Turns out I can’t type and eat toast at the same time. Good to note because I like to set myself up for success wherever possible so this is now something I can take into consideration for my Friday morning writing session. While this may seem trivial, it’s tiny, little iterations like this that make our life easier.
Over the span of a lifetime there are probably tens of thousands of little steps we take to make life better and ultimately mould us into more useful and efficient humans. On a grander scale there are events like going to uni, having a career and/or a family that are far more obvious contributors to our life’s trajectory but I’d argue (for the sake of this blog) that it’s the smaller, less pronounced steps that lead us to where we are heading.
Of course no one can know where they’re actually heading, not really. We set goals, work hard and plan for a desired future but ultimately the universe has its own agenda. The best we can do is run through all the scenarios and work towards the one we want the most.
I had to run a few ‘Design Dept’ scenarios this week after spending nearly two hours on the phone to the ATO (Australian Taxation Office) about setting up another payment plan for an outstanding BAS debt. The question was asked, how do you expect to pay this bill? My answer was: I have NO idea but I’ll figure something out.
Turns out the ATO doesn’t like that sort of answer after you’ve defaulted on two previous payment plans so I had to go through all my out and in goings for the business and forecast what I was going to be earning for the next financial year. Other than being completely taken aback by how seriously this ATO agent was treating the situation considering the amount was under $10K, I was also super pissed that a small, solo operator who is just trying to exist in the world can get slammed so hard.
This conversation was especially confronting because I literally have no idea what the year ahead holds for me. I have been working on a massive publishing contract that is finishing up in October this year. After that, I don’t know what is on the table. Given that I had such shitty luck with quotes so far this year, maybe there's nothing on the table but having been freelance for nearly 15 years there is always something.
My best case scenario is that in November HUCX will be able to employ me. As ridiculous as it is, I’m a volunteer in my own company because the overheads of rent and staff wages have to be prioritised to actually grow the business. This situation won’t be surprising to any owner of a small business. Even if you have the best business idea / product ever (which we do), the boss is the last to get paid.
The worst case scenario is that HUCX still can’t afford me and no miracle design projects appear so I have to get a real job! Imagine that… the last resume I put together was in 2011. If I had to put together a resume today I’m not quite even sure where I would begin. Even though the ATO has me down as a practising graphic designer for the last 20 years, the skills I’ve acquired throughout running my design business and a prefab building company far exceed the tangible skills of a desktop operator.
A few years ago a friend of mine wanted a new job and actually got professional help with writing her resume (maybe these people are called career councillors?!?). Reading the jar from the inside is an impossible task so getting an outsiders objective opinion of your skills can be incredibly useful. My friend's CV went from a list of jobs to a collection of meaningful and useful character traits that opened up so many more job opportunities for her.
Over the last few years I’ve also discovered that networking is one of my super powers. Can that be a job, just talking to people? But would I be as good at it if I wasn’t representing my own business? What does that look like on a resume? Skills: People like me. Maybe I’d make a good account manager at a design studio, or maybe completely change paths and become a teacher. I've always enjoyed sharing what I know. Another dear friend of mine went from being a podiatrist to a train driver and has never been happier!
It’s equal parts terrifying and fun imagining what scenarios lay ahead. I think the more mentally prepared one can be for any outcome, good or bad, the more motivated we are to work towards the outcome we actually want. October is a good 3 months away and SO much can happen between now and then. I can almost guarantee that there are at least 5 other completely different scenarios that don’t even exist yet.
In the meantime I just have to keep working towards the future I want and keep iterating to make my current life better. No toast while typing and remember to treat everyone with kindness because one day you might be asking them for something like a job!
