Reconnecting With Your Creativity After Years in the Law

After years in the law, it can be easy to believe that creativity simply is not part of who you are. Maybe you stopped making time for things you used to enjoy, or maybe you decided a long time ago that being artistic was not practical, serious, or something that fit with the kind of person who becomes a lawyer.That belief can shape more than what you do outside of work. It can also shut you off from whole groups of jobs because you think of them as jobs for creative people, and you do not see yourself as one of those people. Reconnecting with your creativity does not mean you need to become a working artist. It may just mean realizing that creativity is important to you and that you have been setting that part of yourself aside.In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about why so many lawyers say they are not artistic or creative, how legal work can leave people feeling stifled, and what can happen when creativity starts to bubble back up. She also talks about making room for that part of yourself, whether it changes the kind of work you want to do or simply helps you build a more fulfilling life.0:30 - Telling yourself that you are not artistic or creative1:10 - Learning that being an artist is not a realistic career path2:19 - Feeling stifled by the constraints on creativity in legal work3:28 - Realizing that being artistic or creative is important to you4:35 - Picking up old hobbies and reconnecting with creativity5:30 - Being afraid that recognizing your creativity will make you more dissatisfied6:40 - Cutting yourself off from an avenue for joy and fulfillment8:24 - Sarah’s own experience of saying she was not artistic or creative9:38 - Making room for all the different parts of who you areMentioned In Reconnecting With Your Creativity After Years in the LawFirst Steps to Leaving the LawThe Former Lawyer CollaborativeI'm closing enrollment for my self-paced group program, the Former Lawyer Collaborative, permanently on August 31st, 2026. If you've been thinking about joining now is the time. Head to formerlawyer.com/collab to join before doors close on August 31st.