Living Life
I did it. I graduated from college, I got a job that takes advantage of the degree I worked so hard on. And yet... I still live with my parents. I lack encouragement to create anything new. I feel under-appreciated. And I feel more alone than ever.
My parents are wonderful, caring, loving and supportive people. I was lucky in that they supported every decision that I've made in my life, even when I decided to pursue a degree in the Liberal Arts. They had previously urged me to consider a more "proper" field, as any sane parents should, yet knew as I did that my heart was where the art was.
When I got out of college I did a brief stint as an intern with a political organization in DC. I found that the posters I created and the advertisements I put out were some of the more fun things I'd created in my life, even compared to the branding projects from school. I felt productive, encouraged, and like a flower blooming in the sunlight. Every morning I would get to the office before anyone else, make a cup of tea, and literally bask in the sun while the sun rose over the city. The only downside to working with a political group is the politics.
When the internship was over I did a few odd jobs designing things for a very picky acquaintance. At one of his house parties I met a young man who would go on to help me get my current job at his father's company, for which I am very grateful. Now, this picky friend didn't have any intentions of paying me for my service, other than through pizza at his party (which I actually shouldn't eat). So I quit.
I followed that odd job with a nannying position which kept me happy, fulfilled and tired. Being a nanny made me feel needed, loved, and useful. I was doing something productive every minute of the day, from the time I woke up until the kids went to bed at night. I feel I earned every penny of the 10 days I spent with those 4 children, and I love that when I see them again they run up to me as if I were still helping take care of them. I didn't care that I was only surrounded by children and moms, because I was happy.
Today I'm working as a graph-designer (I literally design graphs)/ communications specialist for a company that I don't fully understand. We do HR management and software development, but I'm not entirely sure how those two things go together. They have social media accounts, but they haven't been touched since the day they were created 8 years ago. I put together a video and posted it but that's all there is so far. I made a few graphs for business proposals, and the first ones I did were remakes of some of the boss' work (*note: don't redesign your boss' work, even if it looks like something from a 1990s textbook). More often than not, I have nothing to do so I sit at my computer watching YouTube or practicing my HTML and CSS skills (Neither or which I can say I'm too confident with just yet, though I think I'm getting the hang of it). I feel like a shell of a person already. There are few people in the office, and only one who is my age. I feel disconnected from the world, and I don't think I'm earning my pay. I understand that I was hired to take some of the work off of the boss' shoulders, and that by "wearing many hats" I should be constantly busy, but there's nothing to photograph, nothing to write about, and now that our latest proposal is finished there will be no graphs to make for a little while.
I'm already looking forward to a new chapter in my life. I'm currently looking to find a new job, hopefully in a new town, and a place to live. I don't know when I'll go but it has to be soon or else I'm afraid I might get glued into place as a cog. I'm going forward ready to make connections with the people around me, and looking to reach out to others in my age group.
This is my life. It's a good one, but I know there's more out there waiting for me.
My parents are wonderful, caring, loving and supportive people. I was lucky in that they supported every decision that I've made in my life, even when I decided to pursue a degree in the Liberal Arts. They had previously urged me to consider a more "proper" field, as any sane parents should, yet knew as I did that my heart was where the art was.
When I got out of college I did a brief stint as an intern with a political organization in DC. I found that the posters I created and the advertisements I put out were some of the more fun things I'd created in my life, even compared to the branding projects from school. I felt productive, encouraged, and like a flower blooming in the sunlight. Every morning I would get to the office before anyone else, make a cup of tea, and literally bask in the sun while the sun rose over the city. The only downside to working with a political group is the politics.
When the internship was over I did a few odd jobs designing things for a very picky acquaintance. At one of his house parties I met a young man who would go on to help me get my current job at his father's company, for which I am very grateful. Now, this picky friend didn't have any intentions of paying me for my service, other than through pizza at his party (which I actually shouldn't eat). So I quit.
I followed that odd job with a nannying position which kept me happy, fulfilled and tired. Being a nanny made me feel needed, loved, and useful. I was doing something productive every minute of the day, from the time I woke up until the kids went to bed at night. I feel I earned every penny of the 10 days I spent with those 4 children, and I love that when I see them again they run up to me as if I were still helping take care of them. I didn't care that I was only surrounded by children and moms, because I was happy.
Today I'm working as a graph-designer (I literally design graphs)/ communications specialist for a company that I don't fully understand. We do HR management and software development, but I'm not entirely sure how those two things go together. They have social media accounts, but they haven't been touched since the day they were created 8 years ago. I put together a video and posted it but that's all there is so far. I made a few graphs for business proposals, and the first ones I did were remakes of some of the boss' work (*note: don't redesign your boss' work, even if it looks like something from a 1990s textbook). More often than not, I have nothing to do so I sit at my computer watching YouTube or practicing my HTML and CSS skills (Neither or which I can say I'm too confident with just yet, though I think I'm getting the hang of it). I feel like a shell of a person already. There are few people in the office, and only one who is my age. I feel disconnected from the world, and I don't think I'm earning my pay. I understand that I was hired to take some of the work off of the boss' shoulders, and that by "wearing many hats" I should be constantly busy, but there's nothing to photograph, nothing to write about, and now that our latest proposal is finished there will be no graphs to make for a little while.
I'm already looking forward to a new chapter in my life. I'm currently looking to find a new job, hopefully in a new town, and a place to live. I don't know when I'll go but it has to be soon or else I'm afraid I might get glued into place as a cog. I'm going forward ready to make connections with the people around me, and looking to reach out to others in my age group.
This is my life. It's a good one, but I know there's more out there waiting for me.