For the better part of my adult life, I have had two selves. There is the creative Brian, who studied theater at UCLA, writes songs, records music, and plays live shows. I love this version of myself, but it’s hard to make money doing those things.The other Brian has a responsible day job, usually doing some form of highly organized, somewhat repetitive office administrative work. That version of Brian is good at his job. He just doesn’t find it very fulfilling.Reconciling these two selves is hard. Musicians keep late hours. Office workers get up early each morning. Both selves require time and energy to do what they do. There often isn’t enough for both. For one to thrive, the other has to make compromises. I want to bring these two selves closer together by finding a reliable job that is more aligned with my creative self. Recently a friend suggested, “You’re a strong writer. Have you considered technical writing?”I didn’t even know what that was. As I’ve researched it and taken some online courses, I’ve discovered that technical writing would be an excellent career path for me. It combines my organizational skills with my gift for communication.I have been doing a similar type of writing all along. At Universal Music Publishing, I wrote e-mails that translated contract legalese or explained royalty rates. In my current job as a Supervisor at Providence Home Services, I write training and instructional documents for my team. I also wrote, and continue to update, a Network Provider Manual for the vendors we work with. Before my promotion to Supervisor, I used to submit authorization requests to qualify patients for complex rehab equipment. I summarize the patient’s medical condition and explain technical information about the equipment in a brief paragraph. Distilling complex ideas into clear, concise, easy-to-understand language has been one of my strengths.This is a new field for me, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to get my foot in the door. I’m on LinkedIn looking for opportunities to learn, to work, and to make mutually-beneficial connections. Of course, if anyone out there would like me to make some music, I’m always open to that.