Sunday, April 24, 2011

A Source of Inspiration, Drawn

When I was a little boy, and before I had a vocation (obviously) I was an artist; I was always drawing. I wasn't accomplished, per se, but it was natural for me, and it was part of my being.

It was also in the time of my youth that I developed an interest in airplanes, probably from seeing them first in movies, but also from just seeing them flying around. I was fascinated - the glint of sunlight off the wingtip of a sleek and beautiful flying machine was inspirational.  So much so that when it came time to have a vocation I chose aerospace engineering.

I am glad I chose that path, and that profession has benefited me, but... after five years of school, five semesters of college calculus, decades of employment, some good projects, some bad ones, two layoffs, productive encounters with a handful of smart people, and many more encounters with idiots... I find myself drawing an airplane in the desert. Not any old airplane though. This airplane is one of the exact model that I remember being inspired by as a youth.

Funny thing, a person can always "be" an artist, but he can't always "have an engineering job". That's because artist is a state of being while engineering is just a job.

Once again "being" is better than "having".

I am richer for simply being an artist than I could claim by merely having a job as a engineer.

I am fortunate and grateful for that.

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