5 months later

Five months ago, I sat down and wrote about what I thought was next. At the time I had been in Shanghai for just over a month and was in the purest state of limbo there could possibly be. All I knew was that I was in Shanghai with Nik and I would be here for at least six months. Beyond that, I didn’t know what the next day, week, month or year would bring. Writing everything down allowed me to focus on exactly what I wanted to do, and after a few months I think I’m making progress. So I’ve listed the six goals again, and here’s what I’m thinking today…

1. I will work on my website so that it truly reflects who I am, personally and professionally. I have made some progress on this site that I am happy with. I have added the city guide, my recent projects and worked on the site design a bit. For a little while I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate my architecture portfolio…but finally decided I simply didn’t want to mix personal and professional. The thing I love about designing and running my own website is that it can evolve over time. It will never be a finished product, and I’m happy about that.

2. I will do a significant project on my own. Well, I thought this “significant project” would be an architectural competition, but then I stopped fooling myself. I said I wanted to do a competition because that’s what architects that don’t have architecture jobs do. But honestly, I have no desire to do one. I would rather knit, sew, go on a bike ride, work on my website, travel, etc. I still want to do a significant project on my own…but I don’t think a solo architecture competition is in my future. Now I’ve just got to figure out what it will be.

3. I will work in an architecture office whose work and mission I admire. I almost worked at an architecture office whose work and mission I didn’t admire, so recognizing their faults was one big step. I still look forward to the day that I can contribute to a design team in a significant way again. I am confident that my next big move will get me one step closer.

4. I will save money. This has begun!!! I finally have an income, and even though it’s pretty tiny, I will still be able to save a significant amount and when #3 happens I’ll be in good shape.

5. I will become a master of craft. Since April I have been a craft feign. I took eight weeks of ceramics classes, started three new large knitting projects, taught myself how to crochet, finally started sketching again and am slowly learning how to embroider. I took advantage of having time to myself and focused my energy on the things I love.

6. I will own my own business. This is obviously a long term goal, but I still think and dream about it all the time. In fact, the more I dream about it, the more I realize that opportunities are everywhere! It’s simply a matter of finding the right one.

There you have it. My goals five short months later. We will be going through another huge transition soon, so I’m sure things will be shifting and evolving even more. Until then…..