Intention
Why does this page still exist? (Spoiler Alert: It was intentional.)
I’ve always enjoyed writing. I distinctly remember as a child I’d wanted to become a writer before choosing the art and design world. Writing was something I knew I was good at, but also knew had the potential to bore me very quickly. Put into an academic context, it made no sense to choose it over the allure of art school. The happy accident happened when the same art school allowed me choose creative writing as a minor. But funnily enough, I might not have needed that at all; I enjoyed writing research papers and essays for my other classes even more than I enjoyed creative writing. I like observing things around me and reflecting on them, and these assignments called for precisely that- observation and reflection.
I’ve had this page on Medium for around 5 years, having started it for purely utilitarian reasons. I had hoped to use it as a repository for written work that I deemed good enough to publish and share with potential employers- I’m particular about writing in communication design and wanted this to be known. It wasn’t a big deal but, at any rate, this was my work too and my portfolio needed diversification.
I have now been working as a Graphic Designer for four years, and have recently got myself out of a really difficult job which spanned 2 of them. This particular stint had left me drained, burned out and almost hating the only kind of work I knew how to make a living doing. The stresses of the last two pandemic years had taken their toll as well. My mental health was compromised and I felt like I wasn’t at the wheel anymore. Still, I was lucky enough to have had the wake-up call to take back control of my life before it was too late for my mind and body.
It was time to get things done — I got myself the kind of job I actually wanted, resigned the last one, took a month-long break and, very fortunately, met good people who gave me good advice at the right time. Setting the intention to turn this page into an active blog was just one of the improvements made in the past month (yes, of course I meditate now). It seemed a natural fit for somebody who enjoys writing and has far too much going round in her head at all times. And so, here we are!
I’m choosing not to delete any of the works (Pieces? Articles?) that I’ve already uploaded here, partly because I’m actually somewhat proud of them and learned a lot while working on them, and partly because I’m consciously choosing not to be a perfectionist. This work is already 5 years old, it’s not perfect and it is a little bit embarrassing to leave it here. But one of my big learnings from art school was to document process and development. Take a look if you feel like, I don’t mind. *Shrugs nonchalantly* Maybe you’ll even find some of it interesting. Maybe I’ll inspire you, or maybe you’ll be more curious about what exactly the hell it is that people do at art school. Whichever it is, make sure you let me know.
Happy reading!
