Following the path

My definition of a life path is the journey to your soul’s highest purpose and fulfilment.

 

Realization

I recently decided to make some pretty big changes in my life. The road I’ve been on for the last few years was not taking me where I wanted to go anymore, or rather where I needed to go. Shifting direction drastically was what I needed to happen so I can continue on my path.

I felt like the life I had has been expected of me. Went to school,  pursued the passion, made the coins, moved to a bigger city, started a business. That sound pretty good right? It was! I’m very grateful that it turned out like that because I know it’s not the case for everyone. I am very proud of what I achieved as an artist and as a person throughout the last few years. But I needed more, more freedom, more peace, more contact with nature, more space to explore and grow. I needed more of my own presence.

 

Spark

I felt something inside my gut telling me that something new and exciting could be waiting for me. The situation I was in wasn’t as fulfilling as it used to. But what am I going to do? Where am I going? Who am I going to be? For the past 5 years, I felt like I was a tattoo artist and only that. After questioning everything for a while things started to fall into place in my mind, it made sense, it felt right, hopefull. But to get there I would have to change my trajectory completely to follow this path. Sometimes the road you have to follow is not the one that seems obvious. I had to choose myself over the expectations I had of myself. Letting go of something you love is not a failure if you know there’s something better for you waiting around the corner. Focusing on what there is to gain instead of what’s left behind.

While I was in a questioning phase, a dear friend of mine asked me; “who do you want to be? Not what you want to do”. It resonated deep. It was one of the first time I actually thought about that opportunity of dissociating myself from work. I was always goal oriented, focused on my career. I felt like I had to show that I could succeed to others but also to myself. Almost like I had to prove my worth.

 

Connection

Connecting with myself and my purpose became a priority. Listening to my body, to my heart. Letting my mind wander. Creating with my soul. Evoking messages through my art was something I really connected with when I was in art school and I wanted to reconnect with that practice. Being able to create for myself while sharing my visions with others.

This whole process of changing direction has been an introspective experience. Not only did I quit my job, I also moved from the city to the country. Chose my surroundings in function of my goals. Making conscious decisions daily that aligns with the way I want to live, with who I want to become. Connecting with my self, my craft, my creations and nature. While being a little more isolated from people, I still hope to have an impact sharing my journey with whom may be interested. Sharing experiences and knowledge with one another is one the most valuable things in my opinion.

 

Transition

The most stressful part of the whole transition was to talk about my plans and dreams with my surrounding. They know how much I worked to get were I was. What if they don’t understand? Why would I do that? I felt like I was letting a lot of people down by changing career. I didn’t want it to feel as a failure because it isn’t. It’s just a great experience that came to an end to make place for another step of my journey. Flowers must wither so fruits can grow.

I was kinda scared to chose myself. But I did. I did and it feels awesome! I’m now in a physical and mental state were I can let myself wander through ideas and inspiration without restraints. There’s a pressure that left my shoulders, I can now create whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want.

The vastness of opportunities and drastic change is quite destabilizing though. Having more time for myself left place to hesitations and doubts, self-reflections and criticism. That is the hard part about change, questioning if I did the right thing? Did I blew off everything I’ve worked for? Am I still as worthy as I was when I had that title? Did I just waste my talent? Those questions went through my mind multiple times and still pop sometimes. It’s a constant task to remind myself why I made the changes. It’s not a failure, I’m not a failure. There’s rougher days and that’s normal. Gotta trust my gut and believe in myself because I know what I can achieve when I put my everything into it.

 

The quest

My quest is far from being complete, as I start a new chapter. It’s not much of a new journey but rather the continuation of the same one because what led me here is crucial knowledge for where I’m going. The self-discovery road is a mystery that I crave to explore.

My vision of the path of life is not so much of a trajectory from a place to another, but rather like a hallway with multiple doors representing choice and opportunities. There’s no right or wrong choices, it all depends on the outcome you’re looking for, and what feels right inside. Listen to your calling.

 

Follow the lantern of your soul.✨