As many of you know, I finished my undergrad almost a year ago (finally!). I know it takes some time to “figure out” what one chooses to do after they graduate and I know it’s “different strokes for different folks”, but as for me,… well,… it’s taken me some time to figure out what I’d like to do with my life… at least for now.

I graduated, planning to eventually go on to become a teacher. What I didn’t originally plan for was becoming a teacher in California. Growing up on the East Coast and attending my first year of school at a small private college on a mountain, didn’t prepare me for what was to come on the West Coast (I won’t get into all the details today of how I, ironically, came to end up in California). The frustrating thing about teaching in California is that you can’t just go to college for  4 years, do your student teaching the last year of your undergrad, take your tests, and then start teaching fresh out of college. Noooo,… in California they must make it very complicated.  Being burnt out, and feeling like it took forever to simply finish my undergrad,  made me not want to start another full year of student teaching during the day and intense classes at night. I was done. I needed a break. I didn’t want to look at school again for a while. Which is why, for some time now, I have had no clue what I should do for my “career” after college. Many times, I have felt frustrated, without purpose, and helpless… ha! But, you know what, I am thankful for this experience. Not knowing what I want to do has forced me to think of what I would reallllly want to do, if I had the choice.  I have always loved art. I have always loved doing “creative” things. But, I have never felt so extremely skilled that I could pursue it as a way of life. But, having time to think has challenged me. I may not be the next Picasso or Martha Stewart, but if I can do what I love for a job, I’m going to go for it. Which is why,… after this long rant, I would like to introduce you to the beginnings of “Lydia’s Pen and Paper”. The website is not even up yet, but I thought I’d at least begin to tell everyone about it. I have no clue where it will go. I have no idea if people will like it. I have no clue if it will all be a flop. But, I’m trying it.  It’s in the beginning stages,… but I’ve been working hard the past few days to get some stuff together. Working on business cards,… a website,… written samples of my work. It’s getting there. I’m having fun and I’m liking what I’m doing. And, thats got to be worth something, right?   In the future, Lydia’s Pen and Paper will offer customized invitations and hand written invitations, placecards, announcements, correspondence cards, etc. with your choice of my personalized calligraphy styles.  In the next few weeks, I’ll be adding examples of my customized invitations, announcements, placecards, and calligraphy styles to be viewed online.   So,…tell all your friends about it!  And, let me know what you think!