LongstreetWorks

This is not a pity party.

I have big issues with people who choose to gripe constantly online to an imaginary audience about how terrible their life is and how the world is unfair. Yes, life is unfair and deals you some unimaginable blows, but in reality things can be SO MUCH WORSE. This reminds me of a quote from the movie PS I Love You (I know cheesy, but I love it anyway. After an earth-shattering break up an evening of this movie on repeat and two bottles of wine got me through.)

This is my one and only life, And its a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive.

Cheesy movie, but that is some great writing.

I got laid off from my job in February and I was devastated. All I could think about was how if I was better/smarter/creative/nicer/did I say smarter? - than I wouldn’t have been (essentially) fired. Working for a company for three years and being completely invested only to have my position eliminated broke my confidence. I was lost. This is not what you picture your life to be.

Since February I have taken some time to think about the things I want and what is going to be important to me. I spent fun times with family & friends, got re-excited about being a talented artist, started to learn coding, and created a kick ass LinkedIn profile for that magical day when I would return to work. (Don’t even get me started on how so many people aren’t letting their LI profile work FOR them! Contact me if you want some help on that biz). 

And now I have returned to work at a stable, international company that values marketing, has great people, and great products. I don’t feel lost anymore, I am exactly where I should be and I am valued. There fun things to look forward to and write about, so there will be no more neglecting my poor blog.

I would love to be all “everything happens for a reason” but I’m human, so I say the A-holes I used to work for can suck it. And good luck to you.

Do you think AES will defer my student loans if I tell them I had to quit my job because I could no longer suppress my desire to be a kick-ass (but unpaid) street artist? I will look into this. Erie could use some color.

“That song just changed by life”

If music is so powerful that it can change your life, it deserves some pretty serious kudos. Boyfriend Kelly said this phrase about a year ago and that song has since hit (some) mainstream success. More importantly I have found that the power behind this particular tune has also had an impact on me. Like when I hear it I swear my heart is bursting out of my chest and I feel the lyrics in my soul. Cool stuff. So I have decided to create some of my own work inspired by this song and others like it that have momentarily floored me in the best way possible. Work starts tomorrow and I’m posting progress along the way. See you then.

side note: It is seriously impossible to write the word idea in all caps without thinking of IKEA. Damn Swedes, they got me.

Oil and Water Don’t Mix ~ David Hefflin, Denton TX
(via Print Magazine’s Hand Drawn Illustration Contest, 2011)

This image is what finally did it. This entry in Print Magazine’s contest was the last push I needed to get back to working on projects that I find inspiring. A simple form made with simple media that evokes a lot of emotion and beauty. So perfect.

I’ve struggled for a few years now about my career in corporate marketing & design because I used to make art that, you know, wasn’t completely soulless. But as it tends to do, the stress of working in a corporate environment and long, tiring commute hasn’t fostered great work. When I saw this image last week it brought back all my old feelings of what being a creative means to me and my life. So now I’m making myself set aside the time to sketch, paint, weave, whatever. Because that is who I am and what I want to be about. Not whether the May revenue is up or down over 2010. A little soul-awakening is SUPER APPROPRIATE for a Monday morning.

So thanks David. I don’t know you, but to me you are a star. 

Check out the other entries and the big winner at www.printmag.com.