Starting over is rarely from scratch: every year of experience, every skill and relationship you've built is a buffer to fall back on. The learning curve is steep — but you are not starting from zero.
4.4 million new businesses were created in the U.S. in 2020 — the highest total on record. A 24.3% increase from 2019 and 51% above the 2010–19 average. The pandemic didn't create the impulse to start — it accelerated plans already waiting.
Circumstances you can't control are often the push: dwindling prospects, job loss, illness, or a global lockdown can be exactly the moment an inner voice finally gets heard.
Creating restores a sense of control: you cannot control what happens in the outside world — but you can control what you create. This is why art comforts us, and why we flee to it in difficult times.
The process of creating is a reward in itself: artists consistently describe it as a flight from reality, a mood-balancer, an energy source. "It makes me happy when I am sad — almost like a necessary remedy." — Laetitia Miéral
Developing your creative side boosts unconventional thinking — and unconventional thinking is essential in business. You don't need a big project. Starting small, consistently, is enough.
"The fact is that you cannot control what is happening in the outside world or your illness, but you can control what you create. This might be why we find art comforting, flee to it in difficult times and use it to boost our positive energy."
Every new start is shaped by the same four forces — whether you recognise them or not.