Five Year Plan

I hated that phrase in college. Especially when everyone in the world asked me about mine and was shocked to discover that I, in fact, didn't have one. Well after countless years of guessing and avoiding, I think I've finally committed to one. Once I finally got over the fact that a "five-year plan" doesn't actually mean "the-rest-of-my-life plan" I think I was subconsciously more comfortable with creating some sort of concrete path to follow for at least a little while.

So here goes.

It's best to first mention some goals here. Based on my current life trajectory I've learned a few things. In ten years time, if I continue down this road, I will be creatively stagnant, broke, and fat. These are bad things. Enter 5 year plan:

1) Take the next 6 months to become a Certified Personal Trainer. With this certification, I can supplement my current income doing something active and interpersonal because, hopefully, personal training allows for more part-time opportunities. Sitting in one chair for 9 hours a day is brutal. Aikido is a good outlet. But if I could earn some extra money while doing something active on top of Aikido, all the better. Following that, I'll get myself into a gym and try to make some sort of consistent part time gig happen.

2) After establishing myself at a gym, I will begin preparing my portfolio for MICA's MFA in Illustration Practice. I have more research to do in this area but everything seems to be telling me that it's a good idea. On top of the MFA, if you play your cards right, you can walk out of there with a certificate to teach art at the collegiate level. That would be a nice fall-back option for later on if Illustration jobs are hard to come by.

3) Personal training will be a good asset at that time because MICA's program is 2 years full-time so I would need a job that allows me to work part time. Unfortunately, my current job would probably be unrealistic to continue with while in school. Training could be a great way to make the money I need to live in the most flexible way possible.

This is the ideal. Let's see how close I can get to making it a reality. It's the first time in a long time that I've figured out quantitatively and qualitatively what I can/want to be doing to move myself toward a happier existence. If nothing else, I'll walk away with a lot more knowledge and a much broader experience.

If it turns out that personal training is what I love, I might end up transitioning into that full time as well! I just don't see myself completely abandoning art. I'd love to make it my career but if training works better as a career leaving art open for freelance or personal projects, so be it. At least I'll be more active and less stir crazy in my full-time existence.

Here's to hoping!