My Inaugural Blog

Where to start? There are so many directions to go in, and I have been given free reign.  For those who don’t know, this scenario is the oft-clichéd “blessing and curse” that I run into quite a bit.  While I can eventually get on track by my own efforts, it’s almost always better for me to be handed an assignment and run with it.

That being said, I’ll go with the direction of sharing a little bit about myself, and how we (me, you, and my partners) have found ourselves where we are to this point.  Perhaps you can relate; or maybe the experience is completely foreign to you. But, if my story can help affect you in a positive way, then I’ll have done my part.

So…I’m in transition.  Not in a physical way, but as a career.  Or, at least, in channeling my creative/work energies.   

For a decade-and-a-half I worked in various sales and marketing management roles in Consumer Packaged Goods industries, predominantly in adult nightlife and leisure. There were many great times, but also a ton of stress as the competition increased, yet the number of companies shrank due to consolidation.  Think of a corporate game of musical chairs as companies absorbed each other and large groups of workers were left chair-less with fewer avenues to continue their careers, all in the pursuit of wringing out more money for the stockholders.  After the third (or fourth, I lost count) time of being on the wrong end of such “acquisitions”, I decided to move on.  My rationale was that it was time to put my efforts toward pursuing my “dream” career and work for myself as an illustrator and graphic designer, as opposed to toiling tirelessly to make someone else rich while being considered expendable.  

Make no mistake, as an individual artist in an ocean of them, I understand I am still quite expendable.  But, as a member of this creative group, and to my family (to whom I am truly and happily obligated), my contributions transcend expendability.  I would imagine this dynamic applies to everyone; and no matter how insignificant we might feel, none of us are expendable. It’s easy to lose sight of this fact in the crazy world we live in, especially now.   But it is incumbent upon us to not let ourselves fall to the wayside while in the pursuit of the enjoyment of life and all the wonder this universe has to offer, to not allow ourselves to be trampled into a moribund existence for the sake of a bottom line profit.

And so, here we are: the Become What You Mean project.  An attempt by some “expendables” to reclaim that which was lost, and inspire others to do the same.  No journey will be identical, each will have a uniqueness that makes it worth celebrating in its own right.  The same can be said for this blog.  

Enjoy life, and (to borrow wisdom) “Be excellent to each other”.

Until next time…