Finding Purpose and Creating Opportunities
Have you ever been grateful for your job but still aching for a different life? Still longing for something that may not look like the existence you’re used to?
That was me. I was extremely thankful for a steady paycheck but there was something about my dream of being a best-selling author that I couldn’t let go. But, who would leave their full-time job with benefits to pursue writing? A profession that offers little to no money, comes with no assurances and requires multiple jobs. Well, on April 24, 2020 I didn’t have to make that decision, it was made for me. And since that day, I’ve been a full-time artist.
When I lost my job as a Marketing Content Specialist due to COVID-19, I knew I wanted to take some time off. I had been with the organization for 15 years and had essentially grown up there. I learned how to stay out late clubbing yet get up early the next morning while still looking presentable and functioning properly. I took every opportunity to travel for events while adding on a day or two of vacationing for myself. I relocated to a beautiful city that taught me how to navigate mountainous terrain and run in extremely cold temperatures. I enjoyed my time with this organization. But there was another side of me that was searching for more. During those same 15 years of working at a human resources consulting firm, I was also self-publishing books and getting short stories and poetry published in literary magazines. It was a dual life that I was becoming more anxious to reduce to just one. Getting let go released me from my 9–5, without me having to take that leap on my own. But it also did something far greater. It allowed me to hone in on my purpose.
Sometimes people never understand their purpose or they don’t know how important it is to have a purpose in the first place. But I don’t think there’s a map to help you find what your purpose is. I believe it comes from within and it isn’t always logical.
I’ve known since I was in my 20’s that my purpose was to share love and inspire others, yet I never imagined that I was also supposed to share the talents of other people too.
For a long time I thought my dream of becoming a best-selling author was about me. It wasn’t. I’ve gotten so much energy and joy by reading the work of my fellow writers and encouraging and guiding them, that it’s propelling my own writing. It’s forcing me to go as deep as I ask others to go in their writing. It’s making me ask myself questions about who I am and being real with the answers. It’s allowing others to use their critical eye to improve my writing, it’s taking chances by submitting when I’m unsure and it’s loving the process of being a writer, poet and creative even when I am discouraged and rejected. The crazy part is, I am designing my life in the ways I desire and it took off only after I realized who I was as an artist, person and woman. It wasn’t until I realized that my purpose wasn’t at all about me…it was about everyone else.
That’s why on August 28, 2020, I put out a call for submissions for my first virtual exhibition titled REVOLT: Black Joy Still Exists, It Always Will. This exhibit was meant to encourage Black people by celebrating Black Joy, Black Love and Black Excellence through poetry and photography. To be fair everyone — no matter what race or ethnicity — was and is living in unprecedented times. But the trauma that Black people were (and are) experiencing in the silence of their dwellings while being isolated from family and friends, was overwhelming. I felt it and so did many others.
It was that feeling, that pushed me and twelve artists from California, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North and South Carolina and Virginia, to submit work to “REVOLT…” The poetry ranged from asking the question, “Is this a New Revolution?” to expressing what it sounds like to hear southern sweet talkin’. From a photograph that recreated an iconic VIBE Magazine photo shoot to an image of a family rehearsing for a performance as Tina Turner, Ike and the Ikettes — those were the moments that people realized were important. That made them slow down and breathe deeply. It was a photograph from the exhibit that showed two, young Black men smiling with flowers adorning the background. And poetry that proclaimed “there’s just something about us,” in a baritone that made everyone believe in that something. The images and poetry gave people a reason to smile and a memory to swoon over.
The exhibit shared hope in the midst of so much uncertainty and unfairness. It was a way to build us up in the midst of the realities of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Jacob Blake and Elijah McClain. It was uplifting and spiritual and joyous. But it had reached me on a deeper level. It was everything I needed to confirm my real purpose and show me how I could use my talents to create joy and opportunities that didn’t exist.
My first virtual exhibit isn’t going to be my last. I plan to use it as a catalyst for even more exhibits and opportunities to share the work of others. Right now, I’m launching “Black Joy Is My Protest,” which will highlight the voices of artists to encourage Black people to use joy as an act of resistance.
My goal for 2021 is to continue walking in the path that 2020 created. To continue feeling my way through opportunities and aligning with my purpose. But what about you? What is your purpose? How are you creating space for the life you imagine?
My hope is that you are discovering your purpose, telling your story and spreading joy no matter who you are. I also pray that this year shines brighter than you could ever dream.
Jennifer N. Shannon has written three books and has had short stories and poems published in literary magazines such as Deep South, The Auburn Avenue and an essay forthcoming in North Dakota Quarterly. She is writing her second novel and enjoying living and loving without limits. Visit jennifernshannon.com for more.
