All Grown Up – Seriously Creative

I have an awesome day job.

I still get to do acting gigs every couple months.

I’m a ‘responsible adult.’ But the words ‘responsible adult’ make my inner creative kiddo throw up in my mouth.

I don’t always feel grown up.

Remember watching The Dark Knight? The Batman movie starring the late Heath Ledger as The Joker in which he challenges a soon-to-be victim: “why so serious?” I’m taking the phrase of context, but I sometimes ask myself “why so serious, Andrew.” Or perhaps a better question might be “why so intense?” As an artist in an office, I still feel deeply. I’m still an artist even if I’m looking at an expense report, hosting a training class, or speaking with executives.

But I don’t want to get too serious. Too old to have fun. Too old to play.

The older I get, the more my creative inner child wants to make sure he doesn’t starve, wither, and shrivel away. He keeps calling out to me. He warns me (in a not so Joker-esque way) “why so serious?”

So even as I don my business casual, hold two meetings and check all the metrics in countless spreadsheets, I’ll choose to bring a sense of joy and wonder to an otherwise ho-hum Wednesday.

I’ll not just ‘get through the day’ and wish that Friday where here.

I’ll be this guy… wearing business casual.

Real Joy
Todd Baker via Compfight

Question: Why so serious? 

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By Andrew Zahn

I'm a son, husband, dad, business owner, actor and good sleeper/eater. On this blog, I pave a highway for creative growth by providing food, water, and shelter for those wishing to live, work, and play with creative zest.

17 comments

  2. yea, good point. there needs to be a balance between getting serious and having fun. humor is so important to life!

  3. You should hear me speak. I don’t think I’m ever in trouble of being too serious. I do know how to be serious when I need to be, but even when I preach, I throw in enough funny lines that people are laughing.

  4. Next Wednesday bring water balloons to work, and see if anyone asks, “Why are we having so much fun???” 🙂

    1. If I do it I’ll have to write a blog post about it! Or that might be the making of an entire blog series titled “water balloons at work. “

  5. I can get too serious when I get too stuck in my own head analyzing this ‘n’ that. “Finding the funny” is a good way to keep that from happening too often.

  6. The question I ask myself isn’t “why so serious?” but “why so boring?” I agree with Stephanie. Maybe its’s time to break out the water balloons…

    1. We could call it “what are balloon Wednesday. ”

      Also, I don’t think your “five sentences of fiction” series is boring at all. In fact, it was quite engaging!!!

  7. Posts like these just make me smile and realize that I do take myself too seriously. I suggest re-posting this EVERY Wednesday as a reminder for all of us to bring joy, awe and wonder into our mid-week busyness. Fantastic points, Andrew!

  9. Great Post. I’ve had this conversation with myself numerous times. Usually it’s when I feel to tired, or at least I think I am too tired to do anything. I wish I had a 9-5 that I loved as much as you! hahaha.

    1. Thanks Jery! I’m thankful for the 9-5, but I do understand feeling tired at the end of a long day.

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