The Picture Book
Something New
In the summer of 2014, a friend and I started planning for a little design venture. We spent months curating content and studying great designers online. When a substantial following started to amass, it seemed opportune to leverage the existing traction toward freelance work.
We had high hopes and, frankly, even higher delusions. After devoting weeks of our time to building a website, buffing up a portfolio, and gaining a couple small clients we thought we were all set.
I was completely wrong.
What started out as a fun adventure quickly became one of the most stressful and frustrating side projects of my life. It was the height of my senior year of college and the workload was ramping up. On top of that, I was teaching martial arts classes three nights per week, working at grocery store and trying to make time for people. The life I thought I wanted was only getting harder, and the results were petering off. With clients hard to find and inspiration slow-coming, we dissolved the company and desperately looked elsewhere for work.
BUT…
Amidst what seemed like total, miserable failure, I learned so much. I find myself continually returning to lessons learned during that season of life.
Three years of struggling to find work is taxing no matter who you are. By contrast, I’m beyond blessed by the state of things right now. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some truly incredible corporations, small businesses, and individuals.
What brought me here was a series of experiences.
It was because of my failed company that I have found a love for networking. The long, even fruitless work hours conditioned me for the type of work I now put out every day. Even curation has informed a greater love for creation, and pushed me to continue providing inspiration for others.
Here’s the deal. This life is full of ups and downs. Oftentimes we feel lucky to move on from the past, but guess what?
There is value there.
Don’t bury the past, learn from it. Use it to make yourself better today. Draw from it to benefit those around you. Cultivate an expertise in this life by welcoming difficult dilemmas and then fighting through them with joy.
So as I seek to grow daily and increase my own sense of purpose behind what I do, stay with me on this ride! I have so many things coming that I cant wait to share.
I titled this blog The Picture Book, primarily because I hope to curate some kickin’ art for everyone. But think of it this way: pictures are memories, and they are worth a thousand words. In the same way that we learn from our own past mistakes, we need to learn from those who forged the path before us. I know the merits of patience and observation. Both have without a doubt brought me through many a tough situation. Now, I want nothing more than to help you grow as well. This blog is my gift to you. I hope it inspires, ignites change, lifts hearts, and teaches what I know best.
