Beautiful Southeast Portland

It’s easy to forget to take a moment and to be present. On any given day, there are many variables in our lives that are easy to get caught up in; the deadlines, our relationships, money and expectations. Today was different. As the snow blanketed the town the world seemed calm and alive. As I walked down the street, I saw no one. All I could hear was the squeak then the crunch of my boot as it pushed down the snow. I took a deep breath. The air felt clean and fresh as it hit my lungs. The flakes were refreshing as they landed on my face. The wind swirling around me was a nice reminder that the chaos of the world was still there, but as I inhaled that fresh, clean air, I felt calm and present. As I exhaled, I knew this was a feeling I had forgotten about.

 We all have the ability to take a moment to look around. To take a deep breath and to feel present. To feel aware. To feel lucky to be feeling it. Let’s not forget that in the wind that swirls around us, is a life that is happening – it’s your life. & let’s not forget that.

Thank you for reading & much love,
J

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I moved from Phoenix to Portland on my own, exactly 1 year ago & this is what it has taught me…

My full car on my drive to PDX!

– You can do anything you put your mind to
– Drawbridges are pretty freakin’ cool
– Coffee and beer is a way of life out here

– Being homesick and getting through it creates a growth within you, you could never experience otherwise
– The creative and tech community is just as amazing if not better than you could ever imagine (thank you all for being so welcoming!)
– Walking a goat is a thing
– You will never, ever, ever get a tan
– Umbrellas aren’t a thing when it rains. Bringing an extra change of clothes with you is the thing.

Random little beauts from the amazing PDX area

– Everyone smiles at you in Portland
– THE GRATEFUL DEAD, Marvin Gaye & James Brown and I have hung out at the same place (The Crystal Ballroom)
– Life isn’t always easy – but it’s important to always keep working your plan and to keep revisiting and adjusting your goals as needed… You have control over how you live your life, make the best of it!

Thank you for reading!

Muchlove!
– J

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I woke up this morning knowing my first hack day was upon me. I have been looking forward to this event for some time now, but this morning.. I just wasn’t feeling it. and I felt a couple different ways; Sick, worn out and not wanting to get out of bed. Wishing I was going to the talks that were happening during TechFestNW today instead of the hack day and overall conflicted on what to do.

My approach to many things in life is to “go with what feels right.” My theory is, If you listen to yourself and are aware of what your gut is telling you – you will know what the right thing is to do. I knew I had to do the hack day, but I was really mentally trying to sway my thoughts the other direction. I didn’t feel well, was bummin’ about the talks & in all honestly… I was kind of scared. I have an idea of what a hack day is all about, but… do I belong at one? Am I going to fail?

While getting ready, I thought about my goals for today
1: Meet new people
2: Learn something new
3: Put myself in a new situation that might be slightly uncomfortable.

Going to listen to the talks happening today would probably only fall under #2. You rarely make solid connections during a series of back to back talks. Being involved in the hack day fell under all 3 goals. #1 – At events like this, you have the opportunity to meet tons of new people. You also get to collaborate with others – which falls directly under goal #2 – learning. I was also very interested in understanding hack days in general, so that is a bonus. Let’s be honest… going to events alone is always slightly uncomfortable… & that falls under #3.

While debating what to do this morning, I naturally played around on my phone for a while – I hopped on twitter and this is the first tweet I see:

Now, if that is not a sign from the universe.. I don’t know what is. I, however, stayed true to rebelling against my gut… and now the universe. My plan was to go to the event and if I wasn’t feeling it, I would just leave. (I would have regretted not at least not trying.) I was one of the first people to arrive & I could have easily just walked away. But I saw someone sitting by themselves & I decided to say hi. We ended up chatting for 10-15 minutes and it was great (Hey Scott!).

Hack day was beginning, so I sat down at the long table and introduced myself to everyone around me. Doing that tends to help me feel more comfortable and I am sure others as well.

The event was held at OMSI

The companies gave their pitches, then groups were formed and all was falling into place. Or, that is what was supposed to happen anyway. I sat there, completely clueless, unsure of what to do. A few people kind of joined teams, others sat looking puzzled, some got on their phones & a couple people even straight up left and never returned. This guy, Dan was going to get coffee, so I went with him in an effort to not feel so out of place & to maybe still make a quick exit to the talks. We got coffee, some food and really took our time getting back to begin working. Dan got caught up in a conversation, so I left him and walked back to the room.

