"Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." ~Jacob Bronowski
Lately, I have been asked a lot about my plans for the next year. The short answer to these inquiries is, "I have no idea!"
In all seriousness, I really do have at least some idea. I have a loose blueprint. I just have no clue how it will all really turn out. One of the elements of the adventure I'm undertaking is that I want to be open to where life takes me and be light enough to move along with that current. I also want to become more at peace with uncertainty. After all, openness to the unknown can lead you to the places you never knew you needed to be.
I will embark on my travels in earnest on October 23, and yes, I know where I am headed, at least through the month of November. I'll share more details about that soon.
So, here's the loose plan for my activities:
1. Be All Artsy and Stuff
First and foremost, I intend to devote more time to making art. I have found it to be very difficult to immerse myself in my personal creativity when I am spending significant energy and time using it professionally. I hope that the beautiful places I intend to see further inspire this work and that some kind individuals will see fit to purchase my creations to enjoy. I envision many days of hiking all day and painting all evening.
2. Contract Marketing & Fundraising Work
How will I sustain myself? I have a modest amount of funds to float me for a while, but I'm also offering my skills for contract marketing and fundraising work with not-for-profit organizations through FansToFunds.com. This will enable me to focus on my greatest professional strengths such as graphic design, creative writing, website development, social media consulting, photography and short video production, and grant proposal writing. Some of this will require me to be geographically available, but a lot of it can be easily accomplished remotely.
3. Donate My Time
In addition to paid contract marketing and fundraising services, I intend to connect with not-for-profits along my travels and offer a limited amount of my services on a volunteer basis. I am excited about both being able to contribute to the great work that is being done by so many groups across our country and the relationships and experiences I will collect through this endeavor. For that reason, I included on my website an online application for those organizations interested in applying for donated assistance.
Only time will tell what the next year really ends up looking like, but here's to a year of recharging, reinvigorating, and reimagining!