Going cold turkey on the chicken chippies

Something big happened today. Huge. A significant milestone in my corporate to creative journey.

I cancelled my Qantas Club membership.

Not only will I barely be leaving Red Hill and the comfort of my pyjamas for six months, let alone requiring the services of an airport, but it is simply a luxury I will well and truly no longer be able to afford. And the QC is not cheap - in fact, I actually think it's a total rip off and I can't believe no one has actually cottoned on to that yet. I have never before heard of anyone being able to charge such an exorbitant amount of money to serve potato salad and chicken chippies. Even Greasy Harry's on Caxton Street used to only charge $2 for 15 chicken chippies, and at 4am that was seriously considered gourmet catering. 

I do find it amusing seeing all of these self-important business people lining up for their chicken chippies, piling their plates to overflowing. The hot food almost becomes a tradeable commodity in the QC during peak hour. I prefer to get my money's worth from the wine, but have figured I would almost need to join AA if I were ever to be successful in achieving that.

I can only imagine what Eckhart Tolle thinks of airline lounges.

But as much as I may mock it....I did hesitate, just a little, as a I hovered over my Qantas Club card with scissors in hand before swiflty chopping it in two. I do love my chicken chippies.

Reading too many self help books can get confusing

I have just finished reading "A New Earth". My good friend (and fellow writer and avid supporter - I am writing that now so you can all witness that I said that BEFORE she won the Pulitzer) Kell Kent recommedned it to me. It is an Oprah Book Club read, so really, what further recommendation can a girl need? And I can honestly say that I loved it - lose the ego, be present in the moment, follow the will of God (no, I am not going and getting all religious on you now - but follow the will of the Universe...I can get that).

But I am getting a bit confused. You see, I am also doing The Writers Way at the moment (although I havent written my morning pages for two days, but don't tell anyone). The WW is encouraging me to 'unblock my creative spirit', which I am in dire need of, and find a way to make a living from my creativity. Hallelujah for that. But A New Earth tells me that I can't wish for something like being a famous author, because that is just my ego talking, and I need to put that ego back in its place. So I need to unblock my creative spirit and write my book without any thought of it ever being published. That is like putting a block of Cadbury Black Forrest chocolate in front of me (unwrapped) and telling me not to eat it. As well as feeling confused, I am becoming more and more concerned that I may have to move into a caravan for the remainder of my life to support myself as an unblocked yet unpublishable writer.

Reading too many self help books at once is actually not helpful at all. I think Eckhart Tolle would be disappointed in me. I have clearly missed the point.

Can a corporate girl get creative?

When I was at University I dreamed of climbing the corporate ladder. It was the early 90's so I had visions of black power suits, boardrooms and striding through the city in six inch heels, looking highly important. When I look back now, I think I was more enamoured with the image than the thought of what I would actually be doing.

So I have precariously climbed the corporate ladder, and am now managing a marketing and comms team at a large Engineering and design firm. Big pat on the back to me and my ladder climbing efforts! But I cant help asking....is this really it?

I like my job, I just dont love it. What I love to do is write. I just don't do it. My head is too full of marketing guff and staff issues to think about getting creative. Six years ago I took a Creative Writing course at QUT, wrote three chapters of a book I was told were 'publishable' and promptly shelved them for the power suits. So now I am shelving the power suits and rewriting the chapters (cringeworthy, thank god they were never published!).

It is August 11, 2010. Come Christmas, I am taking extended leave to earn no income, stay at home, and write. And I cant wait. But I am also pretty nervous - about not having any money, not being able to afford my mortgage, having only the cat to talk to, and failing big time - something I haven't ever really done before (unless you count my love life...massive failure). But I am chasing my dream and I am going to blog about my journey and the many, many stumbles I totally expect to make along the way. Who knows, one day when I am a wildly successful author, maybe even this blog will be made into a book! Dream big, Kathryn, dream big.

So the big question is......can a corporate girl really get creative?