Last Sunday, I dusted off the brushes, threw my hair and makeup hat back on, and headed to London for a Grease-themed gig at the Ham Yard Hotel. The performers were buzzing, the wigs were wild, the makeup was 50’s glam and bold, and the RSVP weddings and events network did what they do best: bring people together in style.
It was fun. It was electric.
And it reminded me – yeah! … I still love this.
I still love the energy of getting someone ready, the buzz of backstage moments, the creativity of contour and colour, the instant transformation that happens not just on the outside but inside too. That moment where someone catches themselves in the mirror and smiles – not because they look “perfect,” but because they feel their character.
That feeling? It feeds me.
And if I’m honest, I’d forgotten just how much.
Why We Stop Doing What Lights Us Up
When I stepped back from my agency, CJC Hair & Makeup, I did what any “proper” business owner or entrepreneur is told to do.
I moved into a strategic CEO role.
I worked on the business, not in it.
I let go of the chair, the brushes, the hands-on work.
I focused on growth, leadership, and scalability.
And yes, it made sense. On paper.
But something unexpected happened when I stepped away:
I lost the spark.
The drive dimmed. The fun faded.
And the things that used to energise me suddenly felt flat.
At first, I ignored it. Because this is what we’re meant to do, right? This is what the books say. The experts say. The strategy says. It’s how you scale. How you free yourself. How you step up.
Except… it didn’t feel like freedom.
It felt heavy and draining. I felt like I’d left a piece of myself behind.
What the “Experts” Don’t Tell You
A business consultant would have a field day with me.
They’d say:
- “You’re splitting your focus.”
- “You’re confusing your audience.”
- “You should pick one lane.”
- “This isn’t scalable.”
- “It’s not strategic.”
And they’re not wrong.
Not technically.
From a business standpoint, niching down, streamlining offers, creating predictable systems – it all adds up. But what they forget is:
We are not just CEOs. We are humans.
And no business, no matter how profitable, can run on spreadsheets alone.
You can’t pour into clients if you’re running on empty.
You can’t inspire others if you’ve lost touch with what inspires you.
You can’t create real connection if you’re disconnected from your own joy.
And yet, this is where so many people find themselves:
Following the “right” advice.
Doing what they’re told they should.
Checking the boxes. Hitting the metrics.
And feeling… dead inside.
The Danger of Living in the “Shoulds” of Business
I see this all the time in my coaching work.
Incredible, talented, ambitious people who’ve built businesses, brands, and entire lives based on what’s “right.”
Only to end up exhausted, uninspired, and quietly wondering if this is really it.
And I get it, because I’ve done it too.
It’s easy to override your own instincts when someone with business know-how and authority tells you what’s best.
It’s easy to believe there’s only one “legit” way to succeed.
It’s easy to start thinking of yourself as a problem to be optimised rather than a person to be nurtured.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
If the strategy doesn’t fit the human, the business won’t last.
You are allowed to bend the rules.
You are allowed to choose joy, even if it’s not “efficient.”
You are allowed to do the thing that doesn’t make perfect sense on paper, but makes total sense in your soul.
Creativity Is a Business Strategy
Let’s talk about creativity for a moment.
Because for me, the hands-on work – hair, makeup, styling – is not just playtime. It’s not just “artsy fluff.”
It’s part of my ecosystem. It’s where I recharge. Where I get ideas. Where I connect to people. Where I remember who I am beyond the calendar, the KPIs, the inbox.
When I’m in flow, when I’m laughing with a client in the chair, when I’m watching someone light up from the inside out, it energises me.
And that energy? It spills over into every other area of my life and business.
It makes me a better coach. A better communicator. A better leader.
So while it may not be efficient.
It is effective.
And that’s the reframe I want to offer you today:
What if your creativity isn’t a distraction from your success—but the fuel for it?
What Happens When You Come Back to Yourself
Going to that event last week reminded me of something I didn’t know I’d lost.
And it made me think about how many of us are quietly starving for the thing that used to light us up – without even realising it’s gone.
So let me ask you this:
- What part of your work or life did you love being in that you’ve pulled away from?
- Who told you it wasn’t “strategic”?
- And what would happen if you let yourself reintroduce it – not for the algorithm or the “success”, but for you?
It doesn’t have to be dramatic.
You don’t have to blow up your business or burn it all down.
Sometimes it’s as simple as putting the brush back in your hand.
Turning up the music.
Going back to the studio.
Writing the thing.
Starting the project.
Saying yes to the thing that doesn’t make sense but feels like coming home.
Because often, that’s where your magic lives.
What’s Right for the Business vs. What’s Right for You
It’s easy to get tunnel vision in business.
To chase growth, scale, and impact while slowly disconnecting from the you who built it in the first place.
But the truth is, business is not a machine.
It’s an ecosystem. And you are part of it.
Which means your joy matters.
Your energy matters.
Your creative input matters.
And if the “right way” to run your business is draining you, it might be time to choose a new way.
One that prioritises you as a human, not just a role.
Permission to Break the Rules in Business
So if you’re looking for permission to colour outside the lines?
Here it is.
You’re allowed to do work that makes you feel alive.
You’re allowed to pivot and blend and create a multi-hyphenated mess of a career that doesn’t fit neatly in a box.
You’re allowed to wear different hats, follow your curiosity, and say no to “shoulds” that suck the joy out of your life.
You are not doing it wrong.
You are simply evolving.
And that, my lovely, is the most strategic thing you can do.
Three Questions to Sit With This Week:
If this blog landed for you, take some time this weekend to reflect or journal on these:
- What “right way” are you following right now that actually feels wrong?
(Is it someone else’s path? Someone else’s voice? A rule you didn’t choose?) - What part of your work or life used to energise you—and do you still make time for it?
(Even just 10 minutes can rekindle a spark.) - What would it look like to make decisions that support not just your business, but your joy, your energy, and your growth as a human?
(And who might you become if you did?)
Don’t Lose the Spark
Building a business is incredible.
But don’t let it become a box you shrink inside of.
You’re allowed to change. To expand. To go backwards if it means moving forward more honestly.
You’re allowed to break your own rules and start again.
Because if the spark’s not there… what’s the point?
And if you’re reading this and realising that something’s missing, then it’s time to come back to yourself.
So grab the thing that lights you up.
Put the brush back in your hand.
Say yes to the play, the mess, the magic.
Because that’s where the good stuff lives.
Big love, and big rule-breaking energy,
Cam xx
