The Last Month

Oh, hey. It's been just about three years since my last post. I've definitely let things here slide by unattended, and have focused more on the mundane day-by-day instead of overall goals. I've been working with the same company I mentioned previously, and it's honestly been pretty great overall. I've made some amazing friendships and have had a lot of fun being a part of such an amazing, close-knit team. As a bonus, I have learned a lot about my craft, further refining my skills and regaining confidence in the field of design. I've taken on a ton of extra responsibilities within my department, and have been trained in on a handful of specialized teams. All of this was done with the intention of moving up within the company, and learning as much as I could during my time here. Unfortunately, my time here is close to an end. One month from today, July 28, will be my last day. There has been a company restructuring, and the executive staff has decided that my entire department will be no longer needed. This is eliminating jobs for over 100 people in my department alone. Yup. Ouch. We found out back in February, and none of us saw it coming. I've experienced such a range of emotions since then, and everyone has dealt with it differently. In a way, it's nice that it's happening to all of us instead of just a few, since it's much easier for us to relate to one another. It's brought us all together, and unified us as a team more than ever before, but it's also bittersweet since we all know it will soon come to an end. For me, during the first two months, I think I cycled through the stages of grief at least a dozen times. I then sunk into a weird, emotionless void, where I knew a huge change was coming but I didn't want to think about it, so I did my best to just ignore it and try to live in the present. (Admittedly, I didn't always succeed.) The past few months I've spent building up my portfolio and preparing for the imminent job hunt. I finally finished my updated portfolio website earlier this week, and am hopeful that it will be of use in landing another graphic position. I've really been trying to focus on the positives instead of the negatives. Funnily enough, looking back on my blog posts here has helped. I was going through a lot of the same things three years ago as I am now, and it's been nice to reflect back on those hopeful feelings. It's definitely a similar cycle, and although this time it wasn't as much on my terms, it's still very much the same. I do have hope that this unexpected change will lead to better things, but I will confess that I am terrified that I will be taking a step backwards. I guess all I can do in the meantime is just try to be positive and keep my head up. I have learned so much during my time here, so I am in a much better position than I was three years ago. And in all honesty, this could be a really good time for a change of pace, and a great opportunity to see some new faces and have new experiences. My life has become a bit stale as of late, so this could very well be the kick in the ass I needed to take a step forward into a new, brighter future. I will do my best to post updates when I can, and I'll try to keep you all in the loop. I'll also be posting a few of the projects I've worked on over the past few years, and maybe even get that Pinterest Find of the Week up and going again (although probably not weekly as before). I'll end with a quote from my "Firsts & Lasts" post: This time last year, I was in the exact same place as I was this year. This time next year, essentially everything has the potential to be different. Fingers crossed it will be for the best! :)