Sunday, 9 September 2018

Staying creative on the go.



As some of you may know, I recently decided to take the leap and follow my dream of travelling. Momentarily having to throw the towel in on my career. It wasn’t a decision that came lightly. I was worried about what future employers would make of such a big gap in my CV. 

However, arriving in paradise I quickly forgot about the tribulations of ‘normal’ life. And with the experiences I had, it’s definitely something I don’t regret. Returning to the UK it hasn’t at all hindered me finding employment. So I was essentially worried about nothing.

This won’t be the last time I drop everything for sunnier climes. I now believe travelling is an important part of my life, I’d say equal to my career. I plan to merge the two when I can. It’s a delicate balance.

I feel we all have plenty of time to progress up the career ladder if we work until retirement age. So what’s the rush? We may as well see as much as possible while we can, and get some work out of it too. 

Not only does travelling fill you with new experiences and open your mind to other ways of life, but also it refreshes you and makes you ready to hit the ground running when you do decide it’s time to go home. I’ve honestly never felt so energised and excited to get back into solving client problems.

While away I had planned to work, but it soon became clear to me that it wasn’t viable in my situation. I was on a mission to see and do as much as possible. I didn’t really ever settle in one place long enough to find any work. On future trips, I’ll stay in a spot to work but this time I was excited and keen to move from place to place. That left me little time for much else.

However, I didn’t want my creativity or writing skills to get rusty. So I managed to stay creative and busy keeping track of my journey via the travel app Polarsteps. You can take a look here https://www.polarsteps.com/KieranMcConnell/325662-my-southeast-asian-adventure. I also came up with ideas for apps, novels and TV series, but more of that another time.

In summary, for me personally going travelling was one of the best things I could have done. I urge everyone who’s on the cusp and thinking about it to just go for it.

If you want to help me fund my next trip I’ll be available for freelance work from November 2018. So please don’t hesitate to get in touch ;).