The Art of Becoming: Syncing to the Cloud

It continues to be a while between posts…

Yes, I know, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing.

Oh I’ve been writing!

Funny… I’ve been writing A LOT… and mostly on mobile devices…

In Sedona, a mobile fire was lit…

From iPod to iPhone, and now to Windows Phone—I’ve been writing A LOT. Sometimes incoherent thoughts, other times poems, blog ideas, and even some lyrics with potential. Good stuff.

I’ve had a lot going on, and the fact that I need to write about changes—especially professional ones—probably means things are going well. They definitely are…

It has almost never felt like an easy road though.

That’s what leads me to these thoughts: how it’s felt along the way.

As an artist, I think I have always had my struggles with confidence. I think we all have, and I still do at times. We struggle to become something different, obtain a new skill, prove to the world we have what it takes to do something, start something new, or work in a new role professionally. We want to ‘become’ something more.

Feeling like you have something to prove is a rough road, let me tell ya! Years of work in the field of design, and I think I still find myself searching for validation at times. This search for validation can sneak up on you, and also hit you in personal places (family is a good example, but let’s not get off on another tangent).

Anyway, I feel that growing, learning and changing aren't 'better' or 'worse,' just different. They’re more exciting too, because you get to try new things, mix it up, and keep your viewpoint fresh. 

Although we often get frustrated because we aren't where we may want to be, the worst thing we can do is let negative feelings take over, and let ourselves feel bad. In the end, we have nothing to feel bad about, as we ultimately have nothing to prove to anyone but ourselves... I choose happiness during that process whenever possible… but it’s not always that simple!

As anyone pursues their own individual career paths, and navigates challenging economic times, it’s harder and harder to start from a place of “feeling good” about anything. But it’s kind of the road you need to take—to focus on the excitement of who you are NOW, and the excitement around what you’re becoming.

15 years ago, I would have never thought I would be a college teacher, training Microsoft employees, syncing to the cloud, putting the right hair on my Avatar, or instantly uploading/sharing photos from mountain tops—

But it has ALL happened.

And I am reminded of this very strange fact: that in some way, it’s who you have always been.

I was just messaging with a good friend who knew me 15 years ago. She knew me when I was fresh to the field of design… just a year out of design school… I’ll quote her here (apologies Becky, for not asking permission)… We were talking about my passions in infographics, information design and instructional design when she said:

“You see things differently, you always did. That’s what makes your design unique.” 

And then a little more… 

“You worked hard at your design. Its always more difficult to be the non-conformist in the group....”

For some reason, I had a hard time believing her at first (heck, maybe I still don’t believe her). She could see something about me that I really didn’t think anyone could see—especially since I didn’t see it, and only feel like I have ‘come into my own’ with this over the last few years (I keep feeling like a late bloomer).

So regardless of where you are, or where you’re going, you’re always “whole.” Wholeness is always there, and it’s always you. Chances are there’s something “at your core” that has always been there—and always will be. There’s things you can change, and things you can do, but maybe it’s more about changing your point of view about what’s at your core no?

We’re never really “lacking” anything, and certainly shouldn’t set out on a path of change that involves lack, or feeling bad, or that we are presently “less.”

It can be a good motivator at times, but regardless of what we want for ourselves, feeling good about the process is important. Maybe that’s why I have always been a bit of a dorky goofball—I make fun of myself, and try to take life lightly—but I still want to move forward. I finally feel like I am doing it the right way, and strangely, it’s who I’ve always been. I’m “syncing to the cloud,” and accessing data seamlessly across multiple devices—and the funny thing is, I’ve always been in sync—I just never really knew it till now.

Thanks for reading. I proudly proclaim that this post was started on a mobile device. Sorry, it DID need to be finished on a full-size keyboard though.

:)

m

Mark: happy 'becoming'...