There are two things that make me feel complete, in regards to the often-asked questions," What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to be when you grow up?" Art and writing (and all the aspects that relate) are what I've always wanted to do "with my life."
After I graduated from college, it seemed like I would remain stuck at my dead-end retail job, but I got lucky. Someone remembered me from an application two years before for a position they decided not to fill at that time. Instead, two years after my first interview, I was hired as an instructor of digital technology for a handful of classes at a local career institute.
Thanks to that year as an instructor, others saw me as a knowledgeable designer. I mean, I was teaching the topics, I had to be able to actually do the things I taught, right? And another local business took a chance on me.
I started as a designer and then moved into writing, editing, and producing a county magazine. Finally, I got to combine everything I loved into a job. But was it enough?
No. I needed to flex my creative muscles more. So I began the process of starting a small art business, selling photography and artwork, mostly at local shows and conventions. I wanted to do more writing. For my job, I write only about things that pertain to the area that we live. I wanted - needed- to write about more than that.
However, I just haven't felt ready to take the leap into additional freelance writing. So I've started taking classes. Classes to improve my writing (especially fiction) and to help my art business. It's always been a dream of mine to one day be able to support myself with my artistic endeavors. And so, I will.
So follow me on my journey - into art, small business, writing, and maybe even a little reptile keeping. Have I mentioned that I have four snakes?
