I am so far from where I want to be, but gosh, I've come so far since I graduated from college in 2012. While I still love reading & writing, I know my life isn't compacted into a neat box where my only career options are to either write a user manual or edit a pamphlet for a product or cause I care nothing about. Sometimes life is grey.
Why can't I design a dream job that I do care about?
I love makeup: buying & hoarding makeup, blogging about makeup, wearing makeup, experimenting with makeup, feeding the artful part of my soul by doing makeup for others, and learning more about makeup. This life is such an unexpected one, but I am going to do everything in my power to make this beautiful passion of mine my career.
Sometimes we think we should go a particular direction because it's practical or someone else expects that from us, or maybe we just don't know what to do being thrust into making such a life-altering decision at such a young age: Who do we want to be? What career do we want to spend our entire lives immersed in? And are these practical things that will give us the monetary backing to support ourselves?
I agree with that old saying that it's very rare when someone's passion and career are one. Oftentimes, we settle for mediocre or less than ideal jobs just to "get by" or because "it pays the bills," but we are actually unhappy and restless. A person spends at least half of their time working, so it sucks to at least not enjoy a little of what we're doing.
I know firsthand what it can be like to go to a job everyday when it is less than satisfying, yet it covers the finances. I know what it feels like to have hope that a dream will come true and lend new meaning to life. To have a dream that will make one stand out and not spend a life camouflaged into a sea of other working ants.
When I graduated in 2012, I anticipated finding a career in the technical writing/editing field, but I now honestly feel like my calling is to be a Makeup Artist. I get so nervous before working on a client-- even though I feel confident that I will do a good job, and when the person walks away satisfied and feeling beautiful it truly feeds my soul. And I know deep down, that I can't ignore my calling because of nerves or fear of failure. I have to chase after it while I still can. At 25, I am officially a "mid" twenty-something, a quarter of a century in age, and the time is NOW.
I am nowhere near where I want to be as a person, as an artist, as a businesswoman, or as successful as I'd like thus far. But I do know that if we can find happiness and contentment by doing something we love and that changes the lives of others, that being a Makeup Artist and Beauty Blogger is for me. I know it's going to take hard work to get to where I want to be, to succeed at this dream of mine; but what kind of life or example would I lead if I merely settled?
I hope that those of you who are still afraid or undecided or a bit lost will realize that your life doesn't have to be a cut-and-dry checklist. It can sometimes be spontaneous and wild and last minute. Sometimes at 18 we don't have the answers. Hell, sometimes at 25 we don't even have the answers!
I don't know where I'll end up, but if I can fight for my dream and it finds me in an unpredicted land with room for growth and a step closer to my dream, then I'm going to be brave enough to face it.
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