Photography per chance?

Recently I have been doing some soul searching and deciding what else I can do with my career in mass communications and journalism. Due to personal events, I find it very hard to concentrate while reading. I feel that this is not something I should take personally because all of my life I was an A-plus student. I attended a magnet program in elementary school, I had high honors in high school and finished college with excellent grades. Becoming a professional is important to me because all of my life my parents have said, "stay in school". School is probably the best outlet for success for many in our country. I do not want to let them down as being a professional is important. 

Therefore, I have taken to the arts. I feel that working with images is a great relief for my mind personally. I have suffered many headaches while studying and feel that I will do myself a service by thinking about the other outlets there as a professional artist. For example, anyone who loves to paint can become an artist and illustrator; a seamstress can take classes for tailoring and a cook can take classes for becoming a chef. All of these outlets do not really require much reading and will let students flourish in their creativity. In my case, I took up photography. I love taking photos and I even took photojournalism classes while in college.  SKillshare has also become a welcomed asset to my professional career in communications and as soon I could afford my own DSLR camera I got one that lets me take beautiful photographs for professional photography.  I'm excited as I recently created a portfolio of works that anyone can look at here and here. My hope is to become a freelance nature/landscape amd lifestyle photographer. I enjoy taking photographs of themes that tell a story. 

Recently, I saw a video of a YouTuber, Brandon Woelfel share his style of portrait photography and I am so enthralled by what he does. I could only imagine to ever take photos like him one day. What especially catches my eyes is the way he uses light and color to frame his subjects in a breathtaking display of motion.

My hunt for internships

I might as well finish what I started. I submitted an application for an internship in journalism writing. With the qualifications I have, I am sure to get a position to pursue experience in something that I spent so much time and dedication in. If I get a position in this opportunity I will be so glad to use it to the best of my skills. I will hope to become a stronger writer and a better team player. This will make my skills shine out from my educational experience, which is definitely something that employers are looking for. I also saw some other opportunities online for internships abroad as a correspondent. It would be an exciting experience to learn and write in other languages. I know three languages: English, Spanish and French. I would love to learn some more. Hopefully, with some new opportunities, I can expand my wings and make my family proud of my efforts.

Would I ever consider study abroad?

For the past eight years, I traveled abroad on mission trips to Central America. During these experiences, I met new types of people in a different culture with the objective of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to native churches in Central America. A lot of these people are poor, with family units of three or four living in very small homes. They only make enough to pay the rent and buy the necessities for groceries. Children are encouraged to go to school as a way to escape poverty and become professional bankers, lawyers or engineers for example. However, a great part of the population doesn't like to read so many children drop out of high school at the age of 16 and unfortunately have to go to work and do very poor jobs to support a family. After seeing what life is like in these places, I realized my own need to study. I realized the value of education and why it is so important to slow down sometimes and think about the privilege of living in the United States. Beforehand, I never knew how well we have it even in America. We have a lot of amenities that other countries do not have and yet it is easy to forget how other countries would only dream about owning the latest smartphone, a car or even named brands. It is important to think about how other people go without eating for days sometimes as they study hard for their next meal. I wish we weren't so insulated.

As I think about other places and how I can use my interests to help in the Kingdom of God, I want to do something that will allow me to write. Whether I become an English teacher, a history major, or a nail technician I have to write. I want to write about stories that are important to others. If I observe other people's past experiences as a journalist or history major and write a plot based on the failures and successes of each protagonist who can identify with a community of thinkers and dreamers than I would feel like I left an imprint in the world. I really do not want to stay in the same place at one time but I would want t career that lets me explore other places in the world while I learn about its past and its future. Therefore, I love the idea of exploring Washington D.C., New York, France; Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands for example. All of these places are full of rich history and stories that I could take with me into a historical novel. I would be able to explore the culture of these places and write about important people who helped make a difference in the world; in the kingdom of God.

Tell me more about your story. Leave your comments below if you have any suggestions about story ideas or places of interest that mean the most to you. What events helped change or inspire your outlook in life? Who were the people behind that inspiration?

Should I become a nurse?

I am waiting to hear back from the admissions office. Will I be able to transfer to nursing school instead? I like the idea of becoming a nurse as a career change because nurses are caring individuals and are well paid in the industry. As I scroll through Instagram, I see various girls my age switch their careers over to nursing after graduating from another career. They document their experiences taking selfies in their smocks with other students. I think it is a fun alternative.

If I ever do nursing, I would keep one lady in mind as I recall a story she told me about her granddaughter on a plane ride I took to New England. She told me all about her granddaughter who commits herself to study. She is just out of high school and says all she wants to do is focus herself on her studies and think about marrying guys later. She has no time for boys. I find that funny since most of my adolescent life I was very much in love and wanted to marry soon. Now that I am a little older I see that it is necessary to focus on studies before I let someone into my life.

