The Life Of A Writer – Even though writing was my passion, I went into finance.
Submitted by Stefanie Newell on May 3, 2012 – 4:30 am3 Comments
Despite the fact that writing has always been a passion of mine, I had no idea that my life would turn out as it has.
In highschool, I was enrolled in work study. So part of my day I worked at Northern Trust Bank. I was a 17 year old in a business suit, introduced to a whole new world.
I really enjoyed the numbers environment there and as a result I became just as interested in finance as I was in writing. After graduating, the majority of my 9 to 5′s involved finance but I always continued to pursue writing on the side.
I remember taking a class my freshman year in college that has stuck with me even to this day. In the class, we were asked to assess our goals. Once we had done that, the teacher emphasized how differently life plays out for each of us. Some of us take more traditional routes: school, career, then family. While others of us find different life paths, less traditional, maybe even against the norm. The teacher reiterated that whatever our path, it was okay, because we were all individuals.
I was non-traditional. And had pursued many different passions along the way, so hearing that from a teacher was exhilarating.
When I was younger, I loooved doing hair. I set up shop right in my parents home. I enjoyed the creativity of it, so I pursued that passion. There was a time when I really enjoyed doing nails, and I pursued that as well.
But with writing I was really passionate…
And as a result, I’ve written just about everything. Poems, short stories, lyrics, articles, and now books.
Sometimes I am in awe of how life plays out.
In pursuing my passion for hair, I was later able to create a salon in my novel and understand the dynamic of how a salon works. I was able to bring alive the passion that my character had for her career. Being a freelance entertainment writer, I was able to create a story around the music industry from a vantage point that provided inside information to my reader.
All of my earlier passions, which probably seemed fleeting to some, later helped with my ultimate passion. Writing.
So to aspiring writers, or anyone who has a passion…I would encourage you to pursue your passions no matter where they lead you and never give up on your dreams. You never know how your life will play out.
I know I had no idea. And I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.
Stefanie Newell is an Atlanta-based writer and author of The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong….You can check out her musings on all things entertainment at TheMusicHotSpot.com and her The Life Of A Writer series on YouTube. http://youtube.com/TheLifeOfAWriter
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Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
This post really hit home for me. I work in finance as my day job. I've always loved writing, but never thought I could pursue it as a career. Quite honestly, I never thought I could pursue anything that I was truly passionate about as a career because I didn't believe in myself. Thanks for this post and your blog and I'll be following from now on!
I questioned myself recently as to why I didn't major in journalism or choose writing as a career earlier on. And I believe I didn't because writing was my passion and by going to school or working in that field, someone else would have control over it. Writing was sacred to me and I wanted to do it on my own terms…
I hope this post helps you realize that you can transition…as I did
Heading over to your blog, because I'm obsessed with curls too! haha