I didn’t see the team I was interested in joining, so I walked out – ready to bail on the entire event – but my gut was screaming at me to stay. I took a deep breath, turned back around – saw someone from one of the companies walking my way & asked if they needed a designer on their team. They lead me to the group & to my surprise they were looking for me and was hoping I would join their team! The next 5 hours I rarely thought about the talks & throughly enjoyed my time. I cannot wait to do another hack day, I left feeling so inspired and energized! We even won tickets to next years TechFestNW, this years Lean Day West & a got sweet t-shirt from Mandrill!

Thanks Mandrill!

Today I not only listened to my gut, but I also pushed myself into doing something that felt scary to me. The best part? It totally paid off & I met all of my goals!

1. I met new people – I actually made friends & true connections.
2. I learned new things, like how great JSfiddle is.
3. I put myself in a new situation and now I am more than excited to do my next Hack Day… & I bet I won’t feel nearly as uncomfortable.

What has paid off due to you trusting your gut?

Thank you for reading,
Muchlove,
Jehn

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I have been thinking lately about where I am today and what it has taken for me to get here. Is it my own determination? Support from my friends & family? Inspiration from people I have met in my life? That one book I read? That one quote I saw on that one site? That album I listened to on repeat? You could argue each instance in my life as a whole, is what has brought me to where I am today. I would say, though, that I would not be where I am today without the people that have been in my life.

These people are the ones that had me listen to that album, shared that quote, supported my determination and recommended that book… and I am on a quest to thank them all. One personalized letter or e-mail at a time. For no reason, except to open their eyes to the greatness that is in them and let them know they impacted my life in one way or another. I feel they should be thanked for that.

Is there anyone you would like to thank?

Muchlove & thank you for reading,

J

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I have had this dream since I first went to New York in 2009 that I wanted to live in a creative city, get really involved in the community, rent a small studio apartment, ditch my car, shop at the corner grocery store and take public transit everywhere. About six months ago I moved to Portland, Oregon and I feel like I am in am in the middle stages of exploring my dream… my dream of finding more focus, finding a path & ultimately finding success & fulfillment as a creative designer.

Finding a focus:
It was April 2012 and my college graduation was creeping up on me. I was very excited but also nervous to not have the security blanket of school and student loans helping keep me warm at night anymore. While I was in college, I worked as a Waitress, a dog sitter and a Freelance Creative Designer to pay my bills. I knew once I graduated, I would have to find focus for my future, I would have to make a choice… to continue freelancing or to find a firm to work at? To stay in Phoenix or to leave?

Finding a path:
In traditional Jehn fashion, I decided to put off that decision making of what to do after graduation and travel for a month.

In August 2012, I began my solo journey – sans all electronic devices besides my phone – traveling around the western part of the country via train, bus, plane and the occasional automobile, visiting friends & taking a breather to hopefully find some clarity in those questions looming over me. I am the type of person who trusts her intuition over logic with questions like these. I try to go with what feels right for me…. “I listen to the wind of my soul” if you will. I went into my journey with an open mind, open eyes and the aim to stay present during my trip with the hope of finding answers, with the hope of finding a path.

The sixth stop of my journey, I took the AmTrak from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon. (which I highly recommend. Make sure you sit on the West side of the train to see the beautiful scenery.) When I got off the train and walked outside of Union Station, the sun was warming me, the activity of everyone around was exciting me, the glistening of the sun on the trees was beautiful, all of the downtown buildings around me made me feel at home… I knew I had to move here. I knew something bigger than I knew was here for me. Keeping in line with staying present, I did not mention that moment I had at Union Station to anyone until I got home two weeks later and had time to reflect on it. A week after I got home I was already deciding what to sell and what to keep to fit in my car to move up here. I followed a path I felt good about to Portland four months later & have no intention of leaving.

Finding Success:
My next step is to find a solid career path which will come with answering the question of pursuing my career as a freelance designer or joining a firm & to find fulfillment & success within my decision. I am giving it a year to make a name for myself here as a freelancer & seeing where I land… In order to gauge how I am doing, I need to explore the depths of my freelance career, find my niche, find where I excel in this community and figure out how to achieve the success I want. Part of finding that success will be through this blog & I hope you join me on my journey.

What you will find in future posts on the blog is me opening my eyes to various topics in & around my creative field + life. (IE: Technology, Design, Freelance Life, Life in general etc.) that I find interesting, want to know more about or want to challenge myself with and ultimately want to share. I will spend a certain amount of time diving deep into each idea and I will write about what I what I learn, how I feel and where I am at with finding my next path…

What have you done to follow your dreams, to find your path?

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