Here’s my plan: I want to be practical. I want to work in the writing/photography/graphics field, but my background is in banking/economics/finance. I need to be completely honest with myself, but I’m torn. Do I make the risky choice or the safe choice? Tell me– What should I do?
Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.
Quotation from Janis Joplin
I have been struggling for many years in pursuit of a career in opera and am finding that it’s the people who have money behind them who are getting places, whether or not they have the best voices… So, yes, I’d marry for money at this point. After all, having the career would make me happy.
Quotation from “pvlstar” on iVillage.com
While $1 million or $2 million may sound like a lot to people making $30,000, it’s hardly enough to transform someone’s life or make them “rich” by contemporary billionaire standards.
Quotation from Robert Frank, Marrying for Love of Money
Wow you’re gorgeous, well if you dare sell your photo to a magazine, get tons of money as a cushion, take apart time job in a bank, and the rest of the time, pursue your TRUE love, for example I’ve heard that some Insurance company hire out to phtographers to get photos of things/houses, jewels, etc…f people they are insuring, nt exactly creative, but it can earn you some money, while You try to find a newspaper (online or otherwise) who will hire you at doing some of they’re comic strips…you’re young, you’re gorgeous, you’re talented, you’re intelligent, and not all ‘Higher Ups’ are stupid, and do recognize talent when they see it!…if you haven’t done so yest, send your ‘EncoreSeraphine’ e-mail link to all newspaper you can think of and well don’t give up! Things can happen slowly so slowly we give up, but that’s a big mistake! You are so talented and creative and smart, if you can’t find a position where you can shine, well then the World is Stupid and miss out! So there!
I encourage you to take the risky choice – you’re young. This forced change in your life can be viewed as an opportunity. Consider the safe choice as back-up.
(I know whereof I speak – safe choices can turn around and bite you in the a**. I wish the change in my life had come years ago…)
And, hey, the destination is never a sure thing. You might as well take the plunge.
My old lady advice? Don’t choose between safe and risky. Choose what you want.
I got out of the military in 1981, wanting to pursue my dreams. I started college immediately, hoping to be a surgeon in a few years. The problem is I was already a full-blown alcoholic by then, so I ended up dropping out of college and working in I.T. which is what I did in the military so it was an easy fit. I’m now 50 and haven’t had a drink for over a dozen years, but I did waste 30 years of my career on something that is to me not fulfilling at all but does bring home a nice paycheck. Finally this past year I got a BS degree and am now working on a Master’s. My dreams have changed since I was in my 20′s, but at least now I can pursue them.
The morale: Pursue your dreams while you can; they are as fleeting as life itself.
well, at least one thing is clear to me: you do have guts (I refer to your main picture for today).
It’s very symbolic to me, as if you want to strip yourself from all old baggage and start from scratch.
Your call for the advice from outside is a faux pas. No one knows you better than you yourself. You are about to make a major step, which might influence the flow of your whole future life. To advise you anything in this circumstances is at best irresponsible, at worst plain stupid.
Still, as you proceed with either of your choice, I want you to bear in mind an old Russian saying: “He who doesn’t risk never gets to drink champagne.”
I say go for it. If you fail then you fail. You cannot succeed without risking that failure.
I say go for what you want to do. You are still young enough it won’t matter if you don’t succeed and if you do succeed then you will be happier. Nothing ventured nothing gained and all that. Never a truer statement made. Don’t settle!!!
Depending on your circumstances, you could have either as a back up. There are so many good comments here on risk and reward. Follow your gut level, Seraphine!
I love your photo today
What would you rather: be poor, or not love what you’re doing?
After the millitary, I wanted to be a DJ. I never made the leap because of the money. So now I hate what I do and I do it for 10 hours a day! Make the leap. Please. Do what makes you happy. You will make a living at it.
I think you should follow your instinct and at least TRY to get into the field you like.
Having a background in XXX doesn’t mean that much. It means you can usually find work in your branch more easily but it doesn’t mean you can’t explore! That from a French lady who graduated in Asian studies, worked as a French teacher (without a teaching degree) and currently work as a translator (still with no translation degree).
You obviously have an artistic side and I believe you should explore it.
Plus, you can always find a small job on a side if you need the money. I used to do that do: work part-time and do what I wanted to do the rest of the time.
Whatever you decide, good luck et bonne chance mon amie !
Read of watch the last lecture by Randy Pausch ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
If your dreams are really backed up with motivation, you will achieve them ! If not, they were only meant to be dreams…
well it’s too late for you to marry for money, but if that’s your bod up there, you could sell that and make a good living
you could try getting your comic in a renegade paper, one that would make room for you, coz i hear in real papers they only have so many slots and ‘cathy’ isn’t going anywhere lol….i would be sooo happy for you if you could make a living artistically, that dream has died twice in our family and there’s only two of us, unless you count the dog… you scared me with the blue light thing, on accounta i have no curtains, only a frosty film on my windows, and da freaks come out at night!!!
