On another note, work for money is slowing down. I felt a little emotional yesterday as I know it's time to move on. I've freelanced there for almost two years and it's been a huge part of me putting my life back together. The time has come though for me to get back on the career track and find my ambition again. I've spent two years working for me, gaining new experience and working in a professional environment. It's shown me that it's possible to enjoy work without being personally involved, to respect my colleagues without the need to be best friends and without the need for drama. It's been an enlightening experience. The time has come because they don't see me in the role of anything other than a freelance designer. I've been doing work which doesn't challenge or excite me and doesn't utilize my skills. I'm ready for a new challenge and I think it's the next step in moving on with my life.
This week I applied to a large toy company in Rhode Island. There were two jobs which sounded interesting and so I went through the online application and then mentally moved to Providence, RI. I had already bought a house, started teaching at RISD part time, joined a sailing club, started rowing and signed up for a glass blowing course in a matter of minutes. A couple of days later I got the auto reply... thanks, but no thanks. I was disappointed to say the least. What it showed me though is that I'm ready to leave here and it's not based on an emotional reaction but rather strategic planning. I'm looking at international companies who can appreciate my background and take advantage of my ability to work in other countries. I'm also looking at this as a long term move, a company who will allow me to travel between the US and Europe. For all my talk about leaving LA, I need to think this through and go when it's the right situation for me. Can you imagine anything worse than moving to Paris or London without a job and having to stay on someone's sofa or worse?