Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, with plenty of time dedicated to family, friends, and hopefully, your artistic pursuits!
I just realized it’s been almost a month since my last post. As you might recall, I had very good intentions of posting more regularly, at least on a weekly basis, but again, I’m finding that when life and work interfere, it’s very hard for me to cobble together enough time. I think that posting 2-3 times per month, at least for the time being, is a more modest, realistic expectation for me at this juncture. Hopefully now that the weather here in Wisconsin is finally getting colder and I’m forced to spend more time indoors, I will be able to carve out more time.
Today I’m sharing the last of my journal pages that appear in my friend Kim Rae Nugent’s recently published book, Journal Starters: Nature Backgrounds, Textures, & Collaborations, which is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. Entitled “Blurry Vision,” this page was created earlier this year and sums up much of the confusion I’ve been feeling the past few years when it comes to my life’s work.
I’ve always had a challenging relationship with my current profession. Like many who spend their daily lives serving others, I’ve struggled with burnout, and as an artist, I’ve often felt the calling to create for a living. Almost four years ago, I enrolled in night school in pursuit of an Associate’s degree in graphic design, and finally received my diploma in August 2015. At the time I was strongly considering leaving my job and making the transition into the field of design, and also wanted to continue my schooling in order to earn a Bachelor’s degree; however, financial limitations and pressures made it impossible for me to make the break, and I ended up staying where I was.
While at the moment I feel more fulfillment and satisfaction in my career than I have in a long time, I still feel confused at times about my vocation, and continue to find myself pondering what it is that I’m truly “meant” to do. Sometimes I feel jealous of individuals who are certain that they’re in the right place, simply because I don’t possess that kind of certainty. I guess all I can do is keep listening to my heart, and praying for guidance. I need to keep my eyes open and look for signs that I’m in the right place and that I should keep following my present path–or signs that it’s time to move on. I guess these signs will appear in their own good time, and I just need to be patient.
In the meantime, I will keep creating–if not for my livelihood, for my peace of mind and my heart.
Thanks for listening–and have a great week!
