Great thoughts Jenn. As a Lawyer, you were a noun. This is what you do, this is how you define yourself.
As an artist, you are a verb. Ever moving, ever changing. It's not easy to be a verb some days. The unknown of where the "action" takes you. Or waiting for some action to occur.
I'll leave you with a thought from Stephen Fry.
“Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.”
Sounds familiar, only mine was banking. I was an executive - defined role, impressive title, but heart sick and stressed all.the.time. It’s been a year and I’m still sinking into this new life. But I like it most of the time, whatever ‘it’ is, and I’d never go back. Mostly, I’m grateful that I left in time…. Just in time. Good to hear from a fellow traveler!
I think we are led to believe that there is a certain way to live: choose a career, get the education, climb the ladder, then retire, and that, yes, there are other things out there, but they are for other people, whatever that means.
It felt like breaking out of the matrix when I realized that I could do something else.
Definitely. We are told what ‘success’ looks like in life by a world who doesn’t know us. It fit the mold, but wasn’t right for me. I’m better living on my own road less traveled….
I’m a recovering lawyer too. God the celebration of life without time sheets. Being a lawyers is not who you are, it’s what you are. It’s important to know the difference. Good for you getting out, enjoy, savour every moment. :-)
Hi Jenn, I'm also new here and I also run at an entirely unremarkable pace. I love your witty writing style and can't wait to see what you find to do next.
I had a friend tell me, we choose our hard. No matter which path we go down in life, there will be challenges, even if it’s our ‘dream’ life. So if it’s going to come with challenges and hard moments anyway, why not choose the path that also gives us aliveness and joy? I come back to this statement time and time again. We choose our hard.
I just had this conversation with my son! It is his first year in high school, and for a kid who usually coasts through with great grades, he's struggling and failing to see how his classes are "relevant" to his future. We talked about choosing hard now - do the grind, get good grades for the sake of the grades, and put in all the work plus more - so that there will be more options available in the future. Not to say it will ever be easy, but there's challenging hard, unpleasant hard, and downright unlivable hard.
I never thought to apply that to my life right now, but you make a great point: why not choose the hard that leaves room for joy? I love that. Great comment!
I feel this. I quit insurance to take care of my kids (by the way—no one warned me that prospective employers wouldn't call me back with that gap in my resume). I don't create things on etsy, but I've written two books, and as a creator, you do everything yourself—the writing, marketing, social media, connecting with people, all while trying to do your next project (and yes! watching the sales dashboard trying to figure out by sheer willpower how to make it move).
When I did hiring at my firm, we always asked about resume gaps. Sometimes it was kids, sometimes it was people finding themselves, sometimes it was just a struggle at finding the right fit. Our best hires weren't the ones with the straightforward resumes - they were the people who lived life in different ways. They were always the scrappiest, the ones who could figure it out.
And agreed on the doing everything. Photography. Social media. I have to make Reels AND TikToks? How does Facebook advertising even work? And when am I supposed to find time to design my next big thing? I totally feel you on that one.
There’s something about this that pulled me in right away. I’m always drawn to stories that honor the real work of reinvention.
You named the part that so many people skip over. It’s not just about leaving something behind; it’s about choosing a creative life with no brochure, script, or guarantee, and still doing it anyway.
Fellow unremarkable pace here! As a recovering social worker, turned entrepreneur in which I call myself the CEO of Everything, I resonate with this, "I went from a world with defined wins and clearly marked success metrics to a world where I make my own rules and also make my own messes. And the whole while, I get to wonder whether I’m doing the right thing and whether tomorrow is the day I just completely fail." How TRUE. This is inspiring me to reflect similarly. Much gratitude!
Wonderful piece Jenn. It seems on substack there is the growing community of people who have stepped out of the left hemisphere "do, achieve, get, more, more" brain, and more into the right hemisphere "connect, understand, listen, patience" brain. Please keep sharing the ins and outs of your journey - they are inspiring and truthful!
Well articulated! I’ve been going through my own journey of making my time my own and creating a work product that I’m personally and spiritually invested in.
Happy to subscribe and hopefully see more of your experiences and perspective on my timeline!
I love this post. So so much. Thanks for writing and sharing your journey. I've been enjoying seeing your creation pictures too in Notes the past few weeks. You're super talented.
I have a similar journey... former HR executive laid off from a restructure. Thought it would be a great time to do my own thing. Figuring out "one's own thing" isn't as easy as you think it is when you're gainfully employed and daydreaming of leaving corporate BS. But it's a journey right?
Thank you, and much success to you as well! It is amazing how much *stuff* is involved in making your own way. It seems so simple until you are in the thick of it.
Love this!! Pivots in life never go quite as planned but often lead to something beautiful! So inspiring that you’ve managed to find a different type of success :)
Sounds like my life too…but paralegal not lawyer, Minnesota not Wisconsin, and Josh not Jenn. I just straight up walked out of law school one day and never looked back. Although I then worked as a debt collector for a while so it took a few years to escape the stress for the great outdoors.
Thank you for sharing your article, “What I Thought Quitting Law Would Feel Like.” Your candid reflection on the complexities of leaving a legal career offers a nuanced perspective on the emotional and psychological journey of such a significant life change. It's a poignant reminder that the path to fulfillment isn't always linear and that embracing uncertainty can lead to profound personal growth.
Great thoughts Jenn. As a Lawyer, you were a noun. This is what you do, this is how you define yourself.
As an artist, you are a verb. Ever moving, ever changing. It's not easy to be a verb some days. The unknown of where the "action" takes you. Or waiting for some action to occur.
I'll leave you with a thought from Stephen Fry.
“Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.”
―Stephen Fry
That Stephen Fry quote is fantastic. Thank you for that.
I like the idea of being a verb, not a noun. I never thought of it that way before but it really strikes a chord with me.
Sounds familiar, only mine was banking. I was an executive - defined role, impressive title, but heart sick and stressed all.the.time. It’s been a year and I’m still sinking into this new life. But I like it most of the time, whatever ‘it’ is, and I’d never go back. Mostly, I’m grateful that I left in time…. Just in time. Good to hear from a fellow traveler!
Fellow traveler! I like that.
I think we are led to believe that there is a certain way to live: choose a career, get the education, climb the ladder, then retire, and that, yes, there are other things out there, but they are for other people, whatever that means.
It felt like breaking out of the matrix when I realized that I could do something else.
Definitely. We are told what ‘success’ looks like in life by a world who doesn’t know us. It fit the mold, but wasn’t right for me. I’m better living on my own road less traveled….
I’m a recovering lawyer too. God the celebration of life without time sheets. Being a lawyers is not who you are, it’s what you are. It’s important to know the difference. Good for you getting out, enjoy, savour every moment. :-)
I love that—a recovering lawyer.
Hi Jenn, I'm also new here and I also run at an entirely unremarkable pace. I love your witty writing style and can't wait to see what you find to do next.
Unremarkable pace is my favorite pace! :) Thank you for reading!
I had a friend tell me, we choose our hard. No matter which path we go down in life, there will be challenges, even if it’s our ‘dream’ life. So if it’s going to come with challenges and hard moments anyway, why not choose the path that also gives us aliveness and joy? I come back to this statement time and time again. We choose our hard.
I just had this conversation with my son! It is his first year in high school, and for a kid who usually coasts through with great grades, he's struggling and failing to see how his classes are "relevant" to his future. We talked about choosing hard now - do the grind, get good grades for the sake of the grades, and put in all the work plus more - so that there will be more options available in the future. Not to say it will ever be easy, but there's challenging hard, unpleasant hard, and downright unlivable hard.
I never thought to apply that to my life right now, but you make a great point: why not choose the hard that leaves room for joy? I love that. Great comment!
I feel this. I quit insurance to take care of my kids (by the way—no one warned me that prospective employers wouldn't call me back with that gap in my resume). I don't create things on etsy, but I've written two books, and as a creator, you do everything yourself—the writing, marketing, social media, connecting with people, all while trying to do your next project (and yes! watching the sales dashboard trying to figure out by sheer willpower how to make it move).
When I did hiring at my firm, we always asked about resume gaps. Sometimes it was kids, sometimes it was people finding themselves, sometimes it was just a struggle at finding the right fit. Our best hires weren't the ones with the straightforward resumes - they were the people who lived life in different ways. They were always the scrappiest, the ones who could figure it out.
And agreed on the doing everything. Photography. Social media. I have to make Reels AND TikToks? How does Facebook advertising even work? And when am I supposed to find time to design my next big thing? I totally feel you on that one.
There’s something about this that pulled me in right away. I’m always drawn to stories that honor the real work of reinvention.
You named the part that so many people skip over. It’s not just about leaving something behind; it’s about choosing a creative life with no brochure, script, or guarantee, and still doing it anyway.
Happy to be following your journey!
Fellow unremarkable pace here! As a recovering social worker, turned entrepreneur in which I call myself the CEO of Everything, I resonate with this, "I went from a world with defined wins and clearly marked success metrics to a world where I make my own rules and also make my own messes. And the whole while, I get to wonder whether I’m doing the right thing and whether tomorrow is the day I just completely fail." How TRUE. This is inspiring me to reflect similarly. Much gratitude!
CEO of Everything - that is so accurate. The hard stuff, the easy stuff, the glamorous, and the not-so-glamorous.
Wonderful piece Jenn. It seems on substack there is the growing community of people who have stepped out of the left hemisphere "do, achieve, get, more, more" brain, and more into the right hemisphere "connect, understand, listen, patience" brain. Please keep sharing the ins and outs of your journey - they are inspiring and truthful!
I love this piece, I love that you have "agency". What a beautiful gift to give yourself. 🩷
Well articulated! I’ve been going through my own journey of making my time my own and creating a work product that I’m personally and spiritually invested in.
Happy to subscribe and hopefully see more of your experiences and perspective on my timeline!
I love this post. So so much. Thanks for writing and sharing your journey. I've been enjoying seeing your creation pictures too in Notes the past few weeks. You're super talented.
I have a similar journey... former HR executive laid off from a restructure. Thought it would be a great time to do my own thing. Figuring out "one's own thing" isn't as easy as you think it is when you're gainfully employed and daydreaming of leaving corporate BS. But it's a journey right?
Wishing you much success!
Thank you, and much success to you as well! It is amazing how much *stuff* is involved in making your own way. It seems so simple until you are in the thick of it.
Love this!! Pivots in life never go quite as planned but often lead to something beautiful! So inspiring that you’ve managed to find a different type of success :)
Sounds like my life too…but paralegal not lawyer, Minnesota not Wisconsin, and Josh not Jenn. I just straight up walked out of law school one day and never looked back. Although I then worked as a debt collector for a while so it took a few years to escape the stress for the great outdoors.
Great read, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences on what it's like when you do in fact take the plunge...
Thank you for sharing your article, “What I Thought Quitting Law Would Feel Like.” Your candid reflection on the complexities of leaving a legal career offers a nuanced perspective on the emotional and psychological journey of such a significant life change. It's a poignant reminder that the path to fulfillment isn't always linear and that embracing uncertainty can lead to profound personal growth.