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? 

email

Author: 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 thoughts on “All Grown Up – Seriously Creative”

  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.

Comments are closed.