“Work isn’t your life. Work facilitates your life.”

While I was studying theatre in university, I was struggling with coming to terms with the arts industry. I saw my peers give up their entire lives for their work/art. Their passion was incredible and intimidating. There was no way that I loved theatre that much to give up my life for it.

Living with my parents at the time, I would express this frustration to my dad. He has an undergraduate degree in architecture and worked as an architect for a long time before he changed careers. Now he’s a network forecast analyst and has less passion for what he does, but it facilitates his life outside of work: our cottage, my mom and me.

Dad advised me: “Nats, work isn’t your life. Work just facilitates your life.”

And at the time, that was good enough for me.

I graduated with my BFA in Theatre and immediately found a comfy desk job as an inventory analyst — convinced that work wasn’t my life, it just facilitated my life. I worked as an analyst for about 2 years — clocking in at 9am, out the door at 5pm to return to my “life”. In those two years, one of my heroes passed away at a young age.

Tanit Mendes was in her early 50s when she passed away from cancer. She was a vivacious theatre artist with a passion for life that couldn’t be matched. She was my mentor and friend, and I always went to her with my anxieties about the arts industry and she supported me no matter what.

She loved her work. She loved her art, and encouraged others to love and pursue their passions. This hit me really hard when she passed away, and I started to become miserable as an analyst.

And then, I was lost. I knew in my heart that I needed to throw myself into my work/art — but I didn’t exactly know what that was. My passion was once theatre, but that faded years ago. What do I really really love to do?

Front-End Web Development seemed like the magic answer to everything, but of course with a new industry and uncharted territory it opened up a new world of anxieties that I hadn’t anticipated…

Am I a designer or a developer? Apparently I can’t be both. Can I?

Am I really a “designer”? Am I calling myself that now? I guess so.

I’m a woman in an industry dominated by men… I gotta work extra hard to prove myself.

I’m so new to this and there are so many people out there better than me.

I really don’t enjoy some tasks involved with Front-End Development…

I worked through these anxieties for the last 2 years. Still working through them, to be honest. But one thing has changed — I found my passion again.

For the last few months I have been exceedingly happy, and I’ve been working constantly. I understand that this isn’t everyone’s formula for happiness, and for many folks, their work truly does just facilitate their lives and that makes them happy. But — that just wasn’t working for me.

I have a new role as the Creative Director for Ladies Learning Code and I can’t imagine a day where I don’t think about it or come up with new creative and artsy ideas that I want to implement.

I have an incredible, supportive team that understands who I am and has provided me with the most amazing environment for me to work, create and build things. I’ve been given creative freedom and I’m running with it — hard. I voluntarily give up evenings and weekends for the sake of my work. For the sake of my art. And the best thing about all of this is that the work I am doing is encouraging others to also create awesome digital things — so I’m giving back and feeding into an industry that I really really love.

I am also really fortunate to have a supportive partner who happens to be equally as passionate about their work. Together, we balance our intense creativity with our home life and it is a wonderful thing.

Work doesn’t facilitate my life. Work is my life.

I am so happy.