If admissions allow me to switch my major, I would be so excited to begin my journey as a nurse.  I think I would focus my studies on primary family care because it is in a more intimate setting. I feel that focusing my time in this area is a contrast from a fast-paced hospital life. As I read more about nursing on Google, I find that there is also a lot of possibilities available for nurses abroad. They can become travel nurses and find meals and accommodation as travel nurses at no expense to them. As a missionary, I think that would be a great bonus experience. I can see other places in the world and help other people heal in the process.

What do you think? Please let me know in the comments about your experience in a career search? How many times have you changed your major? Were you more open to creativity or how did you pursue a new profession? I want to know more about your lifestyle in the comments.

Why I would comit to the fine arts

The times are changing, and leaves fall in autumn. I have decisions to make and I need a quiet place to think. Away from the noise, away from stress, away from bossy family. I might need to find an artist's residency while I grow out of this nest. My parents were mostly strict growing up and I felt sheltered most of my life. I still feel the affects of PTSD from my past but I am learning to put things behind me. Moreover, now I am older but I am still young at heart. Life has taught me to value education above everything else but I feel the pressure is on for me to read, read, read. I have actually learned to love to read but sometimes I feel the sharp shooting pains that do not permit me to read any more than I can concentrate for long periods of time. I hope this isn't something so serious and I just pray and work through these headaches the best that I can.

Morever, as times are changing my brother just left. Our dad did everything to get my brother in vocational school upstate and now it is just me and dad. He is old and cranky. I do not want to bother him so I need to find a place to stay but I have two criteria: I must stay close to school and I must stay close to the embassy. I say this because school is more important than anything. As long as I have a degree I can bounce back and be someone in this world. However, as I am overcoming feelings of being sheltered I am thinking about how I can find a mental break, finish my masters and live somewehre that will allow me to grow as a person.

Art school might be a good place for me to be myself. I would have a quiet place to rest and work while I pursue freelance writing. I will make art that is important to me and indulge myself in art history. There are a few projects that I have in mind for my family but should I consider leaving this for a later time? I have to think about the possibilities.

Why I want to be a nail tech

Nails, nails, nails!

In a previous post, I talked about my interest in journalism and history. I love these topics because they have taught me so much in college. I feel prepared to take on the world one article at a time. Journalism is important to me because as I think about the craft that goes behind creating articles, I appreciate why headlines are shortened and why columns are cut off between pages. I can understand why headlines are so concise across headlines in broadcast television news channels and why news anchors speak in short and quick sentences. *I always felt like they spoke like robots, hehe* However, I appreciate my education in the news because it has helped me become an overall better reader and a more thoughtful creative writer. I feel as if a key opened a new door within me that allows me to better enjoy literature and dialogues in a way that I would have never been able to do so before I learned about journalism.

Now, I feel that it is time to make a change. I feel as if my creative bones are waking to paint new stories. I don't really want to lay down my education forever but I think I will pick up after a break. I will just briefly talk about another career option that I love so much and why I would use it to supplement my creative juices.

As I think about being more creative, I would venture into a nail design. I love the idea of becoming a nail tech. I love the idea of being girly. I think I would love to learn about the process for nail design, playing with colors and building a stunning portfolio of glitters and gems that would please my clients. However, coming to think of the process in actual application is a scary concept because I might make a mess of my clients hands. Haha, I'm only joking but I only hope not. I can only dream of making something so pretty as the tutorials I see on youtube.

Moreover, if I ever did nails I do not think I would completely walk away from my love of writing and history. I would probably pursue a degree online and keep a part-time job as a nail tech, English teacher or history teacher. This is on the drawing board and as I think about it and pray about it; I know I will be led in the right direction. I have other wonderful things in mind as well.

What do you think? Is this fun? Should I commit to one subject or the other? Should I adopt both? What are your interests? Leave a comment below if you identify with my predicaments or you would care to leave some insight that I might have not caught onto. I'm thankful for your advice.

