Change

Life has certainly taken quite the turn for me since college has begun. I went through a massive major change and I am just trying to get adjusted to the new lifestyle. Dealing with all of the recent changes in my life has given me a great deal of time to reflect upon who I am and what I really want from my life. I questioned my identity as a designer, student, daughter, etc. over the course of my three months in college.

My self reflection steamed from my insecurity as a graphic design major. I had been interested in pursuing a design career since my junior year of high school, so at first my thoughts of switching my major were entirely out of the question. I rejected any thoughts that led me to ponder my life path that I had planned out for so long. However, finally I hit a breaking point when I had a long day at the lab working on Indesign, I could not handle one more file assignment otherwise I would have broken-down in tears. Being directly confronted with my unhappiness I realized that I could not pursue a career for 20+ years as a designer. I was forced to finally ask myself the question, what do I love to do?

I had this massive question hanging over my head for about two weeks until I was able to finally construct an adequate response. I love Art History. History was always my favorite subject in high school, I would commit three to four hours everyday to reading my textbook for AP European History and United States History. All of the time and effort I placed into my history classes only made me love them more. After many advisement meetings I decided to pursue a degree in Art History and eventually become a museum curator. However, along with the decision of a new major also came the questions about salary, as these two topics are inseparable.

I had a long period of questioning and faced the reality that a smaller salary may not sustain everything I desired for my future self. In my time of existential inquiry I found the podcast "The Minimalists". I had seen their videos pop up on my YouTube suggestions for many years and on a whim decided to finally listen to an episode, what a life changing decision that truly was. Listening to Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus explain their journey helped me find clarity in my own life. Why should I allow a paycheck to decide my major/career?

I realized the life I had pictured for myself was not filled with anything really necessary. I had pictured a big home with a TV, owning multiple cars, and having a big walk in closet. However, when I stripped down all of my materialistic wants and desires I realized all I really wanted in the future was to be happy. I did not need a walk in closet or tv to achieve happiness, what I need are my family, friends, and a roof over my head. If I have these in the future and a career that I love then I will be exceptionally happy and excited.

For the past few months all of these thoughts have been running through my head and so much beyond this has happened. For now I am officially starting my blog back up again, you guys are stuck with me. I hope my post helped some of you today. Please feel free to leave comments or questions about any experiences you have had. I appreciate all of you so much and thank you for sticking around, I know I was gone for quite a while. I hope you are all having a lovely week.