Incredibly exciting Ryan. I am so eager to listen and read your posts each fortnight. I am on my path to forgoing my office job and diving deep into my creative business. We are building a house and it felt sensible to keep my ‘stable’ job until the build is finished and we know where we stand financially. But it is getting hard each day to push back that desire to quit. I often have visualisations of how it will play out…. Will I do a Jerry MQuire and shout out ‘whose with me’ as I pass through the revolving yellow commercialised double doors. Or will I go quietly, step down slowly, go part-time and pass on my knowledge before I run for the hills, my paint, textiles and pencils. I need your advice. With love & excitement, Lisa Post
First of all Lisa, I am definitely not qualified to give any advice though I am happy to share my thoughts. My hearts says go full Jerry Maguire! It is what we all want to do right? But after going through the process recently, one thing I noticed and what I have been thinking about lately is the people who stay on in the organisation we leave. In my case I had a lot of messages from colleagues who would love to do what I am doing but due to different life circumstances are unable to, so I think we need to keep that in mind as we make our exit. For those people who want to make a change but can't, I think the best thing we can do on the way out is provide feedback as to why we are leaving and hopefully that can help make the organisation become a better place to work. If they choose to listen. Good luck on your exit plan and thanks for reading!
Congratulations Ryan. What a joy to follow your journey. Your words and the boat bring to mind these words by Kahlil Gibran. Lately I have been telling myself, REMEMBER THE RIVER, JANE. It applies to so much.
“It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
I have made this leap a few times in my career, and in the process of doing it again at ( nearly) 55! I quit my safe paid design job way back in my early 40’s to start my own business designing, producing and selling home textiles products and wallpaper. I did take on freelance work throughout this process as well when it presented itself. Now I am considering another move that takes in the disability sector, but using my creative skills in this field. How it will pan out, and for in around my existing business? I don’t know- we’ll have to see! All I can say is when you close one door, another opens! Thanks for creating this newsletter, the road less travelled is by far more interesting and satisfying!
Hey Ryan - love the sound of this venture you have here . I gave my Sydney job up at the end of 2020, moved to a property on the South Coast of NSW, planted some food, bought a couple of sheep and haven't looked back. I've managed to find some part-time remote work which i enjoy while I spend the rest of my time growing a garden, learning permaculture, and building up a photography business in between visiting wild beaches and hiking wild coasts :) Julie
Wild beaches and wild coasts sound like just my thing Julie. Well done for making the move. Part of my inspiration for this change was Charmian Clift, who came form the south coast (Kiama). I haven't made it down there yet but it is on the list of places to visit.
Step one on a new adventure - that feeling as you stand at the end of the path to no-where - and gaze out onto that landscape of future possibility - the ambition, uncertainty and optimism all dancing together - I know that feeling! Looking forward to your fortnightly newsletter. Love what you are doing here Ryan....
I met a wine maker in McLaren Vale whose wine bottles are called “Seldom Inn”. It really resonates with the ethos of Out of Office. He is never around in the cellar (hence Seldom Inn) because he is doing what he wants to do, and so we need to give him a call on arrival to ask him to come over for us to taste his wine. He is now a friend of mine. I want to take you there when you come back to SA for a visit!
McLaren Vale? Winery? I am in Kana! I think the out of office ethos is embedded in wine making. Actually, I will post an interview here at some stage of a good friend of mine who was the first female winemaker in Japan. She came to Australia and worked at a big corporate winemaker then went off to make her own wine. It is an inspirational out of office story.
Incredibly exciting Ryan. I am so eager to listen and read your posts each fortnight. I am on my path to forgoing my office job and diving deep into my creative business. We are building a house and it felt sensible to keep my ‘stable’ job until the build is finished and we know where we stand financially. But it is getting hard each day to push back that desire to quit. I often have visualisations of how it will play out…. Will I do a Jerry MQuire and shout out ‘whose with me’ as I pass through the revolving yellow commercialised double doors. Or will I go quietly, step down slowly, go part-time and pass on my knowledge before I run for the hills, my paint, textiles and pencils. I need your advice. With love & excitement, Lisa Post
First of all Lisa, I am definitely not qualified to give any advice though I am happy to share my thoughts. My hearts says go full Jerry Maguire! It is what we all want to do right? But after going through the process recently, one thing I noticed and what I have been thinking about lately is the people who stay on in the organisation we leave. In my case I had a lot of messages from colleagues who would love to do what I am doing but due to different life circumstances are unable to, so I think we need to keep that in mind as we make our exit. For those people who want to make a change but can't, I think the best thing we can do on the way out is provide feedback as to why we are leaving and hopefully that can help make the organisation become a better place to work. If they choose to listen. Good luck on your exit plan and thanks for reading!
Congratulations Ryan. What a joy to follow your journey. Your words and the boat bring to mind these words by Kahlil Gibran. Lately I have been telling myself, REMEMBER THE RIVER, JANE. It applies to so much.
“It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.”
— Fear, by Khalil Gibran
Thanks for sharing this Jane. Serendipitously I have spent the morning on the Esk River, paddling down to the ocean. Love this.
I have made this leap a few times in my career, and in the process of doing it again at ( nearly) 55! I quit my safe paid design job way back in my early 40’s to start my own business designing, producing and selling home textiles products and wallpaper. I did take on freelance work throughout this process as well when it presented itself. Now I am considering another move that takes in the disability sector, but using my creative skills in this field. How it will pan out, and for in around my existing business? I don’t know- we’ll have to see! All I can say is when you close one door, another opens! Thanks for creating this newsletter, the road less travelled is by far more interesting and satisfying!
I could not agree more Fiona. The magic is in the "we'll have to see!"
Hey Ryan - love the sound of this venture you have here . I gave my Sydney job up at the end of 2020, moved to a property on the South Coast of NSW, planted some food, bought a couple of sheep and haven't looked back. I've managed to find some part-time remote work which i enjoy while I spend the rest of my time growing a garden, learning permaculture, and building up a photography business in between visiting wild beaches and hiking wild coasts :) Julie
Wild beaches and wild coasts sound like just my thing Julie. Well done for making the move. Part of my inspiration for this change was Charmian Clift, who came form the south coast (Kiama). I haven't made it down there yet but it is on the list of places to visit.
Step one on a new adventure - that feeling as you stand at the end of the path to no-where - and gaze out onto that landscape of future possibility - the ambition, uncertainty and optimism all dancing together - I know that feeling! Looking forward to your fortnightly newsletter. Love what you are doing here Ryan....
I met a wine maker in McLaren Vale whose wine bottles are called “Seldom Inn”. It really resonates with the ethos of Out of Office. He is never around in the cellar (hence Seldom Inn) because he is doing what he wants to do, and so we need to give him a call on arrival to ask him to come over for us to taste his wine. He is now a friend of mine. I want to take you there when you come back to SA for a visit!
McLaren Vale? Winery? I am in Kana! I think the out of office ethos is embedded in wine making. Actually, I will post an interview here at some stage of a good friend of mine who was the first female winemaker in Japan. She came to Australia and worked at a big corporate winemaker then went off to make her own wine. It is an inspirational out of office story.
Oh wow I’m so intrigued! Looking forward to the interview👍 The winery is called Geddes Wines btw!
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Ryan you are such a talented person full of courage and passion for life! No matter whatever path you follow you will success and fulfill!