What I decided after over 25 years in finance (against the advice at the time) was to embark on an entirely new career in sales and marketing which I subsequently thoroughly enjoyed. But that change was in a field where my previous qualifications and experience complemented the new challenges within an entirely different environment. Bear in mind it may also involve accepting the fact you’re going to be starting several rungs down the ladder, as I did initially. But the subsequent 12 years I spent in the latter part of my working life were the happiest of my whole career.
My advice to you is to follow your heart but do so in a practical manner, just as you have suggested, which will involve engaging your past skills to complement a newly chosen career in say photography and or graphics which might be in an organizations whose functions you have prior experience or knowledge., But bear in mind economics and finance effect everything we do and especially in the arts. Another option would be to seek work in an artistic organization that combines roles of marketing with finance. I suggest you talk to as many people as possible who have actually successfully achieved that transition. I have found that most people you simply ask ‘can you help me ‘will respond positively.
Best wishes
Janis’ wonderful quote says it ALL Sera!!!! Your question couldn’t have been better answered!!!
Better to live your dream than dream your life…go go go , Sera !
Bisous bisous
looks like everybody has abandoned me today except you
i haven’t been out commenting all that much, coz i’m still in a funk over my dog, i guess people are losing patience with me, even tho ‘i’m available’ 
Wouldn’t it be a hoot if you could get your comics syndicated throughout the USA/Canada (let’s start there…but I just realized I have no clue where you live!) in all the major newspapers! A new kind of daily comic. I would love that for you as a starter…. Speaking of which, do you have a printed portfolio of several of your best comics to show what you do?
I know what it feels like to feel safe…and did that for several years. It was for my own self-preservation when I was single, after my divorce. I was in massage school and expected to pursue that as my main job while in an accounting position for a computer company. I never went full-time with massage because I couldn’t handle the stress of makiing it on my own in a seasonal up-n-done business. If I had had a partner at the time who was making money, perhaps it would have been worth the risk? I finally went for broke this last “choice” I made, moving to Holland, but I had my social security as backup.
I know you are weighing the pros and cons. And as they always say, the answer is within you!
Follow what feels right. The rest will fall into place. Good luck!!
I really have no advice because I am stuck in a job which I don’t like but which pays me a decent salary. So I too am in need of advice. You have to be brave to follow your muse. I am not brave enough nor am I really sure if I have a muse. I listen to Wayne Dyer or pray for guidance. that’s all I do. I suppose if I had a genuine passion I’d move in that direction. But I doubt that I have one. I like your hair if that is you.
Mmm, you know who you are
If you don’t follow your creative leanings and give them your best shot you will always be left with feelings of regret that you didn’t make the attempt. Lets face it money isn’t everything, provided you have enough to keep body and soul together. Better be poor and fulfilled than rich and regretful.
Go with your heart..and with your passion. I – too – am trying to put together something that mixes up those three. Will be curious and interested to see what you come up with!!
Listen to me: Whatever you do don’t listen to me.
I’ve always played it safe(with rare brief exceptions, during which I was happier), trying to hold a full time job in which I was totally uninterested, just to pay the bills and have money in my pocket. I always resisted self-investment or advancement in the job, ’cause I was “saving myself” to be an artist later, once I got in a “better situation.” Y’know, dreaming.
Now I’m pushing 60, and I still feel like one day I’ll be an artist. Life will start, any time now…
Oh yeah. The strip is great today. Perfectly illustrates your situation. The photo, I guess that’s kinda how you’re feeling?
You know what to do.
Go for what you want to do. Life is too short to do otherwise. A lovely photo today.
Everything is a matter of steps & how deep you prepared the next one, especially when there is a gap between 2 steps. From one working world to another, there is a big gap, you have to prepare your jump, with patience & self-confidence. I’m doing it myself right now
From writing to photography. You could think it’s close. It’s not, at all. I have to begin everything again and nothing says I’ll succeed. Now the question is, What do you wanna succeed in ? Earning the same money with Photo & writing as you did with your former job ? This is bad thought, i think. Keep the former one (that brings money) and go as far as you can with pleasure in Photo & Writing trying to turn it into pro (means : work, work, and work on a real prospect : a book, a blog, a proposition that will be solid enough, serious enough to show you deserve attention.) And if you have done that, taking ALL the time necessary (i give me more than one or two years for this, personally), then, try to propose your ready work. If it works, bingo ! If it doesn’t, work again (with the security net of your former job), and one day, hopefully, you’ll be able to quit one for another. But to feel free to enjoy what we prefer, i guess it’s giving ourselves that freedom, not being slave of money or others. For this, preparation & patience & faithfulness to who we are. Amen 
And enjoy the fact you already what you love, dear ~
Last sentence : “enjoy the fact you already do what you love”
(last one : Cherri has summed it up so well : what you want/desire will win, Sera. Be trustful***)
in a funk over coco dying, it’s like a weight on my heart, sparky is wonderful, he’s a great little dog, but yeah if he was coco then i wouldn’t have to be sad for coco…. sooooo IS that your body up there? very gutsy shot, and very beautiful, and i love your hair….
