Oh jeez, I am way overdue for an update about life on here! Last we chatted was at the beginning of the year when I made a post recapping 2017. It’s hard to believe we are a quarter of the way through 2018.
So lets get the big stuff out of the way. In February I made the decision to quit my full time job of 5 years to finally pursue freelancing. I had been thinking about this decision for a long time but always figured it would be something I would try eventually. But some events at my job made me think a little more seriously about the change I had considered many times. I always thought I would need to save more money, have more clients, own a house, pop out some babies (you get the idea) before I could quit my job. I never felt like the time was right, I never felt confident enough in my skills. But at the same time, I was feeling unsatisfied and a little suffocated by my current lifestyle.
When I made the decision, a huge weight was lifted off my chest. I told friends so I couldn’t chicken out on the date I had set. When I gave 3 weeks notice to my employer, I felt even lighter. My attitude during those last weeks was a little impatient, nostalgic but optimistic for the first time in a while. Having worked a job for 5 years, I felt I hit a plateau and had nowhere to grow. Now the options were endless and I could focus on many different creative ventures. With Matt fully supporting my decision, I was excited for new things.
My last day of work was March 2nd. I started my first week of this new lifestyle working on some projects that filled my week up. It was an exhausting but encouraging start. Things have slowed down since then and I have finally had time to explore some new passion projects between the contracts I have been working on for clients. I’m having a watercolour love affair these days. I’ve been enjoying exploring this medium now that I have more time. I have lots of exciting ideas to mix calligraphy and watercolour together, for now I am just having fun and painting because I am so out of practice!
Other than my watercolour fun, I have been trying to shoot more photos around town and discovering new coffee shops. I’ve been going to lots of yoga classes (I missed those) and really taking advantage of this more flexible schedule. I’m doing some photography work for a local gym and have been enjoying taking their classes and getting to know the staff. It gets me out of the house most days which is a great thing when you work from home.
Another big discovery these past few months has been sign painting! After attending a meet-up with sign painters from around the world back in February, I felt really inspired by this supportive community. I didn’t really know anything about sign painting but left with a big interest to start discovering more about painting signs by hand. Some may think it’s a dying art but lots are fighting to keep it alive and pass their knowledge on to the younger generations. Finding creative options away from the computer screen has honestly been the best change I could make. I still love designing in software but I need to keep a balance between those 2 creative sides.
Now not everything has been rainbows, lollipops and butterflies. I have had some negative experiences (freelance life) that sometimes had me feeling discouraged. You can’t win them all Charlie Brown but the good experiences outweigh the negative ones. You can’t be your own boss and expect everything to go smoothly all the time. It’s all a learning experience.
Otherwise, life is moving quickly – though not quickly enough because we are expecting more snow this weekend. Everyone is very impatient for spring to finally arrive. This week I planted some tomatoes and basil (indoors) and a few weeks ago I took my bike out of storage. It hasn’t gotten a lot of use yet but I’ve taken it out on a few trips on those rare warmer days. That’s all for now folks, I will try to post more regularly sharing the projects I’m working on so you can follow me on this exciting journey.
