A plan is taking form

I was reading Daniel Vosavic's book on fashion and got to the interview with a patternmaker. I realized that I want to know how to make my own patterns. I mean, I REALLY want to know. I want to be able to look at any garment and in my mind know how that pattern looks and how it could be put together.
Of course my first thought was to take classes at El Centro but I've tried that route before. The travel and scheduling always end up wonky. And as I continued to read Daniel's book, there was one pattern maker/teacher interviewed that was self-taught. If she can do it then why can't I? I mean, I have a fairly good background already, I have the most popular books on the subject- I could create my own schedule and learn on my own.
A plan has started to formulate. I will work through all the books and practice exercises, I will analyze garments to try to figure out how it was made and what pattern principles are used as well as what the pattern would look like and I will deconstruct thrift store finds of unusual garments to further learn and I will put to practice everything I learn on my own wardrobe. It's a plan I am definitely excited about!
I think this will work well with my passion for fashion, my interest in learning, my collection tendencies, my spatial intelligence and at the end of it I will have a very valuable skill that I can actually use.

Ideal Day

Another exercise that is used is to imagine your ideal day. So here goes.
I would wake up between 6 and 7 am. I would meet my running partner for my morning run. Once home, I settle into getting ready for the day, which consists of reflecting on my goals, eating breakfast, showering, and figuring out my priorities for the day. My days are varied, which is the way I like it. I have a huge wardrobe which I have made most of. I actually wear most of it also as I like to dress up almost everyday, even if it is in jeans. The beauty of my wardrobe is that it is unique, fits me perfectly, reflects my style and is eco-friendly because many pieces are from thrift stores, whether as is or repurposed.
Next I head into my studio to work. I have a separate studio from my home and it is set up more like a living room/library with a dedicated sewing/storage space in the back. Actually the whole room is designed to have tons of storage with a built in bookcase/window seat and a big work table on one side and then a seating area on the other side. The whole shop is also set up with all the latest computer technology that a publisher would need. While my days are varied, they revolve around the creative process. For me, that creative process is fashion. I publish, teach and design my own fashions, accessories and jewelry. My studio is my lab for trying new things out, teaching, writing and publishing books related to the subject, group meetings and for hosting trunk shows. I do sell my some of my designs, but mostly I like to create things for myself.
I belong to a creative "dream" team that meets regularly. We all work in different mediums and we meet to give each other support, exchange ideas, host workshops, etc that help feed each of our own creative urges.
Mornings are usually reserved for my most intense work. The days are varied though and could include doing research, meeting with other designers/artists, going to garage sales or thrift stores, gallery openings, fashion shows, planning out new books or workshops, making travel arrangements, networking with shops, book signings, photo shoots, etc.
By now I am a proficient cook and have created a repertoire of healthy, nutritious recipes and I often have people over on the fly. I entertain quite a bit and meals are usually a very social event. If I am not cooking at home, then I am usually at a restaurant or club. I have a wide circle of musical friends too so I often go out to support them.
Overall my life has a wonderful balance of creating, being social and working alone. I travel alot, I live in a small but beautifully decorated house and I am financially free, having creating multiple streams of income.

Interesting

I worked with a life coach for about a month and got a lot of insights. One of the exercises that I had to do was come up with my top 4 values. One of those was learning. I love (the right) classroom experience. While my college experience wasn't all that memorable, probably because I was working towards a degree that I wasn't really all that passionate about, it was more about the money and job in those days, I do love taking classes. So it was interesting that when I took a test to determine my strengths, one of them came up as learner. I wasn't in the least bit surprised. The most surprising thing for me was when I was reading about multiple intelligences and decided to rank which are most dominant for me. Some of them were obvious but there was one that I hadn't suspected. Kinesthetic. I mostly associated that with jocks, and even though I am fairly active with running and yoga, I still didnt' feel that was enough to classify it as a dominant intelligence. But after going through the description and realizing how much I love to create things, it made sense. I know that I am on the right track though because each of these separate exercises validates the other. So now I have a pretty good idea of how I best operate.

I also have a very clear picture in my head of who I want to be. But how do I tie all of this information together to find a career/purpose? I don't know that yet, but today I am going to explore my interests and passions.

A couple of things really stand out. Fashion, creating things (sewing, knitting, crochet, jewelry, baking, refinishing furniture), treasure hunting (my fancy word for going to thrift stores and garage sales), books (specifically fashion, craft, art, design, self-help, business, cooking, creativity), art journals, the creative process, party planning (I love coming up with a theme and centering the table setting, centerpiece and menu around the idea) and gift giving (making gifts and cleverly wrapping them) and reusing things (good for the environment and the budget)
Again and again, these are the sort of things I am drawn to. Some of these bring up obvious options. I would love to do a magazine - a creative, crafty type of magazine. I would love to write and publish books about these topics (this would be an incredibly good way to combine my strengths and dominant intelligences). I would love to be involved in fashion. It could be as a designer, perhaps it could be as a stylist for individuals. There are many options and I need to figure out how to combine all of this into an open-space goal.

I'll keep giving this my focus and see where it lands me.

Who do I want to be?

I want a purposeful life and as I search for it, a common theme has come up in the books that resonate with me. I want a career where the line between work and play is blurred. Where my work is play. Where I don't watch the clock, counting the minutes or hours before I can go home and do what I really want to do. I want a career where I can pursue my passions, utilize my strengths and lead with my dominant intelligences.

The common thread is not what do you want to do, but who do you want to be.
I want to be someone who can turn nothing into something.
I want to learn more about the creative process and how it works by talking with other creatives and working with them.
I want to be creatively engaged.
I want to be inspired.
I want to be an inspiration.
I want to be where the best of me gets to shine through.
I want to be playful.
I want to be admired for my style and creativity.
I want to be part of a creative collaboration.
I want to be creatively stimulated.
I want to be open to new experiences and people.
I want to be admired for my fashion sense.
I want to be the creator and designer of my life.
I want a life without time constraints and limits (flexibility)
I want a life with variety.
I want to be a traveler.