It’s been six months since we said goodbye to our jungle-island home in Indonesia. 🐒 Life in the jungle, away from civilisation, shops, and society’s expectations was all about ‘being’. Just being. Many people would find it boring, and I know I had my moments of restlessness but there inside that (hot & humid!) jungle bubble, away from the pressures of life in the ‘real’ world, my creativity blossomed. My heart expanded and gratitude came easily. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now I find myself once again under that pressure of being ‘more’, doing more, achieving more, having more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked when I’m getting a job. Australians. Why is this the first question we always ask? 'So, what do you do?’, 'Where do you work?’. From social gatherings, to trips to the hairdresser - I’ve been avoiding them all, because of these questions. I’ve tried varied responses, but any answer I give is always met with looks of confusion, and when I’m surrounded by people with degrees, and ‘proper' job titles, all talking work talk I feel like I’m not enough. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What people don’t understand is that I’m working harder than I have ever, or will ever work at a ‘job’. But it’s impossible to put a single label on what it is that I do. I’m an artist, graphic designer, painter, illustrator, entrepreneur, shop owner, sales & marketing advisor, writer, copywriter, production assistant, content creator, photographer, teacher, mentor, PR agent, customer service representative, office manager, social media manager, website designer/builder, course creator, photo editor, stats analyser, SEO researcher, finance manager, etc etc. Then there's the wife, sister, daughter, friend. The cook, cleaner, meal planner, gardener, household administrator, dog walker. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So why, when somebody asks me what I do does it feel like it’s not ‘enough’? Why do I shrink away from the question, feeling somehow inadequate? When are we going to start asking better questions, like, ‘What makes you feel most alive?’, ‘What are you passionate about?’ or “What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?” 😬
