Everything started back in April of 2020 while on a road trip to Texas. This is when I begin the journey of going back to school. The idea was this would be my last hitch in the oil field. I was scheduled to work from April until October and start school in the spring semester. Virtually everything was ready to go up until the oil field went bust and I was sent home some four months early. I was in a tailspin about everything. What was I going to do and how was I going to make my dreams a reality.
In September of 2021 took a job in an industry that I was familiar with and had some experience in. I opted for the overnight shift because I knew that the position came with more money. I was looking to make as much money as possible considering the income that I used to have. I wanted this job and showed up several times showing that I was dedicated. This was a place that I believed in and believed had the opportunity, something that I still believe to this day.
I slowly started to put together my plans of going back to school and to my surprise found that I could finish my degree at my home university and finish what I started. The time frame was pushed back but the goal of going back to school had not been lost or forgotten. My first day of school now was scheduled for August 2021. The time in between has been a period of reflection and getting my head right and in the right space.
I knew as I know now that the next chapter isn’t just a chapter, but a whole new book altogether and the chapter is to be the first of what I like to call a hero’s journey. Why a hero’s journey? I knew that I would be putting myself into a situation that would and will push myself to the limits and then some. If I learned anything from the Anime TV show “My hero Acidamia” is “Go beyond.” I say to myself, “live your life unlike any other, make the commitment, and make the sacrifices so that you can know and live the life you have always wanted to.
Not only will I be working a job but I took on a second job to further my advances in the finical world. Again I am lucky to work at such an amazing establishment that allows me to do so. The ability to work seven days a week also allows me to live out another one of my dreams and follow in the footsteps of one of my heroes. In Japan, there is a philosophy known as Ikigai which means “finding Joy in life through purpose.” This philosophy includes various ideas and arranges them in a van diagram where at the center is purpose and meaning.
In order for all my ambitions, dreams, and goals everything had to be given meaning and purpose, but must also work together. I can not have any idea running independently or it would metaphorically intellectually starve. the circles to my van diagram consist of 1. Work 2. Work 3. Art 4. Japan 5.Mental and physical health and 6. Relationships of friends family loved one’s comrades and believers in me.
Work 1 and 2 would be there to support my endeavors and provide a living for me. Luckily work 2 will involve my passion for coffee.
I believe that everything in life including life is art. Expressing, understanding, learning, educating, thinking, and so forth are all art forms. I figured I would use art as a sort of glue in keeping everything together and a catalyst for growing each of the other ideas. Art will also allow me a new way to learn and to express that information. The goal is to go beyond the conventional elements of art that I know and go beyond. I have invested heavily into “film” as a form of art in hopes of going beyond expressionism and into the abstract. Film is also a way of documenting the journey and my development.
Japan is an idea that I hold as a value worth preserving. Japan to me means the history, the culture, the people, their language, and so much more. Japan changed me as a person and continues to change me and grow me. When I think of how open-minded I thought I was I think of how Japan taught me otherwise. There are ideas and a culture that I wish to know more about and understand as a way of understanding myself and life.
Mental and Physical is a no-brainer. In order to achieve everything let alone go down this precarious path, I must keep focus and my health. I have to keep my wits about myself and why I am doing all this let alone setting out in the first place.
Relationships are a must. We have already grown so distant from one another with the advent of technology and busy lives. Covid has pushed us further apart with isolation and social distancing. Differences among people have pushed people even further apart simply because of disagreements. I feel it is important to let those I care about know that I am thinking about them, that I am rooting them on, and that I care about their well-being. I am excited to share my journey with them my art, goals, and dreams in hopes that they might too be inspired and feel love and passion for their cause and goals. Nothing has changed in my slogan “Believe in me and my dreams and tell me your’s so that I can do the same for you.”
On a Friday night I sat there thinking in 96 hours everything will be decided and the countdown to March 16th, 2023 will begin. (The date on which I will have everything accomplished with school) I will have my second job, the artistic movement will be will have set sail and well underway. In truth, it took an additional 96 hours before everything came together to create the beginning chapter. Now everything else begins to fall into place like dominos.