At the beginning of the year I was invited to be a guest on Irene Ruby’s podcast Makings and Musings. It was the first time I’d been on the other side of the microphone and I enjoyed it very much and Irene and I found much common ground to chat about. (I’ve included a link to the episode further down this post)

Having learned a little about Irene’s own career journey during that conversation, I was keen to invite her to be a guest on Creative Career Change. And here it is.

Irene worked in the corporate world of insurance for many years before pivoting and setting up her own business as an artist and educator. Listen to discover how she made this happen, the challenges faced along the way and why remote classes turned out to be a better way of working.

“I started to paint [with them] and it made me feel so good and it really helped me to process that grief. That’s when I realised I wanted to spread that feeling of calm and mindfulness with other people.” - Irene Ruby

Links and mentions

* Irene’s website and art community: www.makingsandmusings.com

* When Hannah Ashe guested on Irene’s podcast:

* The Best 90 Days Ever small business marketing course with Hannah Isted (which I have just signed up for!).

* Irene on Instagram: @makingsandmusings

A note from Hannah

I’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers.

I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years back when I felt trapped by my job.

Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.

By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!

Thank you.

Hannah x

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From time to time, I interview a podcast guest and we really, truly just click. The conversation flows (usually with me over-excitedly interrupting too often) and we could continuing talking for far longer than the allotted time.

That’s exactly what happened when I interviewed Lara Hayward several weeks back. It had taken us some time to pin down a suitable date to record due to various life and work situations getting in the way, but once we started chatting we couldn’t stop!

Lara began her career as a lawyer, but as she has got older she has learned to listen to herself and has developed the confidence to pivot. Regularly.

Creativity is at the core of what Lara knows she needs from her life and she isn’t afraid to prioritise it.

I hope you find Lara’s wisdom to be as deeply inspiring as I did.

“I think that’s what I’ve learnt about myself. I probably have 2-3 year cycles of doing something and then [I’m] moving on to something else.” - Lara Hayward

Links and books mentioned

* Lara’s coaching and consultancy website: www.larahayward.com

* Lara Hayward on Substack - The River

* Lara on LinkedIn

* Lara on Instagram

* Working Identity by Herminia Ibarra

* Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

* How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick

A note from Hannah

I’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers.

I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years back when I felt trapped by my job.

Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.

By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!

Thank you.

Hannah x

Support the show

Helen Ridley is an illustrator, specialising in live illustration, who has carved out a successful career by following her instincts and doing what feels right. I found Helen’s mindset to be inspirational and I hope that, you too, will be interested in her methodical, yet highly creative approach to freelance life following redundancy. Helen used this difficult situation as an opportunity and she is thriving.

Do let us know your thoughts on our conversation in the comments.

“It takes time to find the right community, but it’s a bit of trial and error, I guess. You just try things. If they don’t work, try something else. It’s a lot of being brave and putting yourself out there and making connections with people.” - Helen Ridley

Links

* Helen’s website

* Helen on Instagram

* Helen on LinkedIn

* Helen’s Flow and Flourish Retreat Website

A note from the author

I’m aware that those in the thick of a career change, who have left a job or taken a pay cut, may not have the means to pay to listen and so the Creative Career Change podcast will always be free to all subscribers.

I hope the conversations may inspire positive change and the pursuit of creativity and balance. I’ve created the resource that I wish had been available to me several years back when I felt trapped by my job.

Making this podcast is a labour of love and I do everything myself. This includes finding guests, writing questions, recording the conversation, editing, mixing, composing music and publishing the episode.

By becoming a paid subscriber, you help to ensure I can continue to record new episodes and make the Creative Career Change podcast available to all who might be inspired by it. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a one-off contribution to the podcast you can buy me a coffee here. I’m hugely grateful for all and any contributions!

Thank you.

Hannah x

Support the show