Lately I've been channelling my inner Mulan, so let's get down to business:

I have taken up blogging (and social media to promote the blogging) pretty much full storm. I wake up and tackle a list of things to accomplish for my blog, and set out to do those things throughout the day. Whether it's plan new posts, photograph for an upcoming post, or sit down and write - it has all been quite a bit of work -- work that I truly enjoy. I treat it like a job, except the one problem is that I'm not getting paid for any of this, lol. I really hope that this blog can eventually become a source of income some day (sooner rather than later), but for now I'm okay with it being something I do for pure enjoyment. I have faith that if I keep being gung-ho with it all, it will pay off - but that is much easier said than done. I know it's going to take time to establish, and I am aware of that. The support thus far has been incredible, though - and to those of you who have reached out to offer encouraging words - it seriously means the world to me.

Since graduation, I really have not been jumping at the idea to get a 9-5 job like I'm "supposed to." And before you start judging the shit out of me thinking "wow, what a deadbeat" - hear me out. I really don't think anyone graduates knowing what they really want to do. People may say they know, but in actuality I really don't think any of us know. I'm terrified to sign my life away to work at a place that might potentially eat my soul away. I'm terrified of getting stuck working somewhere I can't stand. I'm terrified of working towards someone else's vision when I feel totally capable of working towards my own.

I don't want to turn into another miserable human on this planet - transformed into a routine robot who hates what they do every day - and lives solely for the weekend. I want to wake up and be excited about what I'm doing. Getting up in the morning is already a hard enough task, so why make it harder by locking myself into a job I hate?

Whatever job I do end up taking, I'm determined to find a good fit. Or, maybe I am not meant to ever work a 9-5 job (lol, who do I think I am?). But, maybe - in all seriousness - I've been cut out to do my own thing this whole time. I opened a fortune cookie recently that read: "The greatest action is not conforming to the world's ways." I've never been one to fall subject to societal norms (I've never gone trick-or-treating, never got my ears pierced, survived art school without being a coffee drinker, never went to a school dance - and the list goes on, lol) - so why start now?

I read Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham this summer, which taught me to embrace loose deadlines. I am a huge NBC Parenthood fan, and a growing Gilmore Girls fan (something I never watched while it was on air… thankfully, it's on Netflix now #yesiknowimlatetothegame) - so buying her book was inevitable. In summary, Someday Someday Maybe is about a young actress trying to *make it* in New York. She sets a deadline for herself in which she hopes to finally become "successful" and have a "big / legit acting job." Although I'm not an actor, I can definitely relate to setting a deadline to "make it" - and the part about it being set in NY was too perfect. All the *good* design jobs seem to be in the city, and there is both pressure and an expectation as an east coast designer - that to be "successful" in the industry - you'll probably be working in New York. I'm not opposed to it, and I love the city - but I'm not gonna lie that I love New Jersey too. I miss trees and having a backyard, and sometimes I'm not so sure I'm cut out for the competitive nature of NY and its tiny ass apartment culture. (I basically need a NY apartment, woodsy cabin… and a beach house, lol). I told myself that by the end of summer I would "have a design job that I love." The end of summer came and went, and I am still unemployed (by choice). I took the summer off from design - in my opinion, it was a much needed mental / emotional / physical break after four years of non-stop "go go go." I don't regret this choice, but with the end of summer - came this immense pressure (both self-inflicted and parental…) to "get a job" and "start making a living." While I don't have a "real job" yet, I know that September and October have been key to setting up my own blog and - and for that, I have no regrets.

Another thing I learned from Someday Someday Maybe is that some dreams can't be restricted to a hard deadline. You just have to give it your all, and that's all you can do. Arthur Ashe once said:

Success is a journey - not a destination.
The doing is often more important than the outcome.

I really truly believe that I can make my own *dream job* a reality, and I'm going to stand by that - as scary as it is. In addition to continuing blogging, I really want to look into setting up my own online shop (potentially through Society 6)? I have plans to start working on my own "design manifesto" that will share some hand-done typographic illustrations depicting lessons / words to live by that I've learned these past few months.

I hope that I've maybe inspired some of you today to do what you truly love. Life is too short to be miserable. It really is. If you hate your job, quit. Find something else.

Happiness is out there, and you can find it.

I can't believe that it's November already. I can't believe that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving / Christmas is around the corner. Before we know it, it'll be 2015 (what). I can't believe that I turn 23 in January.

I'm afraid of waiting too long before taking on a dream of my own. There is virtually no point in waiting, as my first blog post mentioned. If you want something, go for it. You can make your dreams come true, too.

I will end with one of my favorite quotes by Ayn Rand: