Life's Great Adventure
Treading New Paths & Who am I?
There’s a lot of buzz in astrology circles about the beginning of a new phase for Geminis. We are supposed to be coming into our own after a long period of transformation, and that’s certainly true for me. Whether or not you ascribe to the woo of astrology, it does offer a starting place for personality assessment and self-reflection (not unlike many psychological personality “tests” that offer insight but have no real science to back them up, i.e. Myers-Briggs and Enneagrams). Reflection is a springboard for transformation. I would say that meaningful transformation isn’t possible without deep reflection and integration. Personal transformation has certainly been a prevailing theme in my life for the past few years. I’ve vastly improved my health, completed a Master’s degree in Art & Technology, and returned to writing with renewed passion.
If I’ve learned anything about life over the years, it’s that, even though we share so much in common as human beings, everyone has their own path to tread, their own experiences to integrate, and their own way of perceiving the world and themselves as part of it. There are as many ways to get where you want to go as there are ways to think about the journey. Sometimes the paths that seem like detours are simply the path. They are integral to who we become.
Others might describe my path as a meandering. I left college early and moved from Houston to San Francisco to work in animation. I learned so much working with world-class artists on movies and commercials. Then 9-11 and the dot com crash happened in rapid succession. My world view changed. I wanted to contribute to society in a way that was more meaningful for me. It took me a couple of years to figure that out. I loved writing but knew I needed to improve. I went back to college and got a Bachelor’s in Literature and Teaching Reading. I taught junior high for five years, starting with Language Arts then jumping to Art when the position came open. Teaching art helped me discover how important it was to me to live a creative life. It’s easy to give up when circumstance knocks you around. The experience of teaching, which I once would have considered a detour, was exactly what I needed.
I moved on to a position that allows me to create art that supports education and educators. Best of both worlds. I wouldn’t be able to do it without that decade of returning to college and becoming a teacher. As rough as that was at times, I wouldn’t trade it. It’s integral to who I am.
So now, another transition. Returning to writing. Putting myself out there. My thoughts. My words. Working as an artist has thickened my skin considerably, so I’m confident I can gleefully collect those rejection letters from publishers and agents until I find the right fit. Three poems and two short stories are out on sub at the time of this post. I’m writing a novel. Still working my fulltime job art directing and illustrating. I’ve been around a while. Retirement is only a decade away, but I plan to keep on going, writing books, short stories, poems, and making art. Do I have goals? Yes. Do I have expectations? Very few. I can’t control how people respond to my work or what might happen with it as far as publishing. At this time in my life, it’s really not so much about the outcome as it is about the process. It’s the doing of it that I find fulfilling. I do hope the folks who might enjoy my work find me and visit from time to time, come along for the ride, and have a good time.
Until then…
#writing #creativity #transformation #life #gemini