History is just journalism on a bookshelf

I am kind of a history buff. I can talk to you about dates and settings but names still get past me sometimes. I love the idea of researching information about the past like in the medieval and renaissance periods. Sometimes, I find myself looking up information on historical websites that illustrate characters from the 14th and 15th centuries. I like to think about the troubadours, dressed in their attire, with their lutes in hand. I also like to think about maiden's dresses and how their skirts fell in flowing layers around their ankles. Time after time I find myself daydreaming about this time period that I expect to schedule a trip to California's Renaissance fair as soon as I get my life together up and running. It will be so much fun to finally walk around in the time period that I was meant to be born in. Therefore, I imagined that taking a break from journalism writing to earn my master's in history would be a good idea but I feel judged by certain people in my life for having to start another BA to earn an MA in history. My first journalism teacher once said that journalism is really an archive of history. Part of the researching new stories asks reporters to go back into the chronicles of reporters who once were to find out if something was already reported. What I can really talk to you about in this post is how I feel about history versus journalism, the reasons why I love both and why I would lay down one subject to pursue the other.

So in my opinion, I love journalism because of the tradition that comes behind it. In school, we learn about the worth of the first amendment, its position as a watchdog in the fourth estate, and ethical concerns that are meant to guide journalists in practice. All of these sacred traditions are essential to preserving the democracy at which we live in. Also, I am so very thankful for the dedication that other editors and proofreaders have taught me when it comes to crafting words. Before I took journalism classes, I could not understand why headlines were so short and choppy or why columns got lost from A1 to A6 behind another headline that has nothing to do with the other four pages in front of it. Honestly, I feel caught up now and like I can pick up any newspaper and know what is going on in the world.

Then there is history, as I mentioned previously I love going back and reading about other characters. I will imagine myself traveling back time and in another setting as a reporter in the outskirts observing soldiers in battle, coming to triumph and creating relations with their kings and queens. I would want to become an author one day so if I ever found the time to dedicate to research, I would go back and think about King Arthur and his knights in the midst of a whole new plot. 

 However, do I really need another degree to prove that I know my dates? I could even work in a newsroom and search archives on my breaks to see what I could find, haha. Or I could even do something else completely different and research on my own time? Who knows.

However, there is another reason why I do not want to go into the fast-paced world of journalism. I feel so conflicted because I can't seem to understand why on earth I love to read so much but reading doesn't love me. On occasions when I am reading, I feel a sharp headache as I concentrate on text for long periods of time. I feel so bad that the other night I had a nightmare with a 15th-century soldier in battle getting his brains repeatedly knocked in by a sword. Then I felt a soft voice in my sleep ask me if I really want to keep reading? Hmmmmm, I woke up and tried to expel those GOT thoughts from my mind as soon as I could. A few days later, and I am still thinking about my headaches versus love for history. What if I take a break from college for some time. I could always go back and get my Master's in Communications.

So on one hand, I love writing and history. On the other hand, I find it difficult to keep my attention on school for long periods of time. I feel the need to push myself every time I write everyday. However, I think I will need to take a break from the books for a moment to let my mind rest. I hope my mind's sharp pains aren't very serious. If it hurts too much I might need a physician. What do you think? Am I exaggerating o do I need a doctor? haha

BA in journalism now what?

As a budding writer, I found the need for structure to help me understand other writing techniques. So I did my BA in Journalism and Mass communications online. The courses superseded my expectations. I got to learn how to write and build a portfolio of magazine articles, blogs and two team publication websites that would make me look really good in front of employers. However, I do not think that journalism is the way for me to go for various reasons that I will talk about in another post. Essentially, I feel that my health and other aspects of my personal life do not make feel like I am the right fit for news writing right now. I want to become an author, so I did brief research in creative writing. I have not found any programs to my liking. I also considered committing to a history major and . as a way to research facts for my own personal projects for historical fiction novels but I think that might be a little excessive. If I do not do that I would like to pursue teaching English because it would be a great way of maintaining my proofreading skills.

I also love art. I considered culinary school, art school, and nail tech. These are all different things avenues I could take with me into my writing career down the road but I will have to take the plunge. On one hand, I like culinary school because I feel close to my dad and younger sibling. However, we aren't so close so I don't feel as motivated to commit. I also love painting but I just do not see how I will ever pay the bills by painting canvases. However, I asked myself how I could ever become a nail tech and put food on the table. I never thought it was possible until I did a quick research on technical schools in my area. In fact, many technical schools offer cosmetology programs at affordable prices. Nail tech school would be something that I would commit to part-time because it would be a fun outlet to express myself and build a client-based relationship with other females who like to express themselves through their nail designs.

I even considered a career in law: in law enforcement, the military, and security guard. I consider this in part for my own personal experience to exercise my interest for the public service. My parents were strict growing up, so I feel flashbacks sometimes when I consider going into the military. I am a reserved, petite 5' 0" young twenty-something. I know everyone is different and I might not be the strongest, fastest, or the quickest but if I ever do go into the military, I will have to conquer my fears and just go.

In the meantime, I am praying, waiting and listening to how my heart inclines towards my needs and desires.