Following a Dream (Subtitle: Goodbye, Steady Paycheck!) :D

Quite a few things happened this week that set the tone for many years to come.  Have any of you ever had weeks (or days) like that?  Where you could look back on that time years later and realize that it was a turning point for you?

I already know that this week will be fondly (and scarily) remembered for the rest of my life.  You see, I gave my two weeks' notice on Thursday.  Yes, I will be leaving the newspaper industry, most likely for good this time, given its condition (The Reporter was my second paper; the first was the Green Bay Press-Gazette).  I love the newspaper biz and it's very sad to see its decline.  It has been an institution of American life for so long, it sort of feels like an old friend is moving away.  But that's not why I left - I left to follow my dream.

Now comes the scary part - the dream part.  The dream to which I'm referring is my goal of being a professional artist.

I've had some wonderful people help me already in this realm - Carolyn Brady, Gary Warren Niebuhr, Steev Baker, Ronna Mogelon, Jill Berry, Kathy Malkasian (Valley Ridge), Kim Rae Nugent (Raevn's Nest), D'Ette Cole (W5RAN.com) and most recently, Pam Kueber (Retro Renovation).  These fabulous boosters have given me the encouragement and confidence that I need to make this dream a reality.  Without any of them, I would be still be searching for the right avenues to explore.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

The hardest part about following your dream is that it is an uncertain path.  Of course, I have goals that I'd like to attain this year; but unlike a 9-to-5 job, there are many factors that I cannot control.  I'd be lying if I said that I didn't love the security of knowing what I was going to do every day and knowing I was going to get a paycheck at the end of the week.  But as time marched on, I began to realize that the gnawing feeling of doom in the pit of my stomach was not going to go away.  Sure, some of it was due to the layoffs that kept occuring on a regular basis and living in fear of being one of those who were laid off.  But I think more than that was realizing that I could take control and do what I love.  Is it going to be hard work?  Hoo boy.  It is scarier than you-know-what?  Oh, HELL yes.  But I do believe that it's going to be worth it beyond my wildest imagination, and not just monetarily.

Before I conclude this post I would be remiss if I didn't thank my wonderful husband Brian for everything.  He is my rock.

To be continued......  :O)