More and more I’m excited about the prospect of taking the train to Chicago every day, if only because I will be trapped for over an hour with nothing to do besides being creative. Writing on the train will be an exercise in discipline, in artistry. I can only wonder about the things that will pop up in my neural pathways while shooting across Indiana railways over to Illinois.

I want to keep up with my writing, even if it’s only journal writing, or planning of rough copy of a zine. Short stories would be nice. Novel sketches. Who knows?

I won’t be saddled with “making time” because it sounds too much like an easy excuse. Making time. If only I could create time or stop it, slow it down, that would be worth trying at least once.

And when I fail, I can always go back to writing on the train.

The construction of a zine is a beautiful thing. A journey. Enlightenment. And satisfaction.

I’ve noticed trends and specific tastes in the things I pin, and it’s interesting to find the similarities in the preferences of others. I love this way of bookmarking so much that I’ve started a board for web design inspiration, small snapshots of things to look at when I’m feeling stuck or otherwise voyeuristic. I love sneaking peeks at sites, piecing together the logic of, “Why did they do this, and what did they hope to achieve?” in my head. Justifying design and user experience is thrilling. I love showing people how and why and rolling a bit of tasteful aesthetic into the mix as well.

I’m meeting up with Atom next week for food and talk. I’m curious about the things we’ll talk about, like the areas in which I can improve in design. I look forward to such conversations.

They inspire me.

Is this a bad thing? I don’t think so. I’ve been freelancing for the past year, which also means I have been working on a computer alone almost all the time. I’m missing office culture. I’m missing voices, missing people. It’s why I write so well when I’m sitting at Uptown Cafe; there is constant background noise. And sometimes it just means something to know there are other creative people around, even if they aren’t interacting with me directly.

So what will happen with my freelance work? I plan to keep the small client base I have created and continue to collaborate with the few people I have established positive and professional relationships with. I just won’t be able to take on new clients or large projects at this time unless it is something I am really interested in.

Depending on where I get a job and where I am living will also dictate my availability schedule. If I’m commuting to Chicago everyday, the time allotted won’t be much at all.

Yes, I said Chicago. I’m working really hard to find something here in Northwest Indiana, but if nothing pops up, I will have to look elsewhere. I’m in a position where I can even move to an entirely different area if necessity says, “You have to do this, and you have to do this right now.” For now though I just want to play everything by ear and see what is available.

I want to thank everyone for their support and their business during 2010. You all helped me grow as a designer, developer, and as a person. Without you I would hate to think where I would be.

And so commences the job hunt of 2011. Rock on.