28 & 2013

Yesterday I turned 28 and officially started the new year.  I was a little behind getting my 2013 started because a lot of big changes have been happening; good, life-affirming types of changes.

This month I quit my job of full-time art teaching to pursue a career in art and design. It's been a change that I have been needing, wanting, craving, working towards, and hoping for for far too long now.  It's taken the mister and I years to get to this place where we feel comfortable and settled and ready to take this big step, I'm so lucky to have his support in my life.  And it wasn't until yesterday that I felt ready to sit down and reflect on the past year and look towards the future ahead of me, because my last day of work was the day before my birthday, hence the new year and birthday joint celebration.

Before I talk about goals and plans to come, let me take a step back.  As 2013 started I was transitioning from being a full-time teacher to a part-time student and part-time freelance designer.  I was working 40+ hours at my job while also going to new classes in graphic design and still working on projects for various clients.  The last few weeks were crazy, a whirlwind of tasks that were so spread out I didn't know where to place my focus or my energy.  While teaching was a wonderful opportunity for me, a job that paid my for school the first time around and an experience that took me from being a child to an adult with a real career, it just never felt like the right fit.  My heart and creative mind were always somewhere else- making, planning, aching.  So with this switch into a new phase of my life I am finally able to slow down and think and gain a little more perspective on what I want out of the future.

My plans in the next month, year, and years to come are not set in stone yet but I know that I will be more fulfilled in doing something I can truly enjoy, the exact thing I was trying to teach my students over the last 6 years!  So now I'll be working on expanding my own design and illustrations, building my etsy shop into what I've long wanted it to be, sharing my work here with you as well as on various client projects, and most importantly, I'll be gaining more knowledge as I put some time, money, and effort into my own education.  I can't tell you how excited I am for all of this and I'll be sure to share the journey here with you.  It feels good to do something good for yourself every once in a while.

xo- kat

instagram photo from my pre-birthday weekend with a dear friend at Wrightsville beach.