Mid-Twenties and Killing It

Life after college…we dream about it all the time. Living life as a young adult with a new consistent stream of revenue, working in our careers, going on luxurious trips, making big investments in homes and cars. I expected nothing less than all of these things post college graduation in May 2017. After all, I had a signed job offer in a new and exciting city, had the support and backing of friends and family, and was super optimistic about my future. I prepared myself as best as I knew how for living my best life as a young adult, but of course I was a nervous 22 year old who was dead set on making my dreams come true.

3 months after graduation, I made a solo move to Dallas to begin my career at one of the top financial institutions in the world. I didn’t know anyone in the area or in my field, so I was free to build a new life for myself that was exactly what I wanted it to be. I worked; I learned; I grew; I problem solved; I hit milestones; I was doing everything right. But I was missing something. Everyday as an audit analyst, I was coached to see things as black and white and right or wrong. There was no room for interpretation. I was taught to follow operating procedures and write reports that documented word for word what actions I took. Regurgitating information that I was presented with left me with no room to develop my own interpretations or view things from different perspectives. I was missing creativity and expression. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I needed an outlet.

By the urging of coworkers and family, I took my first calligraphy class at a cute shop in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas in early 2019. I fully admit that I was terrible at pointed pen calligraphy and it did not feel natural. However, I was very intrigued by it and I was motivated by the fact that I was probably the worst student in the class and wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. So I kept with it and my support system stood behind me, gifted me tools, and encouraged me. Could this be my new thing?

As many of us know, life happens and you cannot always find the time to commit to your hobbies. That is exactly what happened to me, so I put it on the back burner for a while. During this time I was growing very overwhelmed with work, feeling lonely as I did not make as many friends as I anticipated, and couldn’t see it at the time…but I was falling into a functional depression. I never anticipated how difficult life after college could be. Making friends was a lot more difficult than I could have ever imagined and I spent a lot of time alone outside of work. I started growing more and more unhappy with my job and became very stressed. The stress became so bad that I began developing horrific stomach pains. It was time for me to create happiness for myself.

I moved back to my hometown of Atlanta, GA. I got a job at another financial institution with much better work life balance and I picked up my calligraphy pens again. Here I am surrounded by my friends and family, which has made the world of a difference. However, since I had become accustomed to flying solo for so long, I found myself having “me time” every so often. During these times, I was able to nurture my calligraphy/hand lettering skills. I learned by reading books, tracing letters, and watching Instagram and YouTube tutorials. I became so obsessed. This was definitely my thing.

On the Fourth of July 2020, I decided to create an Instagram account to document my progress. That was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I’ve connected with so many artists, entrepreneurs, and companies both inside and outside of the calligraphy community. I was welcomed into the tribe with open arms and my skills have taken off. I’ve had small business owners reach out to me for commissions when I wasn’t even thinking about monetizing my hobby. I was just doing it because I loved it. But I did take that leap of faith and began doing projects for Atlanta locals. I was thrown completely out of my comfort zone and wanted to run back to safety so many times, but I was in too deep. That was no longer an option, nor was it something I really wanted to do.

I still have my full-time corporate job, but I also have my side hustle and I can honestly say that I have never been more content with my life. By satisfying both my loves for corporate and creative projects, I finally feel whole. I think I held on to the idea that having a lucrative career would make me feel validated and fulfilled. I felt that since other people were impressed by me and my accomplishments, that I must’ve gotten life after college right. I was so hard on myself and so unhappy, yet I could not put my finger on the culprit until after I created my own happiness by moving myself back to a familiar place and getting a job I was better suited for. The icing on the cake was finding my new passion that I am able to share with my community and connect with artists with similar skillsets and interests. I am now 26 years old and I’m convinced that I am killing life in my mid-twenties. I like to tell my story to people because it is not uncommon for people this way, although it is uncommon for people to talk about. I share this in hopes that someone will feel validated and/or look inward and recognize that they may not be functioning as the best version of themselves. I want people to know that they are in control and the narrative is just getting started.

Through my calligraphy/ hand lettering journey, I’ve had the privilege of creating greeting cards, event signage, and keepsakes among many other items. The artistic process is different for everyone, but I prefer to pre-sketch, computerize, print, and trace my designs for acrylic signs. This process is a bit intensive and does involve me to cut and trim the paper to get the font positioned just right. As I build my confidence, I am sure that the processes I use will evolve and change over time. As you would expect, the other paper crafts that I create also involve a pair of scissors to cut, punch holes, curl ribbon and more.

I'd love to connect on Insta: @edwords. ink