Scott Woody and Foundry Hiring - Creative Confidence #23
Scott Woody was a biophysics PhD candidate. After four years of studying motor proteins and point mutations in DNA, he had grown weary of the lab.
So, to be away from his lab life, he signed up for different courses, including a design class.
The design class had hands-on exercises to hone fundamental skills for creativity. The activities ranged from the seemingly silly to the extremely challenging.
And after those classes, Scott realised he was no longer afraid to explore different approaches. He developed a new willingness to try things that he wasn't sure he was good at.
He later applied to LaunchPad without any prior experience in entrepreneurship or engineering. Inspired by job-hunting friends, his initial entrepreneurial idea was a tool that helps you create custom versions of your résumé to use in applying for different positions.
After he got into the class, he continued pushing himself to do things he had never done before: presenting his ideas to venture capitalists invited to the class, interviewing potential customers, and rapidly iterating his design.
Scott’s newfound creative confidence, coupled with the growing realization that science research was not his true calling, gave him the courage he needed to set out on a bold new path.
A year or two away from earning a distinguished biophysics doctorate degree, he decided to step away from the lab, quit his PhD program, and pursue a startup related to how businesses recruit talent.
Back home, his parents were less than enthusiastic when they heard the news. His mother felt sure that Scott was making the wrong decision.
But a month later, when she saw him in person for the first time since he broke the news, Scott’s mom had a change of heart. She could see in his face that her son was happier than he’d been in years. She told him he was doing the right thing.
Two years later, Scott is CEO of his own venture-backed startup, Foundry Hiring, which helps companies manage and analyze their recruiting process.
Lesson:
When you go for the heart, you can tap into and unleash inner reserves of energy and enthusiasm.
Jot down moments in your life when you feel really alive. Identify the few areas you want to explore further. And then, commit to taking a single tiny action each day to broaden your portfolio of creative experiences in those areas.
[Creative Confidence Newsletter: 23 of 25]
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