5 Thing Learned From the Gap Year (so far):
1. Learn about yourself more.
All that self-discovery, thankfully, didn't stop with Italy. Right from the beginning, I realized that the gap year life is hugely based on self-motivation. What time you wake up, how you spend your day -- it's never been this flexible since high school summers, I think. You learn about your real work ethic (in a way outside academics, less tangible than an exam grade), how you work best, and end up doing a lot of self-refection.
2. Learn how to improvise. Repeat up to multiple times per day. I do this a lot.
Improvise doesn't necessarily mean settling, or giving in. It means to work with what you've got -- now. First example -- a job recruiter briefly interrogated me: If you just graduated, why are you looking to work only part-time? (Hint: The answer is not that you need time to develop your creative being, practice photography, paint, keep up with your Italian roots, that you have diverse interests, or that you don't want to work full-time yet because you'll be doing that the rest of your life anyway.) I improvised, and mentioned that I wanted time to develop my Etsy business. Nevermind that it may have come out as a stammer of, Well. . I paint. On the side.
3. Learn about your interests, and pursue with a commitment.
Before, I always had the excuse of being a full-time student and working as well, so you could easily say things like, I don't have time to read or other similar phrases. I'm happy to say that I'm getting back into avid reading again. Creative business books, health care books, deep-thoughts-about-life books. Whenever I feel like I'm struggling with my unemployed lifestyle and uncertain future, books have a way of being a supportive companion, constantly cheering you on.
4. Learn that the universe can seem to work against you, which leads you back to number two on this list: Improvise.
Example: I applied for a pharmacy tech position at Walgreen's. 'Twas a cloudy, rainy day. You had to finish the application in person at a local Walgreen's to be considered. After a non-existent security question, lost passwords, and ten minutes later, their skills assessment wouldn't load on the computer. They accounted to the thunderstorm outside and told me to come back another day. Not one to be easily deterred, I tried to improvise and went to the next Walgreen's, where a teenage boy in khaki shorts was being interviewed at the time. Long story short, it didn't work there, either. Sometimes, improvising a certain way only takes you so far.
5. Learn to take advantage of every opportunity. Embrace your strange, non-traditional lifestyle that is full of unknowns. And that it will be okay.
3 weeks of living this up-in-the-air life has taught me that each day is truly a unique adventure. One day, I'll whip out 2 paintings to keep Italy real to me. Another day I chose to "take off" -- not getting anything done, like job applications or painting -- and that's the day I scheduled 2 job interviews and got my first PA school interview invite!
I wish I could say my life is a certain predictable way, but the most common phrase I find myself uttering is, "I don't know." Just taking it a day at a time, with unanticipated struggles and joys, all mixed with some frustration and hope at the same time.
I am tapping into a place in you that is unexplored, and very dangerous, but I think essential to the creative life of an artist.
Brandon Boyd
No comments:
Post a Comment