One of my most dreaded thoughts is having a life plan, just the thought of putting into paper what I want to do for the next years actually “forces” me into action. Leaving the comfort zone is not easy. I have been working as an architect since 2013 and in two years my career has changed from cleaner, to painter and now to interior designer. That one is obviously more related to my bachelor’s degree, lucky me!
Do not get me wrong, those two years in which my professional life shifted from one job to the other really helped me to put everything into perspective. Being in Australia and being a foreigner is not easy and you have to open your mind to new experiences and job opportunities.
But I think that is why I was a little scared on putting things into a life plan, everything changed a lot in the past years and I just did not want to feel “tied” to anything because they can change again. I can end up going back to Colombia or staying here.
Dreaded questions
The first day at class, Geoff, our teacher, asked us what we worked in, the second week he asked us what another career for us could be. For the first week it was an easy answer, but second week I said UX designer. Then, I started thinking, that is not what I want to do, I want to explore other things. It is my time to shine and think outside the box.
And that is when I started feeling overwhelmed again. There are so many options, so many different careers and so many different paths. How do you know which one is the right one? Should I continue as a designer and as an architect? Should I continue as a cleaner or a painter? Maybe a bartender, barista, tattoo artist? Don’t think the last one would work, cannot draw and my hands shake like a salsa dancer.
One of the things I have learned the most living in Australia is that if you want something, you must go out and find it. Do not wait for things to come knocking on your front door, specially when I keep moving from one suburb to the other following my brother. This is where a course in which the teacher asks you these questions comes in handy.
I was always very scared to go out and find a job, I feared talking to people, but I soon as I understood that the limits were the ones, I was setting me up with, I understood that it was just of matter of going out and finding what I wanted. That is how I got my job as an Interior Designer.
I know the working scene in Australia changes, specially being an international, and so, having more than one career in my pocket can be an amazing idea. And so, when my existential crisis was averted, I remembered that back in Colombia I helped by brother to take some pictures of his dogs showcasing his job and his love for animals. After the pictures, the whole process of editing them and creating interesting captions that could go with it made it even more interesting.
Plan A & Plan B
In other words, Plan A is being an Interior Designer and an Architect, while Plan B is being a Product Photographer. Reading it, saying it out loud does produce a smile in my face. Do not know what will happen when I must start writing everything down with my life plan, but very happy now. I think this what everyone that might be feeling overwhelmed should do, think on what makes you happy and try to mix it with your career and your lifestyle.
But why was I talking about a life plan and now I’m talking of being a product photographer? Because at the end of the day, the way you envision your career is the way your life is going to change and be geared for the next years. If Geoff asks me again what I want to do in a few years, I know I will say that I want to continue with design, either Interior Design, Graphic Design or Product Photography. The perfect scenario would be having them all in my studio. You can dream!
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