This blog, in fact this entire website are both part of the new path that I am exploring, navigating, and building. It’s been both a challenge and a joy. There are days when I feel like I’m nailing it, and other days when I despair and wonder why I even thought this was a good idea.

It’s been a year since I left teaching to start pursuing a creative career. During that time I’ve been doing a lot of reading and reflecting on what the next steps would be. Cait Flanders’s book, Adventures in Opting Out was one of the books I came across fairly early in the process. She tells her story of opting not to follow the ‘societal normal’ life, and uses hiking, one of her passions, as an analogy for the process. A hiker myself, I appreciated the images of setting full of hope and energy, but soon the trail gets steep, maybe it is not well marked in places, or the weather changes. The point is, a hike isn’t an easy journey.

Let me tell you about my journey through a gardening analogy. I laid a brick path in my garden several years ago, but with time, weeds and plants sprouted up in between the bricks and the path was no longer visible, or for that matter, walkable. I was feeling lost and no longer happily following the path my life was taking. The decision finally was made to make a change. Step one: pull up the bricks. I took the scary step to put in my notice.

Step two: clear the path. I had to figure out what were weeds, and what were valuable plants to save. People talk about transferrable skills. You might ask what does that mean? I took stock of the many skills that I developed as a teacher, and assessed how I could transfer those to my new career. I’m creative for one. I can write well, I’m not afraid to speak in public, I’m relatively organized, handy with the computer, and I can devise a plan and carry it out. There’s plenty more I could list, but you get the point, I had an abundance of skills necessary to tackle the road ahead.

Step three: research, plot, plan, and be willing to do something controversial. You can find loads of videos on YouTube regarding whether or not to use cardboard boxes as mulch in your garden. But sometimes, you decide to use what you have on hand, and what makes sense to you. I prepped the boxes by removing labels and tape. Then I laid them on the newly weeded area.

Step four: place the bricks on top of the cardboard. My new path is not exactly in the same place as the original. I’ve reused some of the old bricks, but I’ve brought in some others in different shapes. Mixing my old and my newly acquired skills allows me to forge a new career as a full time artist and business owner. Has it been easy? No, but I keep sticking with it even when I am frustrated or tired. Sometimes I need to take breaks and do something else. Let me tell you, there were other chores and many rainy days that kept me from completing the pathway. I’ve discovered I’m not as young as I think I am, and my body needs to take a rest every once in a while. The same is true for so many things we do in life.

Step five: enjoy the finished project, but remember that it will continuously need maintaining and potentially expanding. Growth doesn’t stop. The weeds will pop up again. I’ll face new challenges, but I have the skills to overcome them, or I know that I am capable of acquiring the new skills, or I can ask for help from those who have walked the path ahead of me. I’m a true believer in life long learning. Everyday there is something new that I learn, whether it be in my personal or professional life. Life isn’t always easy, it can be hard like climbing one of those mountainous paths that Cait Flanders is so fond of. You might get stuck in the mud down in a valley, or feel like you’re not making progress on a ridge or plateau, but there is such beauty, joy, and a sense of accomplishment when you get to the vista.