Long story short…
Since graduating from grad school three years ago, I’ve been a little lost when it came to what I wanted to purposely do with my life, both personally and career wise.
My blessing can sometimes feel like a curse… I’m good at everything I set my mind to do.
I’m a quick learner who enjoys learning new things but who also gets bored by repetitive processes that lack innovation over time. So when I get bored, I’ll move on and go learn something new.
My top strength is adaptability.
No matter the circumstance, I can make the most out of any situation and it has created a capacity of resilience that’s kept me functioning and moving forward despite the lack of strategic direction.
As a result, I’ve acquired a great many set of skills in my 32 years of life. Many of which have no-direct correlation to each other but majority of which have a direct tie to the arts and creativity.
Connecting all this back to my search for direction, purpose and the difficulty in choosing which one of my many talents to pursue…. After graduating with my masters degree, I indecisively defaulted to doing it all.
For three years, I taught dance, hustled on the side as a photographer in addition to my 9 to 5, all while chugging out (somewhat) regular blog posts. I also juggled balancing my time and energy investments as a wife, sister, daughter, and friend to a community of people I love.
It sounds so simple when I type it in this summarized way but there is a significant amount of time that’s unaccounted for when it comes to 1) prepping to teach dance 2) planning, taking and then editing photos 3) brainstorming, drafting, editing, and then re-editing written/visual digital content and 4) let’s not forget when the 9 to 5 unexpectedly turns into a 9 to 7 or requires weekend work. So yea, just alot of time where I felt pulled in all directions but kept going because I’m “resilient.”
Charles and I then bought a home towards the end of 2018 that became the tipping point for me.
I found myself not wanting to do anything else but focus on my home. On creating a safe and cozy sanctuary for us to escape from the craziness of our current world that has also been a drain.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2019, I realized after reading this article I was burned out but, insanely, still trying to keep the “personal drive fire” lit using the leftover ash of a nonexistent candle wick.
Sooooo I decided to take break from all the creative side talents/hustles/hobbies that I had acquired in my 20’s and gave myself downtime to 1) determine where my true purpose and passions lie and 2) figure out how to maintain my pool of artistry/creativity and manage the see-saw tension that comes with being a multi-passionate woman.
And that’s my super abbreviated explanation for ghosting on this space.
2019 unexpectedly turned into a year of rest and restoration.
For 12 months, I simply worked my 9 to 5 (’cause the bills don’t care if you’re burned out) and pursued an intentionally “present” lifestyle that was filled tension, realizations, release, disconnections/reconnections and quiet growth. I spent ALOT of time in the nature… Spent alot of time sitting quietly with myself. Spent alot of time checking bad instinctive behavior and negative thought patterns.
Let me not forget about patience. Wooo, I learned so much about being patient with myself. Same goes with learning to establish boundaries and figuring out which aspects of my life I need to protect and maintain in private vs. public.
Many realizations made last year are still in the “reflect and explore” stage…
But one particular realization made that I feel assured in sharing right now is: whether through the vehicle of dance, photography or writing/blogging, the common through line of what I’m passionate about is storytelling. Expressing and representing the beauty and/or reality of the world through my lens and perspective as a multiracial American woman.
A year of separation reaffirmed that this blog, journal, digital diary, creative haven – whatever you wanna call it – is not just some hobby of fluff. It’s got substance, and maturing potential (just like me), and deserves a reinvestment of effort now that I’ve determined a sustainable method in managing my time and energy.
With that said…
Welcome to Setarra.com (2.0)
If you’re a new reader, hello and welcome. If you’re a returning web friend, I’ve missed you and look forward to reconnecting.
It only felt right to kick off 2020 with a new site design. So please do scroll around and check out the new decor, starting with the home and about pages.
Now… This is the part where I should probably tell you what you can expect moving forward content wise around these parts. But 1) I feel like you can get an idea of the direction I’m exploring just by browsing around and 2) I’m working on this thing where I “do more and explain less.” Sooo yea.
I guess what I’m saying is that you will just have to stick around and see how this little corner of the world wide web unfolds. And I do truly hope you will.
Until next post.
xo, Setarra
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