This is the secret I was telling you about.
Although it's no secret to many of my friends and family by now. And it's true, this small town, country girl is puttin' Pullman in her rear view mirror and headin' for the city. It's been an idea of mine that has been working itself out in my head, then into conversations with friends and family, and now has come to life as a real, set in stone plan. It hasn't been an easy decision. I love Pullman. I've called Pullman home for over seven years now. I love the friends I've made here and the family that I've become a part of. It will always hold a very special place in my heart and who knows, I may come back. Someday.
So where am I headed? It wasn't exactly a choice of where I wanted to go but rather, what I want to do, that led me to choose my destination. First of all, I love the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and all of my coworkers, which really is like a family, and that's no lie. But what I do now is not what I feel will fulfill me. I've felt that something was missing, in both this job and my previous job. Not that I could ever put my finger on it, but I knew that I wasn't doing what I was meant to do. I wasn't fully using my God-given talents and abilities. And for a long time I had no idea what those talents and abilities were. I thought of the many different jobs I could have and the different ways I could express the things I love doing. I thought of becoming a teacher, a Real Estate agent, an event coordinator. I thought maybe a change of location would help. But no matter what I thought of, or where I searched, I still felt lost.
I believe in doing something that you truly love and enjoy doing. I wanted to find something that I was passionate about. I just had no idea what it could be. It's been a very frustrating journey. But I'm thankful for the route that I took. I've met some amazing people and learned valuable lessons along the way.
I've always been artistic. When I was little I was singing and dancing and demanding a hand-crafted spotlight to perform in front of my family. Then I was writing stories, first on paper, then on the computer. I was making up plays. I was painting. I was drawing. When I was twelve I started drawing a lot. It was sketches of real people that I'd pull out of magazines. Okay, so it was more like sketches of Leo DiCaprio and other celebrities that I had a crush on. But those sketches were good. Really good for a twelve year old. I was in band, I was in drama, even taking the lead role two years in row. And of course, as you know, I started a blog. I never thought as myself as an artist; just someone that enjoyed expressing myself artistically. I guess that's why I never considered an artistic career an option.
And as you should know by now, I love clothes. And shoes. And accessories. All that pretty stuff that make up the world of fashion. One day I realized that I am passionate enough about this stuff that I could make a career about it. Then one evening, while watching Real Housewives of New Jersey on TV I saw a commercial for the Art Institute. Talk about a light bulb idea moment. In the next five minutes I had logged onto the website for the Art Institutes and had requested more information.
Now, weeks later, I have applied to and visited the Art Institute in the city of my choice. And in April 2012 I will be attending the Art Institute for a degree in Fashion Marketing. Thankfully, 60 of my WSU credits transferred into this three year program, knocking off a whole year and a lotta money, making it a slightly less expensive two year program for me. This particular degree is very broad and the possibilities are endless once I've graduated. I could be a buyer, a stylist, a merchandiser, work in marketing, work in management, or even write for a fashion magazine.
The weekend I went to visit the college a lot of things clicked for me. Many of my God-given talents are artistic. And if I'm not able to express myself artistically, I won't feel fulfilled. I could have gone with one of my other choices, such as pursuing a career as a teacher. I'm sure I would have made a great teacher and would have felt fulfillment from the children that I would have taught. But my life did not lead me down that path. And I feel very certain, for the first time in a long time, that I am headed in the right direction.
So where am I headed? I am attending the Art Institute of Portland.
Portland, Oregon. For those of you smarty pants that may suggest I meant Portland, Maine.
I'm so excited to take you all with me as me and my boots find new adventures. When I created this blog and put "Dirt Roads. City Sidewalks. Follow us wherever we go" as the sub heading, I really had no idea how true that would become.
