I got laid off 6 weeks ago. By email. Very classy. And it made me realize that for the past many years, come December, I find myself either a.) out of a job, or b.) hugely dissatisfied with my job. This year, it’s a. And so, a week ago, I sat down and did math (not something I’m known to do all that often…) and figured out that if I kept my retail, part-time job hours that I currently work, that I might just be able to do it. I might just be able to squeak by, keep the wolves at bay, and build some wings for Antoinette Design that might keep her aloft…not just temporarily airborne. My fledgling little jewelry business that keeps me sane and that I love enough to go to war for…maybe I could just do this thang!?

And so, I stopped applying for all those 9to5 graphic design jobs that I didn’t really want (and, consequently, didn’t get) and started thinking, Holy Crap…I’m actually going to do this. And so…I intend this blog to be the space where I can put this whole experience out to the world, with the sincere hope that maybe someone else out there might feel justified if they’re taking a plunge of a similar nature. Truth be told, I’m freakin’ scared right now. Scared of becoming a bear from working retail at Christmas…scared that it’s going to take ages and ages before I’m able to see some revenue from my work, scared that I’ll never get my visa paid off, and scared that all of this might actually work out in my favor…wouldn’t that be a laugh?

I work retail tomorrow, but I am hugely excited about Thursday…when the studio gets torn down, purged and rebuilt…I’m crazy to think that all of this will happen in one day, but at least we will get started. I will take pix…to document the terror, the carnage, the destruction and rebirth of my 9 foot by 9 foot creative space…please ignore the litter box…