Removing the Cock-Block to My Creative Soul

...or a more graceful title...

I'm sitting here at my office desk, eating a rice cake with peanut butter, and pondering life, as usual. And what I'm pondering all has to do with this space, and these walls surrounding me, with the generic painting that has been added for a splash of color (I really think it has too much pink in it, I hate pink).

So, I've been at this job for about 3 months now. Of course, I'm still a newbie. But I've been here the sufficient amount of time to ask myself, "Is this what I want for my life? Is this a passion of mine?"

Hmmm.

Helping people is most certainly a passion of mine. As you probably know, I'm a university advisor. So, yes, I help people. The only problem is, universities are often run like businesses now-a-days; therefore, the job is not pure advising. This causes a bit of a dilemma in my soul...

Yes, my soul!

I think this is because I have a very creative soul, and I was most certainly born that way. When I was very young, I would draw non-stop. I remember I had this ravenous hunger to create, create, create. My dad has told me how I would go through a whole ream of paper in a few days, front and back.

What's sad is I don't draw anymore. What has been up with my spirit lately?

I do, however, write. This blog started as a professor's recommendation to "write everyday as practice." I've had this blog for over 6 years now. Obviously, my desire to create has not left me.

So, the next logical step is to ask myself, what am I gonna do about it? Am I going to spend this creative energy only on my blog, or should I push it further? Of course I should. I'll keep the desk job in the meantime (a girl's gotta bring home the bacon), but I'm writing this post as a reminder and a challenge.

I MUST DO MORE. I MUST NOT STIFLE MY CREATIVE SPIRIT.

This includes drafting articles and sending them out. Getting back into drawing (I secretly still love it so). Writing children's books and sending them to publishers (I've always wanted to do this). Getting in touch with greeting card companies for the heck of it (why not be a greeting card freelancer?). Painting, crafting, making random crap, etc. CREATING.

This is all in attempt in getting back in touch with 5-year-old Ashley who knew what was up! She's the one that knows the key to life...that we should only be doing what we love. Nothing could stop me from drawing like a maniac then. What's stopping me from creating now?

So, now that we've removed the cock-block, it's time to make those babies (creatively speaking).

"My business is to create." -- William Blake