Life in the FAST Lane

As many of you may already know, I have made my leap and landed feet first in a new life journey. I'll be returning to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in September of this year, pursuing a BFA in Art & Design emphasizing Photography and Digital Imaging.

This turned out to be more of a realistic choice than I originally thought, since I was essentially competing against hundreds, possibly thousands of other applicants for one of less than 100 spaces in this program. My confidence in my work has not been at high level until now, simply because I lack some experience that others, who have been seriously pursuing such a path for much longer than I, would have gained. So after applying in the fall, I was invited to submit a portfolio of 24 photos, both from film and digital media, for review by department heads and staff members at Cal Poly. Needless to say I was a little nervous, an emotion amplified by my procrastination and lack of experience with presentation of this type. But I got it done, and shipped my carefully packaged and organized collection of work (what I had gathered as my best montage, not a dedicated set with a common theme)to them by the deadline in March.

Less than one month later, as I casually looked over my application status through the web portal, I saw one word that had not been there before: "Congratulations.". My first reaction was to jump up and down and hoot and holler, but it was around 1am and thus an inappropriate time for such jubilation. I settled on a contented sigh and a little jig. It was a load off of my mind, such a relief, to know where I would be this time next year, to have a plan. Something inside me feared that I might never find my way back onto any road, that I would walk the desert of uncertainty forever wondering "what could have been?". Those fears evaporated at that moment. It felt good.

And so now I find myself preparing to leave home again, moving into a new apartment in SLO, campus adjacent. I look forward to the summer, the end of suffering through low-quality community college classes, and the promise of a fresh start in September among my old friends and new peers. Things are turning around for me, and it feels great.

So I decided that I would revive this previously depressing monologue of shame to its former glory. With a new direction, a new title, and a new lease on life, I now take one more step down this new and uncharted road. What an adventure it promises to be...

p.s. if you would like to see photos, check out my gallery at WiseguyImages.com.