Good Taste

I usually don't have time to read through the actual articles in fashion magazines but there was an exception when I was getting my hair done a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the article but it was in the October issue of Elle. The author of the post was writing about letting go of controlling what her young daughter wears and how her girl surprised her with an excellent sense of style that the author attributed to her parenting... the article was a little condescending but also very real.

What really stood out to me was the following quote: 

"With taste comes exclusion; 

once you know what is good,

what is bad starts to feel like an assault."

The quote stems from a mother worrying about putting to much emphasis of style in fear that she would alter her daughter's view of the world, but I think the quote extends beyond fashion. Although "assault" is a bit dramatic, I have definitely experienced this in my own life as I've taken a greater interest in design and interiors.

Photo / Michelle James

Creativity

Apartment Therapy had an interesting article the other day about how to cultivate creativity in your everyday life. I liked the article itself but one of the comments is what really stuck out for me. I often find myself staring at tax forms or at the greige walls of my cube wishing I had a 'creative' job where I was immersed in colors, fabric swatches, and light fixtures all day. I never really thought about the opposite - someone living my dream life wishing they were an accountant.

I know there are other ways to find creativity in a job that's otherwise pretty black and white, but in my case, "creative accounting" has a whole different meaning (and not necessarily a good one). There is the obvious suggestion of developing your passion on the side or as a hobby, but the all-or-nothing in me thinks I would be better served by focusing on one or the other. For instance, as far as career development, I should be spending my nights and weekends studying for my CPA exams but instead I opted to spend the last three weekends on the kitchen cabinets.

Mike lucked out with a career that has components of each embedded in his job description, but for those of us on the extremes of either side, how do you make it work for you?