How do I get a job?

[Namebunny]

Once a high flyer, as a creative in advertising. somehow I’ve been a sahm for ages. Illness etc has kept me busy. I can illustrate, paint, design, think of ideas..but I don’t know where to turn as I’m knocking on (57) how did that happen! And I obviously don’t have a contemporary folio or skill set. Is it worth applying for some sort of graphic course to refresh my skills or am I just too ancient.
Have had shop work, but would love to somehow use my skills and get into an office, ideally creative in some way.What can I possibly do? Help!

Said with love, from a fellow over thinker and former Creative - you are way overthinking this.

Step one
Revamp your Etsy shop into a portrait-artist shop. Focus only on portraits (of pets and people). Think of a clever name; you'll be great at that.

Step Two
Set up an Instagram account. Post pictures of all the portraits you've done, next to a photo of the person or pet so we can see how good your are. Include links to your Etsy shop.

Step three
Once a week do a portrait of a famous person and put it in your Etsy Shop AND on your Instagram. For sale. Try to do people with big Instagram followings and tag them in it.

Step four
Once a week, apply to an MA program at PND of your dream places.

Step five
Also once a week, send messages via LinkedIn to prominent portrait artists and their agents, asking for help with specific questions.

Step six
In the meantime while doing all of this, create a lovely studio space at home.

*one, not PND! 😂

Why are other peoples lives to easy to declutter?

My own issue (aged 50) is that I'm a former copywriter and author who let most of her career slide during motherhood, and now looks over the wreckage of her ambition.

I'd love to be writing funny novels but I lack the confidence. I should also be writing a funny blog, but lack any drive to do stuff if nobody's chasing me with deadlines or money.

Please sort out my life now!

Why are other peoples lives so easy to declutter?

Strange, huh? My mantra atm is #DoAsISayNotAsIDo. I have perfect clarity with regard to other people’s lives.

I’m going to quarrel with one aspect of your advice to the OP, if you don’t mind. Selling portraits on Etsy would surely take a whole heap of time and energy. And the sort of stuff likely to appeal to a wide audience is possibly exactly opposite to the sort of cutting edge, high concept art she needs to be concentrating on creating if she’s going to impress art schools. She’ll need a serious portfolio in order to be a competitive candidate. I just don’t think MA applications can be thrown together - particularly after a long break from academic engagement with the subject. I could be completely wrong but I feel she’d be better off committing the next six weeks to putting together the strongest possible application in time for UCAS. Or outside it if any of the art places do direct applications.

On failure to write a funny blog. I know someone who has been writing just that for years - around a particular topic. It’s only now (when they pretty much thought they’d retired) that a few of their recent pieces have been taken up by national newspapers and journals. Tremendously exciting …

I could be completely wrong but I feel she’d be better off committing the next six weeks to putting together the strongest possible application in time for UCAS.

No, fair point! I've not applied for an MA so I don't know the process.

After writing that overconfident post to our lovely OP I researched student loans for postgraduate courses and might apply myself for a creative writing MA...

How lovely that your clever blogging friend is getting so much recognition! And YAY for them carrying on for so long. I'm such an attention whore that I just lose heart.

Albertbridge thank you! That’s not over confident at all, it sounds like a very sensible plan. As does yours edmontina. Of course the trick would be to do both somehow. I really do need to be bringing in some money and there must be a way from using my skills. I am hoping to sell stuff in the Xmas run up. And of course to drag my skill set into the level required.. all by January..beans for tea kids!
If it helps, the same thing happened to me, motherhood. Humph!
It sounds as if you are battling the same as me - something you love so much, it becomes scary to try. I saw on you tube 😀 my other life coach! That it’s because we are thinking of the biggest thing - for you maybe the next Massive publishing deal, for me, painting better than Jenny saville. Of course you completely terrify yourself and procrastinate!
It seems the trick is to do 5 minutes. A day. I did try and do this and post on insta, but then I didn’t want to bore people with my mistakes. ( was going to say rubbish!so that’s an improvement in thinking!)
But actually, I would be very interested in following posts by an author as she makes mistakes and rewrites. I think it would be a terrific blog.
Don’t lose heart!

Ps copywriter? I’m an art director, we should put a book together! We’d be perfect to advertise stanna stairlifts 😂

WAS an art director. Before kids. Humph. In my day 3 months was considered slacking for maternity leave.

That it’s because we are thinking of the biggest thing - for you maybe the next Massive publishing deal, for me, painting better than Jenny saville. Of course you completely terrify yourself and procrastinate!

This is 100% exactly what I'm doing! My book has (in my mind) to be the next international Gone Girl On A Train Is Completely Fine bestseller. So of COURSE I'm scared to write a single word.

I think it doesn't help that we're both of a generation that keeps their struggles off social media. So we want to present a perfect, polished public persona. So you don't want to post mistakes, snd I don't want to publish any blog posts unless they're AMAZING and make ME seem amazing.

Plus all our advertising training was about creating brands and sales messages. Not "here's a load of crap but hopefully it'll get better".

Omg. I think we're getting closer to the heart of why we're not achieving anything!

Yes yes yes to a book.

You know what I can watch all day? Videos of artists drawing and painting. It's SO interesting. Those time-lapse videos are mesmerising.

I'm sorry, this is no help to you at all.

During lockdown I did a few of the Curtis Brown Creative writing courses. I came up with an idea and wrote the first chapter, then dithered and stopped.

The other day I went to Henley Book Festival and watched a talk with a new author. She said how she'd started... on the same Curtis Brown course I'd done! Arghhhh. The difference was, her only goal was to type the words "the end". That's literally the ONE aim she had for her writing; to finish it.

And now she's being hyped as the 2022 bestseller.

I could cry. But there's a real lesson in here.

I REALLY sympathise. That cannot have been nice. I met a lady who puts a picture on insta every day. Every single day! They are not great, but that’s not the point, she’s doing it and improving, whereas I, with all my perfectionist fears darent even pick up a pencil.and then I’m like, ‘who wants to read a blog by an old giffer’ but of course, people do!
So yes, lesson well and truly learnt.
I think you’re right about being of a certain generation.it was So competitive. All those admen that showed off about how effortless ideas are. Ugh. There’s something called the do lectures have you heard of them? It’s all, rough and ready ( but somehow still amazing and exclusive) very clever but UGH. So up itself!
And how you wouldn’t dream of launching anything if it was half baked. This put me off for years as I was so worried ex colleagues would see my crap and think of me as a failure.
I wonder if the person who wrote girl on a train went through doubts and procrastination?!
Always really jealous of terry pratchett who apparently just loved writing and could think of nothing else he’d rather do all day, and then there was Douglas Adam’s who apparently suffered for every word.
I’d love to think of ideas again, I mean I do, for Etsy, but i don’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. I think I waste time procrastinating out of fear and then trying to make it all perfect. HOW do some people just have this idea that everything they do is great? I want that!
Also, ( am on a roll!) last interview I had, the cd. ( male, surprise) told me,‘it’s all GIF s now’ and had I heard of these amazing baubles full of gin he’d invented. Wanker.
Let’s open a feminist old lady agency !we could definitely do rocking great stannah ads! And pelvic thingy ads! Ha!

I'd hate a gin bauble. If you've got cats it'll get knocked off in seconds. Twat.

Do you think we'd do better under pseudonyms? Like, have more confidence AND feel more like the business is not "us" but just a business? So we could be more detached?

Actually a year or so ago I had to work with an ad agency (not as a creative) and it made me quite glad I hadn't gone into it for too long. It's all about what the client wants. At least now we have the chance to do what WE want.

Let's stay in touch and just support each other, and dare each other to do big bold things! FUCK IT.

And yes, Paula Hawkins definitely went through doubts. I heard her first 2 books hadn't succeeded and that was her last chance. If it hadn't sold she was going to leave writing.

Omg! There you go then! We need a Paula Hawkins mindset!
It’s all how you think at the end of the day.
You’ve cheered me up no end, yes absolutely! Twat indeed! Support on its way!
Pseudonym is a good idea. I think it would help us market our stuff dispassionately as you say. Very needed. Not getting anywhere and got a dh W ho hates his job.
Hmm. Might be time for bed! Just yell at the teens a bit more first!

Right! A new week starts tomorrow. We need to set a terrifying (but life-moving) action to take. Which we then do.

Are you in, OP? And anyone else who's reading this - are you ready to DITCH THE FEAR and the imposter syndrome and start taking ACTION towards your goals?

Let me hear you say YEAH!!!

I'm ready but honestly I can't do this alone. Alone, there's nothing to drown out the negative inner critic. It's like a constant drip-drip of "don't do it, you'll look stupid, what will people say, it's too late, you're too old, you missed the boat, just stay in your box now..," all day.

Anyone else get this? And feel we might do better by cheering each other on to do the scary stuff that will change our lives?

Hell YEAH!!!!!!!!!!
IM IN! What a brilliant idea. It’s a great idea! It is just the fear and the niggly voices that are so stopping. Is that even grammar?
Already you’re being brilliant you see, GO YOU! Go us!
How about a meet up at 9 to set us off to a good start! And no getting sucked into mumsnet!

Any chance of a French offshoot?

I've been told for health reasons - arthritis in my neck - that I can't work full time in front of a screen. Ever again.

To all you young'uns, I'm 65, what the hell can I do?

I did a lot of in depth therapy with the view to becoming a psychotherapist over 20 years ago.

Have worked in IT and Finance, 1 side of the family is very strong maths/music, but t'other side has a raft of master cabinet makers (think Waring & Gillow 100+ years ago),.

I love colour, have been thinking of colour me beautiful, and possibly Morrisby evaluations which are huge in France at the moment. Did mine in 82.

I've done loads of stencil cutting, applying to walls, fabric etc, invent recipes including alcoholic truffles and, following a horrid French divorce which has pushed me into bankruptcy, exh is an abusive git who started divorce in France not to share his pension (which I paid for).

Worst thing is that I'm totally left-handed so my logic isn't quite 'normal' iyswim, and I can't write a letter of motivation to save my life. A very very big thing in France.

OP - definitely!! Meet here at 9am? I'm in! Yay!

Bring a list of scary stuff you've been putting off. I'll bring mine. Then we'll schedule one thing every day. Our rule: We have to do the things but we do not have to do them well! 😆 I think we're squished under our perfectionism at the moment, so perhaps heed to learn the life-changing magic of half-arsing stuff? Or just embrace the FB motto: done is better than perfect.

@newtb - Bon soir! What's a letter of motivation? And sorry about your divorce. That's awful.

I think your colour courses sound amazing - how much is training for those?

MONDAY MORNING - CHANGE HOUR LIFE!

Morning! Are you here, OP?

*YOUR LIFE

I see my promise to not worry about perfection has started 😆

Morning!

Sorry, met the neighbour on my morning ‘ commute’ and got chatting . I embrace my imperfections!

Newtb, sorry about your divorce, how awful. I am sure we can all collaborate and share ideas. We will get something going, never you fear! You have loads of interests and talents, that must be half the battle

Albertbridge, if you are there, and I hope you are not and are getting on with THE NEW LIFE, sending a big cup of coffee. I’m about to write a plan as I get in an overwhelmed muddle very easily. What are you up to?