Leaving the past behind.

Next week marks the dawning of a new age for me. Next week I start a new job at Whole Foods, Inc.

My journey really didn't begin until after I graduated from my Bachelor's in Art/Art History in 2007 and segwayed into finishing a Masters' in Library and Information Science in 2010. When I graduated, I somehow knew I wasn't going to fit into the normal mold of becoming a librarian at a public library. I knew I was creative and I knew I liked to having an open dialogue about art/nature/well-being with people. I just didn't know how to incorporate those ideas into my everyday live. But I knew I needed a full-time job. Stat. I had a loan to pay off and medical needs to attend to on a monthly basis. So, I took a job working for THE MAN as an administrative office clerk.  Specifically, I worked for an insurance company.

Working for an insurance company was just the type of career path everyone wanted me to take. It had great benefits, great PTO, and I rarely had to work overtime. But I was stuck working on a computer for 8 hours a day and was looked at if I wanted to get up to go to the bathroom because we had more work than people to do it. To make matters worse,  I would do the same task within a two second time frame for hours. No one knew exactly what I did either. Forget about an open dialogue...there was no dialogue. This job did not suit me at all. What I needed was to be able to talk to people about my ideas and I needed to produce something creative.

When I told people about my new job, some have looked at me strangley and asked, "...But...don't you have a MASTERS? Are you going to be using this degree at a grocery store?" Well, in a round-about way, yes.  I believe in using awareness and transparency of the products you use in your everyday should be discussed!  I want to have an open dialogue about creating a better sense of well-being for everyone. Freedom of information is one of the most powerful tools that everyone, in some way or other, posesses. And I want to be a part of that. How's that for a job? How's that for freedom?

This position is a part-time, which interested me greatly. I have a few other business endeavors that peak my fancy...perhaps harvesting and selling my uncle's honey for profit...perhaps drawing botanical illustrations to sell online. I have decided to branch out how I make a living, based on my interests and passions. This new job offers me room to wonder, which I like. Who knows, I may one day take a full-time position becoming a buyer for Whole Foods.

So in the end, I'm glad I listened to what I wanted out of my life. No one guided me in this direction. I had to search it out and take it. As Shakespeare said, "See first that the design is wise and just; that ascertained, pursue it resolutely.”