Three Creative Ways to Know What Work You're Made For
Unconventional Practices to Support Deep Career Clarity
About 20 years ago, I was working on a play with a new dramaturg, he said,
“Playwriting saved me, and because I was saved, I write.”
Which is a wild thing to say to a 22-year-old emerging playwright. But it did twig me to think, “What has saved me so much that I can’t help but do it forever?” Lately, I’ve been wondering, does that lead to knowing what you’re made for?”
I am lucky that, after a short period of self-reflection, I was able to pinpoint what saved me, which helped confirm the path I was on.
But my case is rare.
I am equally enamoured by people who have never known their career dreams, as I am by people who have always known.
I am the latter. Not only have I always known, but I got hired to do it when I was 18 years old.
Why do some of us get to have clear career dreams that are not only achievable but fulfilling? And others never find their thing?
Regretfully, I don’t have an answer. The only theory I’ve made up is that those of us with career clarity were meant for specific work. And others were meant to explore possibilities and the mystery that furthers work. Or your thing isn’t about your career at all.
I used to say, there are two kinds of people. Those who live to work, and those who work to live. My artist friends needed their work to be creative; they would rather have a low-paying role in the arts than sell out. I have family members who don’t care what their day jobs are; it’s about how those jobs support their evening and weekend lifestyle. One isn’t better than the other. Each way has its own suffering and abundance.
But if you’re yearning to figure out what you’re made for, these three creative exercises can help you open up to knowing. I’ve used them in my consulting practice for years with great results. Sometimes, what holds you back from true career clarity is limiting your career experiments to just a rational view.
These exercises help point you in a direction.
Open up to curiosity. Get practical when you’re actually applying for the new work.
If you don’t allow yourself to explore widely now, you’re already limiting your career.
Exercise One: Track your Flow Stories
This is a variation on the first step in the Career Stories Method (the first chapter of the book).
Get a stack of index cards and write the title of the job you had on one side, until you have a stack of cards. For each role, write down what brought you into a flow state at each job. There may be one thing, there may be a dozen. Write them all.
When I say “flow state,” I am referring to the flow Csikszentmihalyi writes about, about a time you most enjoyed yourself. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a peaceful experience — many people experience flow under high stress or pressure.
Write down all the flow moments of each job. When you’re done, review all the examples and identify common themes. If you’re into AI, ask it to make the connection for you. Typically, you’re looking for three themes. This gives you a clue about the kind of work you’re made for.
Exercise Two: Bookstore/Library Adventure
Go to the bookstore without a list or plan. As you walk around the space, notice what topics and themes you are drawn to. Sometimes I like to start in the magazine section. Notice which headlines and topics draw you in. Keep moving around the bookstore, noticing any internal tugs towards topics. You can collect a small pile of books, grab a seat and notice again what common themes catch your attention when you allow yourself to be open.
You can also do this in a library; the non-fiction section is good for this. It’s a little harder in the library because of the vastness of topics, but equally insightful.
This can help you know what kind of thinking, sectors, or ideas you’re drawn to. Look for these themes arising in every day life. How can you weave these into your existing work?
Exercise Three: Speak to Your Inner Career Character
There is a career character within you that knows what kind of work and impact you want to make.
There is also the “you” that you think you are. The one reading this article.
You likely already talk to yourself through these two lenses; this exercise takes it from head to body for additional insights.
Get two chairs and face them towards each other.
Sit in one chair and notice your current posture. This is “you.”
Move to the other chair. Close your eyes and try to locate your inner career character.* This article helps you know if your career character is a thinker, feeler, or doer.
Assume a physical posture for the career character that differs from your regular self. It may be they sit up taller, take up more space, or have very loose arms.
Start a dialogue between yourself and this career character, switching seats and gestures as you exchange words for at least six rounds.
In this first session, you may just learn about your career character. It can be basic like this:
“Hey, I didn’t know you were inside me.”
“I didn’t know I had a voice.”
“Me either. I guess we have some talking to do.”
“What made you want to listen to me now?”
“I’m a bit lost about what I want to do next.”
You’re opening the channel to inner wisdom. Over time, either in this first session or in the following conversations, start asking if they have a sense of what you’re meant to do. Your inner wisdom will show you something you haven’t been able to see.
In this first round of inner self-talk, it's important that you don’t push too hard for an answer. It can take several conversations to gain insight. Close the conversation with a thank you.
What opened for you?
Try these exercises more than once, compare notes, until a clear theme of ideal work shows up. Note what opened up for you. The next step is crafting career experiments to explore these further.
What did you open for yourself by doing these?