Dawn's Long and Silly Journal - Read only if you are bored!

So I dont know if any of you ever experience this but I have had the hardest time accepting what I am known for here in Huntsville. What I mean by that is when I lived in Indy I was only known as a photographer. Well that and the fact that I worked in marketing. But everyone knew me as an artist. I went back to school after getting my degree in Photography and Computer Graphics to get my teaching degree. I didnt start teaching until I moved to Huntsville. Well, what do you think happened? Everyone in Huntsville knows me as a teacher. Which let me stop right here and say that I am glad to be known as a teacher and it is the most difficult thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding... and who wouldnt love the time off? So I love my job more than anything and am very proud to be doing what I do. I just dont want to lose who I was and still am.

When I went to Indiana Wesleyan I changed my major to art two weeks into my freshman year and had to declare a specific major during my sophomore year. I chose Photography and Computer Graphics because I felt like the two complemented each other well. Also I found out that year that I wasnt that bad at Photography (compared to drawing which I sucked at big time!) Out of all the art students they only give one photography scholorship out a year to who they deem the most promising photography student. I recieved this during my sophomore year - which was a shock but a huge honor. Anywayt, I then became a teaching and technical assistant in the photo lab where I worked and helped students for the remaining two years of college. During my summer breaks I helped a prominent wedding photographer i was his assistant during weddings. I began doing some weddings on my own here and there and honestly never have loved doing them... it takes your whole weekend... it's high stress and hard work. not my cup of tea! anyway, I also worked in a portrait studio in the town where my parents lived as the senior portrait photographer. I did a ton of graphics work for my jobs after college. I havent done that much since coming to Huntsville because I have had to work up to getting programs, cameras, equipment... all of that stuff! But I am slowly but surely building up the things I need and hope to start doing more and more with it again. I have to say that I really miss all of my artist friends up in Indy and miss the critiques on our work and getting together to brainstorm ideas for artwork. I went to an awesome church filled with amazingly talented artists and we would create artwork for messages or just for the beautification of the room or whatever. We dreamed up more than we created but it was a blast! I hope to move back to that a bit more in the future. I do have great artist friends here but we are all getting older and dont have as much time to sit around and dream up art projects!
Some other things I like to do... well, I also like to do stained glass, oil paint, weave if i had a loom, and draw if i am in the mood. Anyway, I guess I am just feeling like no one really knows me or what I enjoy doing and who I feel like I am. Since teaching I have learned so many other artforms that I never would have imagined doing. I like to create things - that is it in a nutshell! Sorry for the rambling waste of your time! I hope you stopped reading a long time ago. I am mostly just thinking out loud. Maybe someone here in H'ville feels like they know me better.... who knows?