Art. Business. Etcetera.

Sunday, Sept. 25, I take off on the open road.

The last time I took a road trip across the United States,

IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

I ended up living in the Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument for 7 months, and after that, I moved to Irvine, California to work for Designbyhumans and Teefury. None of that would have happened if I hadn’t scouted out the US to see what was out there.  When I graduated college, I always talked about moving to CA, so although it took almost 7 years, I made good on my threat. I ended up moving up to Washington state for a girl after a year in California… After a year and a half, that didn’t work out.

So I came back home to the South.

I’ve been back approximately a month.  I’ve been licking my wounds for a while, and admittedly there’s still some healing to do.  I look at the calendar every day, marking off the days as I go, knowing that in time, all the resentment, sadness, confusion, and all the things that come with losing grips on a shared dream, a shared future, will all subside and settle like dust on old photographs, obscuring the images and memories.

I don’t think this road trip will be as significant as the first. I’m pretty sure it will be much more enjoyable though.  The first trip was about destroying my fear. It’s daunting to be alone  hundreds of miles away from your hometown especially if you’ve been a “small town boy” for over 25 years.

This time, I have a few friends to meet along the way, I know some of the places I’ve been before that I want to visit, so it will be a vacation!

I picked up a decent camera and tripod so I’m hoping to take alot of pictures.  I’m really excited.  The thought of driving long distances sucks, but once you get west of Texas, it’s beautiful, and being free on the road makes me feel alive.

I ain’t no religious man, but I feel blessed.  I have a great job that I can work from the road, and I’m excited to go see my bosses.  We haven’t seen each other in over a year and half, and the last thing I said to them as I exited the conference room was, in a funny foreigner accent, “I hope to make you lots and lots of money.” They laughed and they said they hoped for the same.

You know what? I made good on that threat. More than that, we’ve been able to build a family, a community, a way for dozens of artists to make a livelihood as well as production workers, shipping, etc. The list goes on and on.

It’s amazing when you take charge and really believe in yourself, how fate, how destiny, is rather malleable to whatever you desire especially if everyone else on the team believes in the same thing.

Sure it didn’t work out with the ex, but I have no doubt that when the time is right, like the lyrics from Led Zeppelin’s Ramble On, I’ll find the “Queen of All My Dreams.”

Speaking of, I should make some new, good threats.

Go surfing with Jason.

Continue to grow Teefury, and do good things. Charitable things. We’ll help artists. We’ll thrive into the future.

I’ll meet the Queen of My Dreams, maybe even knock her up, and spawn mini jimiyos.

I won’t give up hope.

Today is mighty fine. Tomorrow is divine.