Member-only story
About Me — Constantin Diessner
From Accounting to Creating
Early last year, I was called into a work meeting. As I walked into the office, I saw my manager with a lady I never usually saw. My body tightened.
When they explained to me that I had two months of work left, I felt a mix of emotions: shock, sadness, confusion… relief? The bandaid was finally getting ripped off.
I always knew I was in the wrong place. This meeting was the final nail in the coffin.
Childhood
Growing up, I thrived on creative outlets. Give me an art project and I’ll spend hours colouring in every square inch of the paper. Give me a story to write and I’ll produce a mini novel. Give me a role in a play and my energy radiates across the room. Any time I had autonomy, I flourished.
Little did I know, I spent the next decade burying that kid.
The first resistance came from my father. At 14 I expressed the desire to pursue a creative career. He told me there’s no money in that–I should be an eye doctor or an accountant. My heart sank. The words “But I love creating” were at the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them. Something within me grew silent, and it stayed that way for 16 years.
Post-secondary
