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piper loves to draw. loves. she can spend hours bent over her sketch book, repeatedly tucking her hair behind her ear, carefully selecting the right colors for each element, squinting her blue eyes behind those pink ray-ban glasses, making it just right. she gets lost in whatever she is creating, and the seconds pass into minutes into hours and she is so very content.
we talk about this sometimes, her love of art and drawing. you know, some people do this for their job. really? she asks. like what? oh, let’s see – they might illustrate children’s books, or design magazines, or … design buildings? yep, that too. and mid-conversation i remember how i went to school to become an architect, and how i dropped out of the program, and i wonder … what if?
this past year has been a journey of intention. i just did that super dorky writer thing where you look up the true definition of a word, thinking i would somehow weave it cleverly into this story. but somehow the dictionary version (aim, plan, objective) is far too clinical and doesn’t adequately capture the journey of this past year. a year ago i made some decisions about what i wanted the next chapter of my career to look like. i put some pretty bold statements out to the universe and god and a few close friends, and the simple act of declaring with intention has altered my path in beautiful, surprising and exciting ways. it’s opened doors and windows and everything else that felt previously tightly shut, and given me that gentle nudge to finally move towards the whisper that has called me for years.
i’ve written before about how i’m not a planner, and that i don’t necessarily believe in long-term plans and too much focus on the future. that hasn’t changed. i still believe in living a life of openness which allows the world to surprise you along the way. HOWEVER, i also think it’s hard to find true soul-reaching satisfaction if you’re just meandering your way through life without any clear direction. especially considering that we’re all created and designed with a certain set of passions, interests, gifts. to ignore those is the birthplace of discontentment, apathy and ultimately, regret (shudder).
so all of that soap-boxing aside, this past year i set upon my journey of intention – of seeking adventure, creativity and connection in new ways. just focused enough to know the general direction that i needed and wanted to go, but still uncertain enough to allow the chapters to unfold as they may.
in april we had a brand event at work where kanye performed and spoke. quoting kanye is something i never imagined would ever, ever happen (EVER), but something he said has haunted me these past months: creativity is my oxygen. he was describing his need to create – in any form (music, fashion, etc), it’s something he needs to do in order to breathe, to feel whole, to live the fullest expression of who he is.
what’s your oxygen? what’s my oxygen? what’s that thing “… you do. after your day job. in your free time. too early in the morning. too late at night. that thing you read about, write about, think about, in fact fantasize about. that thing you do when you’re all alone and there’s no one to impress. nothing to prove, no money to be made, simply a passion to pursue. that’s it. that’s your thing. that’s your heart, your guide. that’s the thing you must, must do.” (author unknown).
THAT’S THE THING YOU MUST, MUST DO. i am already praying that my chicklets discover their “thing.” the one that makes work feel like anything but, the one where they get lost and the seconds turn into minutes and into hours without even feeling the time slip by.
and for moi? my “thing” is still a bit hazy, but starting to take shape. i’ve been thinking a lot about my younger self, the one who wanted to be an architect, or a travel writer, or a graphic designer. the one who doodled endlessly and read architecture digest and martha stewart living cover to cover, late into the night. the pages are turning and the next chapter unfolding and i’m waiting in excited anticipation to see what’s next. but in the meantime, i know i want to continue to be intentional in my journey to get “there.”
part of that journey is this little corner of the internet called helloyellow. helloyellow is my little refuge where i can tuck away and have some fun with adventure, design + connection. where my stories and ideas have a place to come out and flirt and play.
i’ve spent a lot of my career doing things that i was good at, and even enjoyed, but that were most definitely not my oxygen. i have no regrets. each of them was a chapter that helped shape and mold and bring me to today, and i genuinely know that i’m standing exactly where i’m supposed to be. but i also know, with certainty, that the time is now. to find the thing. to stop daydreaming and start doing.
if i was standing at a podium, speaking to a group of high school or college graduates, that’s what i would convey to them. those little whispers in the back of your mind, pointing and guiding you in a particular direction? those are real. give them space and time to expand and grow and turn into something beautiful. find your oxygen, breath life into it, and set forth with intention. and a smile. and a good pair of shoes.
and to all of you … welcome to helloyellow. i’m so happy you’re here.
