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The Advice I’m Giving My Children Working to Build Creative Careers
Based on the hard lessons I’ve learned over the past 12 years
My parents lived in fear that I would try and become a writer. That’s why when one of my English professors during my freshman year of college sent them a letter praising my writing and explaining to them that I had a talent for textual analysis and storytelling, they kept it a secret from me for more than thirty years.
I only discovered the existence of the letter when they told me about it years after I had quit my law practice to become a freelance copywriter, much to their disappointment.
With my children, I’ve taken a different approach. My teenage and young adult children want to pursue creative careers in music, film, fashion, and the visual arts. They’ve seen how much happier I’ve been since I switched careers from law to copywriting and how my excitement for my work has only increased as I entered my third career phase as an indie poet, writer, and illustrator who primarily works to help other creatives sell their work.
Instead of trying to cajole my children into a “safe” career, I’m open with my children about the challenges and rewards of working for yourself and building a creative career that you love and that supports you financially.
