I'm finding that's the weirdest statement to ever have come out of my mouth. Who in their right mind would quit their regular paying job to become an artist? Anyway, it's done. The messy business of telling my employer, who's sweet and has always been there for me ( a little too much, at times) that I'd give him some time to find someone, and give him the name of one potential school bus driver, is all but over. I'm helping the new gal figure out my route, the kids and the paper work, and then?

Three things inspired me. One, that a friend, of 30 years passed away of cancer, in what I think of as the height of her life, last April. I've had such a strong sense of "life's too damned short" ever since the onset of her 1 1/2 yr sickness. It's sort of a tribute to her life, which albeit was too short, but very full.

Two, the job I had was a job. Some advise that one should not let your job define you. I agree with that, if one has a job that they don't necessarily like. I, personally would like to define my job, then allow it to showcase who I am. With the CSA, I've taken a fairly simply framework of a concept, and built exactly what I want in it. I couldn't do that with school bus driving. There were 3 things I was in control of, the wheel, the seating plan and what music we listened to. The rest is up to the students, parents, weather, dept of transportation and my boss.

Three, I really opened myself up for the past year to finding something else. All my adult life, I've had people say I should pursue art, I've wanted to, but really, it is a bit of a crap shoot, isn't it? I've been looking hard at each opportunity outside the art world (and there have been many in these 'good times') and throwing them out, knowing that I'd be unhappy again, I'd have settled. This summer, tho, I've had nothing but art ideas and offers thrown my way. They haven't dropped in my lap, by any means, but all I had to do was suggest, and boom! another chance produced itself.

Now, add to that, the fact that I've taken a true look at the $ I'm making driving and laugh to think that it mattered much. It won't be such a leap to think I could make at least that much with art.

So, the "then what?" question is answered. The list of possibilities is endless, really, but for now there's quite a wonderful array of things that came up. Whilst grocery shopping, I ran into the principal of the elementary school my kids went to. I asked if she was still going to be principal, and she asked if I was still driving. My answer was "Yes, I guess, until I'm not. I'd rather be teaching art", to which she replied "well! Then you should write up a proposal. What do you want to teach? Painting? Drawing? How much time would you need? ". Ha. That easy.

Then, there's the commission job that I simply asked if I could do, and was blessed with an affirmative answer. It's a mosaic back splash. A rooster.

The other things are murals in both a greenhouse bathroom and a gym, the creative end of a business with a friend who wants only occassional work now, of designing and building children's bedrooms, a consignment location, teaching workshops to the women out where I live, on things like mosaic stepping stones, drawing classes for kids, and workshops on maskmaking for teens.

Life is good.