Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone,

I love this quote by Katrina Kaif:

Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it.

The journey of life sure is an adventure, isn't it? 

I'm at another crossroads in life and I'm hoping I'm making the right choice when it comes to choosing a direction. I don't think there is a such thing as the "wrong" direction. I think that there are easier ways to get somewhere. I think there are more scenic paths and sometimes we go the way we didn't want to go... but, there are always valuable lessons to be learned. Which, to me, means it's never wrong. 

This page is all about documenting my new crossroads. Two years ago I moved to Chicago because I felt the pull. I loved the city and I was looking forward to the new adventure. I knew there would be challenges and joys along the way. One can never predict exactly what will happen. In fact, we are usually wrong, right??? Or a little off. 

Life is good and I am moving on! I read a quote on a greeting card not too long ago that said, "Sometimes right where you started from, is right where you belong."

I'm going to be honest here, Chicago has kind of lost it's "home" feeling for me. After a visit in December to my hometown, I knew it was time to go back. And lately, Chicago has not been my friend. So, making the move back has gotten to be a very easy choice - for which I'm thankful! 

Regardless of not digging the life here right now, I will say that Chicago will forever hold a special place in my heart. I will defend it. I will still LOVE this city. I will feel part of it. It just won't be my home anymore. I pulled the gold vellum sheet because I love the sentiment of gold. It's valuable. It holds its worth. It shines. It's desirable. And I wanted to symbolize all those things when it came to thinking about my time here.

Geotags are an obvious symbolic icon, I think. They mark where you are or the location you are inquiring about. I used it to mark where I'm at and placed it next to the airplane to showcase my future move.

I had to sneak in a smiley face to showcase my feelings on this upcoming move. It's good. I'm happy. I can't wait to be near my family again!

Other elements of the kit I pulled was the striped paper and the arrow. All exude movement. And the vertical design gives off the feeling of moving up and out. All good things heading my way! 

I love how the kit themes come at the perfect time! Journaling and designing this page was so great to work through and dig deep into what is truly happening in my heart, in regards to this move.