The Blur of Life: Growth, Comfort Zones and Goals

Life passes us by in a blur. It's shockingly fast and before we know it, we're grown up, fixing to move out. I'm graduating high school in a week and finalizing college plans. It's all gone by so fast. It's been a great school year, and I've grown and learned so much. My only regret is that I didn't take the time to do more of the things I love, but my focus is on the future, and I'm ready to plunge into it.

I finished two novels, wrote several short stories and poems, and started this blog that I've come to love immensely, all this past school year. My word count has topped 200,000 words since August. Sometimes I feel like I haven't accomplished much, but then looking back, I realize I have done a lot.

Writing has become something I look forward to every day, instead of a chore. Not like it ever was a chore, but it used to be hard to come up with the plots to make the stories work. Maturing in the area of writing has become a huge thing to me. I love my stories, my characters. I love the plots. Of course, there's still a lot of room for improvement. I don't believe that a person gets to the point in life where they no longer need improvement. But it's a mile stone and I'm starting to look into maybe getting something published. A year or two ago I didn't want that; publishing was a scary thought. Well, it still is a scary thought, but not quite so intimidating.

Growth

So, kind of to the actual point of this post (all the sentimental reminiscing. Bleh.) 

Growing up is apart of life. Everyone knows that. It's hard, sometimes, realizing just how fast it actually comes. I have memories of when I was starting first grade and thought I would never get done. But we get there, and we realize that there was so much we missed, so much of life is a blur. Our art starts out like that. Small, tiny and thinking that it will never get anywhere. But a few years later and you're doing wonderful. You've completed several novels or your drawing has become amazing and you're selling it on Etsy now. Perhaps your photography has taken off and you've gotten your own studio.

Growth comes. And it's always there. Sometimes life passes by so fast and we don't even noticed the improvement. Other times, it goes slowly and the improvements are tiny, but they're still there. 

Stabilizing

As you get better at your art, you start to get the hang of your own style. You start to realize that you don't have to conform to the rest of the art industry. You find the type of music you like playing, the style of dance you life, or the types of pictures you enjoy taking. You find the genre that you rock and find out that you draw better Chibi and cartoons than real life portraits. That comfort zone where you feel stable. That spot in your art where you love and feel the most confident. We all find that spot. 

Of course you still explore different kinds of art. I explore different genres all the time, but I know where I am most comfortable. And if you haven't quite figured out that stable zone and the comfortable spot in your art, then keep exploring. Sometimes you try something and you're "This! This is it!" other times, it takes a few years to slowly figure it out. 

Goals

You grow in your art and you find that "perfect" spot -- that "you" spot -- and now what? Set more goals. Never get to the point where you feel like you've got it all figured out. Set the goal to get published. Set a goal to start your own studio, or get into that dance/music school. Set the goal to start an Etsy shop to sell your creations. Set high goals and dream big. So maybe you don't get the next big break before you graduate high school, or even before you graduate college. But don't give up. Keep setting more goals and never give up. 

Has life passed you by so fast? How hard your art improved over the last few years? Have you found your comfort zone in your art? Do you have goals for your art for the future?