This post is LOOOOONNNNNGGGG overdue! I know I've been not as active on social media lately as in the past. Well today it all gets explained! I've been going through some changes and transitions both personally and professionally. So here we are, the day I spill the beans. (it's really not that dramatic...but I am a Leo after all!)
Last year was a challenging year for me, not because it was the last year of my 30s, but because as I've grown and matured in my life, I was beginning to realize my life didn't fit anymore. What does that mean you ask? Yea- good question. It took me months to figure it out myself.
As I slowly approach 40, I found myself questioning...everything. How did I get here, what was the path, where did the time go...you know all those midlife questions. Now don't get me wrong, by no means do I feel that 40 is OLD, or my life if over. But I do find myself remembering things in my life, that I feel like were yesterday — then I realize — those memories from yesterday, were really 10, 15 even 20 years ago. Where did all that time go? I don't feel old enough to have 20 year old friendships and stories. And I know this is laughable to all of you 20 years older than me..
I've had some friends turn 40- and loose it. I mean. . . LOOSE IT, implode their lives. Like, leave their families, cheat on their wives/husbands, leave their own birthday celebrations in "40 year old panic". And all this last year of being 39- I kept thinking, what is the big deal- who cares you are only as young as you feel, and blah blah blah.
And then, as I sit here enjoying the last few months of my 30s- I realize I did have my own way of "loosing it." And it began 6 months ago. I began to feel uncomfortable in my own skin, In my drive for success, I forgot who I was and what was really important in life. I had abandoned and forgotten some of the things I loved about life, and about myself. It wasn't conscious, it wasn't deliberate, but it happened. Slowly, day by day, without me even realizing it, it became about acquiring stuff instead of living. Until suddenly, one day I suffocating.
Then as I really started to evaluate myself and my life, and all the experiences that brought me here, then suddenly- just like that... CLARITY. (and let me just say this didn't happen on it's own - some wonderful friends, colleagues and mentors of my life dropped little seeds of wisdom and knowledge to me along the way.. which Is what led to the clarity...it takes a village people...we don't grown on our own, we pick up knowledge and experiences from those around us that push us closer to the sun.) Usually the signs are always there leading us in the right direction if we choose to see them.
From this point on, I will longer waste energy and time on those who don't do the same for me. I will no longer let my life energy be sucked out by the "Takers" in life, I will no longer put "living" aside for work. I will live in balance and will enjoy life for what it is...a series of moments that are best experienced without expectation.
You may have seen my announcement earlier this year, that I would no longer be designing and producing stationery. Well, now I can tell you what I've been doing. And this will probably come as NO surprise to those who know me well. I have gone back to my roots of illustration and book layout and design. Early in my career, I worked in publishing and loved it. I never really made a decision to stop doing this, but slowly overtime my career and life choices led me away from it.
As I started to feel restless in my life/business, opportunities arose for me to dip my foot back into the publishing world. And yes, I heard Angels singing.. HA! No seriously, the more I illustrate and design book covers and interiors, the more excited and passionate I become. One thing I've learned about having a business is it's a marathon, not a sprint. And all good runners know, sometimes you have to change course to win the race. And whatever you do, as long as you do it with joy, I considerate it winning!
So if you haven't gotten bored yet with the rhetoric, here's the meat and potatoes of it. After a decline in my stationery business due to sites such as etsy, and the like. And the fact that I just didn't feel the love and passion that once I felt for events- so I decided to turn things upside down! To transition from stationery to focus more on my branding division 2u Creative and move into illustration and publishing work.
Let this be a lesson to us all, you can have a mid--life freak out, without being destructive to your life. LOL :)
Check out below some of the work I've been doing lately below, and stay tuned I will soon be offering templates and custom book cover and interior design for authors, as well as packages of everything they need to promote and sell their book. I've been working on illustrations for children's k-5 English and Science Books, as well as interior design an layout of the books, you can see some of both of that work below!
