I have had a seriously interesting week. I have been busy procrastinating, rushing, and slumming. Here are some of the things I have tackled this week:

• Writing my next article for Style-ology Magazine
• Reaching out to more people in different positions in the Industry for Road Maps interviews
• Packing for my weekend trip to Seoul
• Helping a friend with her exercise routine
• Finalizing my trip back home to the States
• Applying for jobs in LA while trying to find a studio that accepts pets
  

This is a really interesting time in mine and my friends lives because it's an ending and beginning for us. Here in Korea we are leaving the financial and job security, but cultural discomfort we have come to love/hate for the past year and have to face some serious decisions about the following months/years. While back home fellow FIDM classmates are facing a new chapter and new beginning in what most of us still consider a very foreign land. With that comes stress, fear, frustration, and excitement.

I have listened to my friends talk about their Plans A-C, and others are just winging it. I have a plan that I am taking step by step, here is a preview (all of which will one day be a post on their own):

1.) Apply for Student Loans that will cover the rest of tuition

• Take Staci's advice and see if I can get a bit of loan money to cover living for a few months
• Let the amount I get to determine move #2

2.) Continue to Apply for Jobs

• Commit to more than just the Cut-Paste-Click Method
• Look into building a Writer's Portfolio

3.) Continue to Look for Apartments

• I have a dog and he is coming with mommy
• Studio is good enough for me - Hello have you seen Carrie's place?
  

4.) Make a Decision about How I am Getting to LA from the East Coast

• Drive or Fly?
  
• Mapping out a driving route, who to visit, where to sleep, AAA Membership

That is where I stop with the planning.

It has been some time since graduating college and at first I was really upset with myself for what I perceived to be mistakes that I made trying to live according to standards that were not my own. But that helped me to see this move to LA from the outside. It keeps the stress level down and the reason that I am moving out there in perspective. So here is what I have learned along the way:

• My Fashion Freeway is MINE - I determine my Point B and if I let someone else dictate my journey it's like letting them max out my credit card and sticking me with the bill.
  
• Remember WHY I am on that Freeway in the first place - It can be easy to get caught up in all the "billboards" on your freeway and stopping on your journey to see the sites for whatever reason. But this can prolong your journey and sometimes keep you from your Point B altogether.
  
• Travel at My Pace using My Road Maps- One of the reasons that I started this blog was to show myself that there is no right or wrong way to get to your Point B, our journeys are as diverse as we are. As long as my Road Maps do not directly harm or hinder someone else's journey I am free to ride Connectors, Change Lanes, and wait at a self created Traffic Jam for as long as necessary, as long as I am focused on my Point B. The variety of people with whom I have spoken about their careers in the Industry are all of different age, economic status, and education level. I appreciate that.
  

Now that brings me to the Traveling Music I chose for today; So Small by Carrie Underwood. This past week I have been doing a lot of listening and talking about some stuff that just doesn't matter. I think we have all lost a little bit of perspective and this song captures that so much. So for those of you who can't watch the video or just might miss the point these lyrics sum it up:







- Carrie Underwood Lyrics


Now Stop, and take a Deep Breath. Regain perspective as to why you are on your freeway in the first place. Some things are and will always be out of our control, but our Freeway is OURS. Go own it!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA"