The coming new year marks a new beginning for me as a husband/artist/believer. I will be foregoing the comforts of a steady paycheck in pursuit of a more fulfilling life. Saying it out loud, or in the case typing it in the computer, really solidifies it. I think it's a part of my maturing process to not only go from thought to speaking it out loud, but then to also stand behind my words and be committed. Of course this hasn't been a quick decision to come to. There are many obstacles that have stood in my way. The biggest being my own fear. But over the course of the last two years I have continually prayed and sought the Lord on what I should do. Some days I felt really empowered to pursue my dreams, and others I was down right afraid. But I felt the Lord giving me the strength this year to prepare to walk by faith more.
The question I get asked most when I tell someone is "what kind of work do you want to do?" And I don't want to put myself in a box, but I feel the obvious direction is one of illustration and art. I've had to be really honest with myself about what satisfies my soul and where I see myself in the years to come. And building websites is not it. I love the web for one reason, the people. The endless pursuit of technology is tiring. But I'm of the opinion if a client/project is a good fit then you shouldn't limit what platform you create on.
My desire is to build things with my bare hands that reflect truth in a beautiful way. Whether that's with a pen and paper or on a computer. At the end of the day I want to build a relationship with my client(s) and make stuff that's awesome. Is it going to be easy? Probably not. But living out the dreams of your heart isn't meant to be easy. The challenges that lie in wait for me are nothing compared to the victories on the other side.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all who have walked with me and encouraged me over these past couple of years. Your words and prayers have not been in vain. I am really excited about what the future holds and couldn't do it without the love and support of my family, friends and awesomely supportive wife.