
So guess what? I quit my job.
I finally feel like I have the time to sit down and dedicate a post to it, just to share what's going on. For the past couple of months, I've had a feeling in my gut. Every day, I'd wake up and go to work, but knew it wasn't the place for me anymore. I had grown out of it.
A huge sense of urgency came over me. I had an immediate feeling that I needed to change things in order to make them better. I took on a bunch of freelance design and illustration jobs which caused me to work every weekend for the past few months, and sometimes I'd get back from my 9-to-6 job and work some more. The weird part is that I enjoyed it. The projects I was doing outside of work made me feel good. They made me happy when I worked on them and completed them. My thoughts turned into the idea of starting my own business, something I've always wanted to do. I took a workshop on that subject and it only pushed my ideas further. Starting a business requires a lot of hard work and effort, a lot of research and learning, but it's also something that I think I could be good at. The questions started to run through my mind. What if I don't have enough money saved up before I quit? What if the time isn't right? What if I regret my decision? What if I fail? And you know what, no matter how long I stayed at my job, those are questions I'd never have an answer to. The longer I waited, the longer those same questions would linger. I just wouldn't know unless I took the risk. So last Wednesday, I decided to quit playing the "what if" game. I gave my notice. My last day is this Friday, in four days.
Even though I'm leaving, I have a big appreciation for what that job has done for me. I've been at Struck for close to five years and I can say without a doubt that it's improved and bettered me, personality and ability-wise. It's helped me become the designer and the person I am now, and for that, I feel grateful. I was 20 when I first interned there in college, 21 when I graduated and started working full-time, and I'm coming out of it, 26, wiser and less afraid (but I'll admit, still a little afraid).
So now, I'm going to freelance full-time. I'm starting my own business and teaching myself how to run and operate it. It's going to be a learning process, but I'm ready for it. This means I'm going to be posting here a lot more. I want to share the journey with you guys, if you'll have me. Let's see where it goes from here.
[ Above: Illustration by me, see valeriejar.com ]