Why I Left My ‘Safe’ Creative Career at 40+ (And Finally Found My True Art Voice)

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Why I Left My ‘Safe’ Creative Career at 40+ (And Finally Found My True Art Voice)

kellie day on Emerging Form podcast with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and CHristie Aschwanden.

Hi Creative Soul,

I’m going to be very open and vulnerable with you here, because I don’t normally talk about myself this way. But this week I had the honor of being interviewed about my creative journey on the Emerging Form podcast. And I want to share it with you.

Listen to my story here, or where you get your podcasts.

kellie day on Emerging Form podcast with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and CHristie Aschwanden.

You know that feeling when you’re sitting at your desk, doing “responsible” creative work, while your heart whispers about the art you really want to make? I spent years there – designing logos and brochures, telling myself I was lucky to have a creative career at all. (Sound familiar?)

But here’s the thing I recently shared on the Emerging Form podcast: If we sit around waiting to be inspired, we won’t get any real painting done. Trust me, I learned this the hard way through my journey from graphic designer (and before that, believe it or not, forest ranger!) to having my work featured in Trader Joe’s and The North Face.

My real transformation happened when I stopped trying to make “perfect” art from my head and started creating from that quiet, wise place within.
You know the one – it’s where your truest creativity lives, beneath all the “shoulds” and self-judgment.

These days, my studio practice looks nothing like I imagined. There are Sufi poems mixed with spray paint, handmade stamps, and bold acrylic drips from a paint syringe. I am surrounded by glorious materials. Every “mistake” is an invitation to go deeper. And surprisingly, it’s this very unconventional approach that caught the attention of major brands.

But here’s what I wish someone had told me years ago:
Your current career, even if it feels like a “safe” creative compromise, might actually be pointing you toward your true artistic path. I call these “shadow careers” – they’re like whispers from our deeper creative selves, trying to guide us home.
Want to hear more about my journey to becoming an artist and how it might mirror your own? I dive deep into all of this in my recent conversation on the Emerging Form podcast with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Christie Aschwanden. We talk about finding inspiration in a different way than usual, the practice of showing up, and how to work through the self-judgment that keeps so many of us playing small.

Listen to it here: https://emergingform.substack.com/p/episode-129-kellie-day-on-shadow

Here’s to the art that’s waiting within you,

Kellie
P.S. Watch your inbox for details about my 3 NEW & free January training sessions coming in the next two weeks. They’re going to be good!

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