Time for Change

Three years ago, my friend Lizzie and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Washington DC and see the inauguration of President Obama.  It was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.  We stood at the National Mall with my aunt & uncle in a sea of three million people that spread out further than I could see.  We watched our new President on JumboTron screens and listened breathlessly to his speech.  The atmosphere was electric, and buzzing with excitement and hope.  It wasn't just politics that this election stood for: it represented change.
Isn't it always time for change?  Not only on a government level, but on an every day personal level, too.  Couldn't we always do better or strive for more?  Sometimes, I have a hard time deciding where to put my energy.  I get so overwhelmed with whats important and what I want to accomplish that I get nowhere.  There are so many urgent causes and things I want to do, how can I know what to focus on?  Right now, my ambition is to become a working artist.  My long term goals are 1.) to do what I love and 2.) to survive.  Is it possible for me to make enough money with art to live?  And not just live, but have a fulfilling life?  I think so.  Well, I hope so any way.
This January, I made the decision to follow that path.  My safe job- that pays decently yet is unfulfilling- is going on the back burner while I invest my energy into creating things.  Maybe its because my parents are hippies, but I've always had a passion for the environment.  My ideal job involves making things with recycled objects and doing art with children.  I'm not looking for that job in the paper, I'm going to create it for myself.  This is what I truly wish to do, not what I think you want to hear or what other people tell me to want.  I hope to somehow make this my career.  My biggest challenge will be my mindset.  The ideals of 'stable job', 'living comfortably', and 'don't rock the boat' are deep rooted.  But how comfortable am I really living if I don't believe in the cause that I work for or find passion in what I do?  Can I change?  I'm going to try, because its time.