Year in Review

With less than 6 hours before the end of 2013, I have once again decided to reflect on the year and see what I have to look forward to.  I feel like, rather than committing one year to a Pursuit of Happiness, I've unofficially decided to make this my life-long goal.  I remember watching some of the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it reminded me of how most of your life is seen by others and how people remember you.  You cannot just sit back and write, and wait for something to happen (which, ironically, is what I'm doing right now) and think that eventually happiness will come.  I've realized that happiness is subjective - your choices are your choices and nobody is to blame on how things turn out because of them.

But you cannot just blame yourself all the time, either.

A lot of great things occurred this year, based on my own personal effort, and I feel that even though I'm still in the same financial crunch... I'm taking more responsibility for the things that matter.

ART - If there's anything to highlight the year, it's this.  It all started with that self-portrait piece I'd done on a whim, and it became greeting cards, prints, a showing at the Galleria in Evanston, some sales at ACEN, as well as my first real art show through RAW: Chicago.  My work has gotten recognized by friends, and they're pushing me to do more commissions.  I'm doing cover artwork for a friend who's publishing a book.  My friend and I submitted an animated short pitch for Nickelodeon and got positive critiques from the program advisers.  I've made a point to do special event illustrations for my friends and cousins to highlight my style for weddings, etc.  All I need is an Etsy page!

LIT - I haven't done much writing this year, which is okay, but reading-wise, I'm so proud.  I've managed to read and watch Game of Thrones all the way through Book II, and it's given another real feeling of accomplishment and admiration for good writing.  George RR Martin has a way with characters that I just cannot begin to perceive, and while I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on the next book (at least before I watch the 3rd season) I'm so willing to write a wonderful story like he has.

RUNNING - Ever since that big Tough Mudder run in May, my body has not been the same.  It's ached and cracked and felt unusually stiff.  I've ignored it and kept running 5Ks, gone to countless specialists to get their advice, as well as asked running friends about it.  The result has always been the same: stop running. My left shin bone might be on the verge of splitting in half and I might not know it.  I've tried doing alternative cardio but felt the shakiness of withdrawal from those long distances.  I cannot understand how others can do marathons more than once if they deal with this kind of pain.  Thank goodness, I can still function throughout the day, but I cannot be reckless about my body healing if I want to run for a living.  I need to get off of the running shoes for a least the first month.

WORK - I'm happily employed full time once again, with insurance and benefits.  MATCH Education has been a blessing in disguise, where I feel like my day hours are used to provide more meaningful work rather than just myself.  The tough part is deciding whether or not I want to be a teacher.  The funny thing is that Second City still hasn't left the picture - like I'm hanging on to the very last thread before I have to let it go.  Do I want to?  I'm not sure... it's given me a lot of great memories and people to talk to... but unless it's something I want to pursue professionally, I know I'll have to give it up.  It's not about convenience, it's about passion.

In any case, I'm thankful for having a very supportive family that deals with my craziness every day.  I'm thankful that my parents are both employed and slowly picking themselves up from financial funk.  I'm happy that my sisters have found their soulmates and are building themselves professionally with what they went to school for.  I'm happy that in spite of my social awkwardness, they always try and find a way to connect with me and seek out the best of me so I can become a part of the family, rather than just part of the family.

May this next year give me more professional aspirations as I pursue graduate programs the right way and keep working hard to be an artist and healthy individual.

Jim Zulevic award

Toothless!!!

=D

I cannot be more excited about my beloved dragon character to come back, and with none other than an older - much hotter!! - human friend, Hiccup.  It's crazy how it's been almost four years since the first film came out, and I remember how surprisingly well it did.  People loved it.  It was the story-telling, the relationship between boy and pet, the music... everything.  I think I wrote a blog post about it, too!

In other news, Christmas is here in less than 5 days, and I'm so unprepared.  The good thing is that I've managed to get a lot of drawing in between my crazy jobs in tutoring and Second City.  I'm back to illustrating for friends and doing some cover art, applying for summer art expos, and I still have to open up an Etsy shop at some point before the break is over.

Grad School App season is here, too, and while part of me wants to go for it and take some exams to qualify for Elementary Ed programs... I still feel like I'm not ready to commit to school again.  I got wait-listed for Columbia College last year in Fiction Writing, and in a way, I'm glad I never heard back, because I was just very very unprepared to jump into class again.  It had been so long since I had written anything substantial, too!  I still have these amazing stories in my head that are just itching to be written on paper as a graphic novel, or children's book, or novel series... I'm swamped!

2013 was all about "doing art" and not giving up on the craft, the same way 2012 was all about training to run for the Chicago Marathon.   Maybe 2014 will be a mix of commitment, creativity, and boldness:  finally planning out and fleshing out my novel, and looking up publishers.  I will have to network as an illustrator and understand the business -- maybe through college classes.  I will also have to decide if I want to commit as a full-time artist or just do it on the side.  MATCH Education has brought back some meaning into my life, but if teaching is what I really want to do, I have to jump in with all my energy in it.

So many decisions.