The Sunday Salon (Nov.27)

Do you ever feel like your passion for books and reading isn’t taken seriously by those around you? I feel this way all of the time.

Friends and family just laugh and roll their eyes at me, thinking of me as the “crazy book lady”. They don’t (normally) buy me books as gifts because (1) they think I don’t need any more (so what if I just want them?), and (2) they don’t understand my passion, and therefore don’t know that books would be the one gift I’d be giddy to receive!

I’ve always had a dream of opening my own bookshop, some day. But I worry that my family won’t respect that choice of career… that they wouldn’t take that seriously, either.

Anyhoo. I got to thinking about this, last night, as I’ve been seriously rethinking my future path. While I love books and reading, and thought being a librarian or bookstore clerk would be the best job ever, now I’m not so sure.

I currently work as a receptionist in an optometrist’s office, and have worked as a customer service person for many years, in several different positions. I have come to realize, though that, while I love people and I’m great at customer service, I just don’t enjoy it. I don’t like being “on” for people all of the time; it drains me and stresses me out. I would much rather work behind the scenes, and just interact with others occasionally.

I’m now leaning toward the possibility of becoming a graphic/web designer. I can lose myself for hours designing things for my blog(s), and have always had a penchant for the arts. I’d even thought, back in high school, to become a graphic design artist, but had a teacher squash those dreams. Now, though, it seems that I’m coming back around, full-circle, to that original thought. I still love to be creative, and can see myself doing web design.

My sister is the one that inspired me. She’s recently started into the graphic design business, doing up flyers, posters, and other design work for people she knows. And, she’s doing really well, too! It made me think of how much I missed being “creative”, and drawing and such. It got me to thinking of what I could do as a work-from-home job, and the one thing that jumped out at me most clearly was graphic/web design.

People have always told me that I write well, and that I should be a Writer ~ that I should write books for a living. But, writing just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me. It doesn’t “call” to me like graphic design does. I can’t see myself writing for a living… but I can see myself doing web design! The “Renaissance Soul” in me loves that graphic design would come with variety, and continuous challenges… something I thrive on (so long as those challenges aren’t too difficult! LOL).

Anyway. That’s where my head’s been at, this past week. And, as such, I’ve been reading up on graphic design, of course! Blogs, mostly, but also books.

I’m currently reading “The Non-Designer’s Design Book” by Ms. Robin Williams. And, it’s really interesting! I have a copy of it from the library, but I’m seriously considering buying myself my own copy. It’d be handy to have as a reference.

I bought “Web Design for Dummies” by Lisa Lopuck from Amazon, last weekend, and have already learned something from it, just by skimming through!

 

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