Day Job vs. Night Job

The rain is falling here in Auckland, New Zealand, as winter draws to a close. The days are getting longer, and general energy levels are increasing.

I have been thinking recently about my choice of a creative career. Not art - drawing and all that goes with it is what I do in the evenings, early mornings and weekends. This is my Night Job. During the day I work as a Product Designer, which essentially uses the same skills and brain regions. Subsequently, it also uses the same sort of energy - mental, creative energy. Was I doing something which required mostly physical effort, I would come home full of ideas and energy to sit down and draw. As it is, my ideas are already depleted when 5pm comes around, from a day of problem solving and inventive thoughts.

Back in school I had to decide whether or not to go to art university - whether or not to pursue a professional art career. I decided against it, because the thought of 'having' to create all day and finding all my inspiration and love for it gone at the end of the work day did not seem desirable at all. Rather, I decided, I will study science and continue to create in my free time. Those five years of study were probably my most productive time yet. Sometimes I would even take my drawing materials to the lecture hall and work on them while listening and learning.

After a short detour on the way I was back at the crossroads about a year ago - and decided to take the risk of taking on a creative day job. Yes, it is impacting my creativity in the evenings, as well as my motivation to sit down again after a long day and work on a drawing. Yes, it is slowing me down. When the occasional holiday comes along I cannot wait to get started on a new drawing and am bursting with ideas.

But there is another effect, which I had not anticipated at all: It is training me.
Being in a position where I have to force myself to be creative and to produce ideas on a regular basis is building up my self-discipline and endurance. I used to be one of these "touchy" artists - if I did not 'feel like drawing' I would not (after all you can't rush perfection, right?). Admittedly I have not tried that approach yet in my day job, but I doubt my boss would agree. No, if you have to develop that kind of creative discipline for your work, it will also impact the rest of your life.
My job also trains my endurance to stay with a project when I want to throw it into the trash. It trains me to produce regularly and reliably. It builds up my creative energy.

So if I had to choose again between a scientific and an art career? I would still choose the scientific one.
Ever curious about life, the universe and everything!