20 years IS a long time, crissy and i had a very special close relationship, whenever my husband and i would fight, crissy would come and sit on the couch beside ME and give hub the stink eye lol… i think she lived so long because she felt the need to protect me… one time my brother said ‘if you saw a cougar running up to crissy on this path, are you telling me you would pick her up?????’ and i said ‘damn right i would’ that’s just the way it was between us, we had each other’s backs, i miss her and love her to this day, and we had coco for about 5 years inbetween then and now…
yes it’s a most excellent nude my sister, i’ve never taken a nude photo before either, just coz i don’t think my big ol’ sister in law will take her clothes off for me haha… but yeah, it’s a very tasteful and artistic nude, and i like it alot
I wish I knew. You are really really talented. Can you take the risk?
I’ll be glad to promote your work…
I wish you could come over and hang out and we could compare plans : )
It’s impossible for anyone but you to have an answer to this riddle.
your self portrait ??
Would you go for the bonuses you must keep working life in banking
I would pursue you’re dreams in whatever way you can. Sometimes you may end up working two jobs. But it will give you some great perspective!
You should add your comic to ComicHovel.com so I can add them to my faves. =]
That’s also a great shot Sera…I like the wonderful composition and treatment!!!
“I want to be practical. I want to work in the writing/photography/graphics field…
Do I make the risky choice or the safe choice?”
OK, so here are my two cents of advice.
Get something part time in banking/finance or whatever, or even the in the “Witches’ Pub” if that is a viable option to keep you afloat…
THEN pursue in your free hours your creative strains. I don’t believe the toons will make you money unless you just happen to get lucky. I think your strength is in your writing.
Yes, a combination of both would be bliss.
Your photography skills are superb, but, there is always a but, there are soooo many images floating around that there again, you have to win the gamble by playing roulette. (and then win of course)
It’s a tough game.
But if you don’t dare to dip your toes into cold water, you will never be able to cross the stream. I would say: Go for it! But not like a maniac, you don’t have the stamina of a 19 or 20 year old gal anymore.
I personally struggled with such issues for years, sometimes successful, sometimes less.
So, keep some security while you fly away to the horizon of your dreams.
See, you don’t want to end like Icarus.
Bottom line, I agree with most of the 40 something comments of encouragement here, but I also would like to urge you to keep one foot on solid ground.
Love you, happy easter, good luck, and regards – Lukas.
P.S. ——– by the way, I do like the curly hair, it frames everything perfectly
$30,000 sounds like a lot to me, let alone $1 million. I was out of work for too long.
That said, I have a friend who’s living on a fraction of that quite happily, because she had cancer not too long ago and decided she was going to do what she wanted (break ties with her big responsibilities, sell her possessions, and go act/direct/stage manage) instead of what everyone expected of her. I wish I were that fearless.
I like being an auctioneer. I like writing more, but writing doesn’t pay my bills… Not yet and maybe not ever. The point is that when we’re kids, we’re told to follow our hearts. That’s wonderful and that’s bullshit all at the same time. Bills keep coming and they need to get paid. Being miserable in job is not fun, but what’s worse is not being able to keep the lights on and food in the fridge.
But hey, what are you worried about? Before Obamacare passed, Nancy Pelosi told everyone who’s an artist that they’ll be able to quit their day jobs and pursue their dreams because they’ll have health care. Really, she said that.
yes door to door mail is almost dead, if we move to one of the gated communities we want to, there is a slab of little locked mail boxes outside the gate, THAT will be a pain in the arse… esp since i order tons of stuff from the internet, so now i will have to pick them up at the post office
didn’t know how good we had it until i saw those boxes… are you guys thinking of moving too?
I’d say go for it, Seraphine. I’m sure everyone’s said everything about following your heart and stuff like that. But it’s true. Do what makes you happy, even if it does sound like a cliche.
Do what you like/love to do. That is all that will make you happy.
Beautiful, by the way…
If I was you, I’d select 30-40 of the best pages of this blog, get the images printed up well, get the texts to go with them printed, too, and then spend some time soliciting galerists – if you can find somebody to exhibit you, then you’ll know that somebody else (whose opinion matters) knows you have a chance.
If it works out, you wouldn’t be swimming without a destination, but rather building a bridge.
This isn’t really advice, just what I’ve found. I’ve done paying photography gigs on and off over the last several years, as well as my own personal stuff, all while working my day job. As for paying gigs, I think I probably would’ve done better if I’d quit the day job and jumped in. As for personal stuff, well, I like having the day job to pay for camera equipment and the freedom to do whatever I want. Although sometimes that freedom results in obsession and stagnation, see the recent run of eleventy billion building tops.
I love all the moodiness in the black and white photo, great composition that goes so well with the comic.