What is your career plan?

If I ever had a career plan, I almost certainly didn’t stick to it effectively. Now I am officially post-career I could retrospectively chart my career in a linear way that might, quite falsely suggest that I had followed a plan or pathway. This morning I had a blogging plan, which did not involve using a 3rd party prompt. But that blog proved to be a little unwieldy. Instead of blogging, I set out to do an early dog walk, ponder my pondering and hopefully return home with a blog in the bag, so to speak.

A chance encounter with a friend, who was talking on his phone inspired both this blog and my 3 hours of mindful painting that was planned for this morning. And I could use the 3rd party prompt which burnishes my algorithms. What woman would not want enhanced algorithms.

A five second conversation.

” Juliet, you’ve inspired me to start writing again”

8 words.

He inspired me with that lovely comment.

What was inspiring me in that moment.

I wanted to explore the 3 colours + white of the Wisteria I had walked a few miles to see yesterday.

Blue,pink,green +white.

Why mindful painting? Just 3 colours mixed any way filling predrawn spheres. Easy to do while my mind and nattering were certain to be running away with me.

One Thursday a month I meet up with a group of creative makers and artists. We create, chatter and drink coffee. I try to always take something to do that I can do, while fully participating in the swirling conversations that fill the airspace over our creative table.

The subjects of conversation today were-

1. An upcoming exhibition

2. A Tree Festival ( hot💥 topic in Plymouth, for all the wrong reasons.)

3. The history of the Merkin.

4. An alpha male in an art group that most of us belong to.

5. To have,or not to have, a second coffee.

6. Spanish rescued dogs.

7 Brixton SW9 ( London).

8. The pleasure of seeing foreign servicemen in uniform.

9. How much free parking do people have left.

10. When will we next meet.

Looks nothing like the Wisteria that inspired the colour choices.

But playing around with the colours will certainly help when I do the actual painting. Below, tweaking saturation and black point, making the whole thing a bit zingier.

Overlaying these 3 pictures.

Gives me this interesting piece.

My career plan was, pretty much, to not plan.  Just like this colour exercise this morning. Lets just see where we end up, and if I inspired anyone along the way that was a bonus.

Careers like life should be a journey not a destination.