Help Desk 4 Creatives: The Only Constant is Change *

By Merritt Minnemeyer
arttimesjournal December 17, 2018

Change is the most reliable aspect of the human experience. Time, seasons, relationships, jobs - the very essence of life itself is predicated on varying cycles of ebb and flow, beginning and end.

The holiday season, as hectic as it can be, offers an opportunity to pause. If we allow it, we can take a bit of time to reflect on what has happened in the past and envision what we hope is to come. We are also provided a little space to assess the changes that may be desirable, necessary, and/or inevitable. The uber-popular Life and Business Strategist Tony Robbins says: "Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change." What are you hoping to accomplish in the year ahead? What worked for you in 2018, and what are you willing to leave behind?

Changes also can come about when our values are pressed. Each of us has our own unique set of values that develop over the course of our lifetime beginning at birth. We are influenced by our first teachers (parents, caregivers, immediate family), by our extended family and friends, school, work, the media, and our community at large. All of these external influencers have an impact on how we view the world, how we make decisions, and how we conduct ourselves in relationship to others. When these values are challenged we face a decision - stay with what we believe, or adapt, evolve, and change. Both are viable options and worthy of consideration. Both can lead toward - or away from - fulfillment.

These values are often called out more readily this time of year (think awkwardness about politics/religion/what-have-you at the Thanksgiving dinner table), and so we tend to hang on to what we believe with more stubbornness. When Great Aunt Gertrude flippantly asks "when are you going to get a real job?" how will you respond? Will you stand firm in your identity and your chosen creative profession, or will you contemplate another path that may lead you elsewhere? Whatever you choose, that choice will likely be based on your values, your priorities, and what leads you toward what you believe to be your fulfillment.

As it goes with all good things, Help Desk 4 Creatives is going through some changes as well. Come 2019, Yours Truly will be transitioning at the end of 2018 into a new professional groove. So it is with wistful cheer that I bid you a happy and prosperous New Year, and a journey of embracing changes that challenge and uplift you. I also encourage you to tune in to future incarnations of the Help Desk as it blooms with new insights and contributors. It is sure to be a great resource in the months ahead! Stay tuned! And thanks for reading.

Merritt Minnemeyer holds a BFA in Acting, an MPS in Humanistic/Multicultural Education, and is a life-long practitioner and educator in a plethora of artistic media. Currently she is pursuing her certification as a Professional Coach. She lives in Ulster County with her three vibrant sons, two goofy pound pups, newly adopted kitty, and one remarkably darling husband.

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* Hi, Cornelia ~ Thank you for providing this awesome platform for my writing. It has been a great pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to enjoying the ATJ going forward. All the best, Merritt

Publisher's Note:
It has been a pleasure working with Merritt. The many topics she has covered in this “Help Desk for Creatives” were so very timely and important to our readers. Click here to read previously published essays.