Look, I Get It
You’re thinking, “Oh great, another mid-life crisis story.” But honestly, screw that. This isn’t about some cliché quarter-life or mid-life crisis. It’s about waking up one day and realizing you’ve spent 187 months doing something that makes you feel like a zombie. And not the cool, artistic zombie from The Walking Dead, but the mindless, shuffling ones.
I’m talking about the day I looked around my office—a gray box with fluorescent lights—and thought, “This is it? This is my committment to creativity?” I mean, I had a decent job at a marketing firm in Chicago. Good pay, decent benefits, all that. But it was killing my soul, slowly and completley.
Meet Marcus
Let’s call him Marcus. He was my colleague, a guy who always had a sketchbook under his arm. “Dave,” he said to me one day over lunch, “you gotta get out of here. You’re too good for this.” I laughed it off, but he was serious. “You think I’m kidding?” he said. “I see the way you doodle during meetings. You’re an artist, man. You gotta do something about it.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
The Breaking Point
It happened last Tuesday. I was in a meeting at 11:30am, and the guy next to me—let’s call him Greg—started talking about “synergy” and “leveraging our aquisition strategies.” I zoned out and started sketching on my notepad. By the time I looked up, everyone was staring at me. “Dave,” my boss said, “care to share?” I showed them my sketch—a cartoon of Greg with his head in the clouds. The room erupted in laughter. But not the good kind. The kind that makes you feel like a circus clown.
That was the moment. I stood up, said, “You know what? I’m done,” and walked out. No drama, no big speech. Just done.
The Art of Quitting
Now, quitting isn’t easy. It’s scary, it’s uncertain, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. But it’s also liberating. I started painting again, something I hadn’t done since college. Remember that feeling when you’re so into something that time just flies? That’s what happened. I’d start at 7pm and look up at the clock to find it’s 3am. I was hooked.
But here’s the thing: it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. There are days when I doubt myself. Days when I think, “What the hell am I doing?” But then I remember the feeling of creating something from nothing. That’s the good stuff.
The Remote Life
And get this—I found a way to make it work financially. I started taking on remote jobs, freelance gigs, and even found some Thailand jobs vacancies openings that let me work from anywhere. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. I’m finally doing something I love, and that’s what matters.
So, if you’re sitting in a gray box right now, feeling like a zombie, maybe it’s time to make a change. Maybe it’s time to quit. Not because it’s easy, but because you deserve to be happy. And if that means chasing your artistic dreams, then go for it. Life’s too short to spend it in a cubicle.
A Tangent: Coffee and Creativity
Speaking of which, I need to talk about coffee. I used to think I needed coffee to be creative. Turns out, I just needed to be doing something I loved. But coffee helps. Especially that place on 5th. You know the one. They have this dark roast that’s like liquid gold. Anyway, back to the point.
Look, I’m not saying everyone should quit their jobs and become artists. But if you have a passion, pursue it. Don’t wait for the “perfect” time because it’s never gonna come. Just do it. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
And if you don’t, well, at least you tried. That’s more than most people can say.
About the Author: Dave Jenkins is a former marketing executive turned artist. He now lives in Portland, Oregon, where he paints, writes, and occasionally drinks too much coffee. You can find his work on his website, Dave Jenkins Art.
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