When I was a kid, I wanted to be an artist. I loved to draw and paint along side my mom and my grandmothers. I loved the feeling of a pen in my hand (I hate pencils) I loved the feeling of paper against my skin.
As I got older, I toyed with the idea of being a doctor or veterinarian. (Both scrapped because it hurts me too much to see others in pain.) But alas, such a future just wasn't for me.
When I entered high school, a bad grade in an art class almost took me away from art all together. I couldn't believe that I got such a bad grade in a class that I was naturally good at.
Did I talk too much? Did I not do the assignments as the teacher intended? Did I miss something here?
Either way, art is supposed to be subjective. How can I be graded because I did some things a bit differently?
I thought I was graded unfairly. (I still hold a grudge. Probably shouldn't, but I can't help it. I do). But alas, high school isn't always the best incubator for talent. I talked too much. So I got a C in Art class. I learned some from that class, but mostly I learned I didn't want to waste my time in art classes.
So I took drafting classes instead. All four years of high school. Almost every semester.
I loved those classes. I loved the clean lines, the drafting arm. I even loved the erasers. As the semesters went on, I got more and more freedom from the instructor to design what I wanted.
And that is where I met my boy. The love of my life. My other, sometimes better, half.
We sat together in drafting and due to our history of many, many, drafting classes, we had a special assignment to work on together. I fell for the guy who helped me cut balsa wood for a model house. He had a quick sense of humor, a good heart, and great smile. It was like a light bulb went off in my head.
We spent two semesters together before enrolling in a night class together. Then we started dating.
We were going to study architecture (me) and mechanical drafting (him) but before we started our freshman year, we decided to go another route.
Graphic Design.
The fun of drafting, without all the extra math. (Do you know what the density of concrete is? I for sure don't.)
From six years old I knew where I wanted to go, I just didn't know how I was going to get there.
And thus, I got where I needed to be.
Read all the other great entries at Yeah Write #57 here.. here..
Girl, I still don't know where I'm going. But I'm right here, and it's cool. It's cool.
ReplyDeleteI think that's the beauty of life; we never know where it might take us. I am almost 30, married with a son and a mortgage, and sometimes I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
ReplyDeleteLove that you met your husband in high school, what a sweet story.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that you met your husband in high school! I met mine the first week of college! I'm 34 and sometimes I still don't know where I'm going in life. I've learned to just be content where I am right now.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't married, but I think we will be eventually. I just get scared off by all the people that we know that have gotten married before us and are now getting divorced. It is a scary thing.
ReplyDeleteHaha we aren't married, but I certainly hope to be so in the next couple years. We live together and have a little cat. I have tried to follow what Dakota told me once, to live one day at a time. It is hard sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI love that line!
ReplyDeleteIt is Douglas Adams, one of my favorite authors, may he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for figuring it out. I'm still not sure where I'll end up.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you wound up where you wanted to be.
ReplyDeletelove that quote. nice litlte piece here.
ReplyDeletelike almost every other commenter, i agree that i have no idea where i'm going in life at age 35. good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI kind of like that the road of life is winding and unpredictable, but I also like that there is always a note of the familiar underneath. Great piece, Erin
ReplyDeleteThis is so nice! Recognizing you're where you should be even when you didn't plan it is such a big leap!
ReplyDeleteI used to think it was unfair to grade subjective work - like art, creative writing, dance. And then I became a teacher - and I realized there always has to be a rubric of some sort. Then again, sometimes it really is all about attendance and talking too much.
ReplyDeleteHey! It posted without letting my wordiness shine: Anyway, I love your journey to your partner and your chosen field. It's clear that you have passion for design, and it's infectious. Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Things don't always go exactly according to plan...but in the end, the different paths lead to the same extraordinary places.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing where life will take you when you let go just a little. I never expected to be where I am today, but it's good :)
ReplyDeleteSo it was good you talked too much in art class! Pretty crappy thing for a teacher to base a grade on though, no? I once had my choir teacher give me a D in choir because I couldn't make it to after-school rehearsal. Yeah that didn't fly. You should be graded on what you do in the class. Just like you should have been graded on art and not talking. All's well that ends well though...
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