It’s the end of February and a lot of things have changed in my life.
A few weeks ago I took a job as a Video Editor at Guitar Center and moved back to LA. This meant saying goodbye to the Pacific Northwest again and packing up all my belongings and driving down I-5. It’s been a little over two weeks since I’ve been back in SoCal, and in many ways, I’m still trying to get myself established. This includes finishing my move and finding an apartment of my own. I feel like I’m getting close on this and should be signing a lease on the first of March. I’m stoked to have a place that I can call my own. However, in many ways, this is only the beginning.
During much of the pandemic, I didn’t feel like I was growing in areas of my life. I felt like much of my life was stagnate and it was affecting my emotional wellbeing. With this new chapter in my life, I’m hoping to make changes in my life.
First and foremost, I want to focus on my career. I am extremely excited about the opportunity at Guitar Center because it is a chance to grow professionally and learn more about how I can be a better editor. It is also a chance to learn more about color grading and color correction, audio mixing for video, and other areas of post-production. My goal is to learn from my peers and take my craft to the next level.
I also want to focus on my own social life and build a community of friends outside of work that I can explore LA with and get into adventures. During much of the pandemic, I was a hermit not doing anything or seeing anyone. To put it simply I was very lonely and felt very isolated. It impacted my mental health because I felt like I didn’t have a community that I could reach out to. I want to use this opportunity to meet other creative professionals. Los Angeles is one of the best places to meet and interact with creative professionals on a regular basis. I want to surround myself with these people and call them my friends, be inspired by them, and use them to chase after my own creative projects and hopefully make my dreams become a reality.
Finally, I also need to start prioritizing my health and get back in shape. During much of the pandemic, I was using food as an emotional release to cope with a world that felt overwhelming and scary. As Covid-19 continues to move towards becoming an endemic I need to start working out on a regular basis and do a better job of eating healthier. I’m not exactly sure what this means or what this looks like. I have ideas though.
Change is hard. However, it is critical to grow and take our lives in a new direction that will bring us meaning. I know that this journey will have plenty of ups and downs along the way and I know there will be times that will challenge me. But I need to remember these trials are only there to make me stronger. I need to focus on my goals and why I moved to LA, especially when times get tough because they will.
In summary, I’m stoked to be back in LA. I’m excited to see how I’m going to grow as a professional and I can’t wait to see where things take me. At the end of the day, I know it’s going to be an awesome adventure. Here’s to new beginnings.