Hiatuses
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Hiatuses
Hiatuses
The role models I looked up to as a teenager have now
returned to the spotlight after their actions taught me something important:
they took a break. Missy Higgins took a few years ‘quitting’ music to do other
things and find her path. Delta Goodrem was out of the spotlight before The
Voice as she travelled with others. And we all remember her much needed break
after her diagnosis of cancer. She knew to look after herself before she can
create her best work. The Veronicas have also just now returned having last
done public work in 2009. These girls all have one thing in common. They knew
when they needed a break.
Photo source: Missy Higgins Myspace page
Missy Higgins is famous for taking breaks when it’s needed.
It’s now common knowledge that she won Triple J Unearthed and talked about a
record deal when she was in high school. But Missy knew it was time to broaden
her horizons after consistently working at school and staying in one place. She
famously took a year in Europe at 19 to discover the world and get inspired.
Missy knew early on that we can sometimes do our best work after time off. The
result was a former obsession of mine: the unbelievably successful album The
Sound of White. Years of tiring touring had followed during her twenties,
which were my teens. Missy recently told The Project she desperately
needed a break from music, in a search to find what she wanted. She did some Australian
and indigenous studies at university. Her holidaying was quite some time in India
and Brazil. Missy also house sat in various places in the United States (that’s
quite financially responsible for a best-selling recording artist). 2010 and
2011 were the much needed variety to see what was out there. We sometimes want
to try everything to see what we’re good at. And sometimes home is where the
heart is. Or sometimes people are best at what they have done from a young age.
That’s what Missy realised and I’m glad for it.
Image source: Last FM
Delta Goodrem learned over time that her most popular work is
created after breaks. Delta leapt straight back into the studio after her
diagnosis of cancer and award winning work. The Mistaken
Identity album was clearly a way of coping and venting after a much too
eventful year. This Aussie Neighbour was wise enough to take a few years before
her self-titled
album and her new album this year. We didn’t see a lot of Delta just before
The Voice or in 2010 & 2011. And
maybe that’s a good thing. She clearly needs time to travel and relax just like
everyone else. Now the music is more upbeat and positive than ever before. Our
attitudes can be turned positive in the same way after relaxing breaks.
Image source: The Veronicas’ Myspace page
Jess and Lisa Origliasso got tired of the workload their
hugely successful brand/band The Veronicas required. The duo basically worked
continuously for a similar amount of time to our high school years. It seems
they needed a gap year (or several) in the same way a lot of teenagers need a
gap year after high school. The girls recently told V
Music the exhausting work had been affecting their moods and their
relationship as sisters. Their official Myspace page shows their first record,
the single of 4Ever,
was released in 2005. Take
40 says The Veronicas’ last public work was their tour in 2009. 2GB
reveals their age, which shows us Jess & Lisa had been working from 21 to
25. That’s their entire early twenties at an age when everyone else might still
be at uni and getting on their own two feet. I remember listening to Veronicas
music during high school because their pop music connected with the mood of
every teenager. Everyone danced around to 4Ever.
These famous twins had dedicated at least 5 years to making a real contribution
to the popular culture of Australia. But of course they needed a break. They needed
us to not hear from them in 2010 and 2011. Jess & Lisa needed to take a
break just like everyone needs to.
Photo: Mel at 18
I am encouraged by these Aussie women because they don’t
have set absolute timeline. They don’t say, “I need to do this much in this
amount of time.” Creative people remind us through their actions of an
important lesson: great work takes time. I didn’t know these celebs were
planning time off when I did something similar. I am not ashamed to say I was
still finding myself when I left school. I wasn’t sure what I was good at. And my
identity had blurred as I tried to find belonging and purpose in my career. Studies
at Coffs Harbour showed me which areas of business were not my strengths and
which areas I wanted to pursue further. It taught me to stay employed early in life
to support myself. It was only after Coffs that I discovered the joy of
creative marketing. The time off showed me what I don’t want, which is isolation (Coffs is kinda far away). And that is fine
too. I am not comparing myself to these celebrities. These women have achieved so much more than I could imagine. I used to feel guilty for taking more time to discover and achieve my goals. Missy is an encouragement that it is fine to try everything before knowing what you want. This is simply showing
familiar faces who took a beneficial path. It only shows us there is nothing
wrong with taking our time.
Photo: Mel at 19
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