art, history, taxidermy, museums, and wants to learn how to draw better. Then she lit up and said, “But if I could do anything all day long it would be sit in my room and crochet. I don’t know though, is it…” she paused, searching for the word. “Livable?” Is it livable? I believed she was asking, ‘Can I make a decent living crocheting? Will I be considered a serious person? Will I be able to pay the bills and shop at Sephora?’ I also immediately recognized she was experiencing at a very young age what so many of us carry throughout life: We then talked about what livable means. Yes, it can mean supporting yourself financially. Maybe it would be a good idea to reach out to some professional crocheters, fiber artists, clothing/accessory designers, etc to see what their career paths looked like. And livable can mean: You love doing it It relieves stress You have a community around it It’s a side hustle at the farmer’s market You give it away as gifts And so many other things (Also side note: making money off your passion can sometimes ruin it)
Stepping back on my virtual pedestal, I end with, “No matter where you land on your college or career decisions please NEVER STOP CROCHETING as long as it brings you joy.” I saw her mom the following week and she gave me the crocheted bag pictured above—made by her daughter—as a thank you. It’s not only a beautiful, cool tote, but also a reminder to make creativity livable. What does livable mean to you? What is your crocheting? Are you making time for it? I hope so.
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