What to Be or Not to Be: That is the Question

When I was a little girl, I dreamt of becoming a famous author. (The dream never died, by the way; it lives in me to this day. Perhaps it’s true what they say: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” With time, I shall test this theory.) In my early teen years, I fancied becoming a journalist.  It was a dream-come-true when, during my junior year of high school, I was assigned the role of "Features Editor" for my high school newspaper.
By the time college rolled around, my interests had changed.  In spite of abusing large amounts drugs and alcohol during my adolescent years, I graduated from the university with top honors. I attribute this in large part to my impassioned writing, which was my savior when it came time for mid-term papers and final exams. Professors seemed to enjoy my essays. In those years, with so many metaphorical pats-on-the-back from teachers and academic advisors, I had vague aspirations of joining the ranks of academia.
Somewhere around the age of 23, I read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, which triggered in me the notion that art was my true calling. This discovery was poorly-timed, however: I had just accepted a full scholarship to a Master’s of Social Work program in Boston.
It only took me a few days of class to realize that the program wasn’t right for me. However, in keeping with my characteristic stubbornness, I refused to quit until something set me sailing far over the edge: that is, my father’s untimely death during winter break.
Preoccupied with the formidable task of exorcising my internal demons, I returned to my native Minneapolis for treatment. Shortly thereafter, I found employment in the aforementioned stable-but-passionless Finance position.
After a few years with the company, I became acquainted with a charitable organization called Free Arts Minnesota. It just so happened that my employer was one of their biggest corporate sponsors. I was fascinated by the Free Arts mission, “to [bring] the healing powers of artistic expression into the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families.”

 I first volunteered for Free Arts as an Art Buddy who accompanied a child one-on-one through various art projects during a designated “Free Arts Day” sponsored by my employer. Invigorated by this day-long event, I dedicated myself to the cause. It wasn’t long before I’d interviewed for and accepted a position as a Volunteer Mentor, which entailed that I team up with a group of other mentors and, once weekly, spend a couple hours at a partner facility, teaching at-risk kids about art and simultaneously serving as a positive adult role model.

For the first time in my adult life, I felt as if I were truly in my element. I loved collaborating with my fellow volunteers and preparing art projects to share with the kids. Even though I still found my 9-to-5 job rather humdrum, my volunteer position with Free Arts gave me a profound sense of professional purpose.
I maintain hope that a position equally as fulfilling as volunteering, exists here in Philadephia; I simply have to find it . . . or perhaps create it.