So, that’s it then. I’m now officially redundant. I still don’t think it’s quite sunk in. It’s Thursday morning, and I’m sat at home desperately trying to sift through all the rubbish which I collected in the office, which now has to be rehoused here. I’ve been pretty ruthless, but there are still bags of stuff which, at the time of writing, remain untouched. Attached to this post is the back of my fantastic leaving card which I received from my lovely friends. It’s good, as it also doubles up as the first part of my biography! Excellent! Click on it to see the larger version, and have a read – honestly, it’s worth it. It’s scarily accurate as well. To everyone who signed it: Thanks for that! I really appreciate it, and it means a lot to me. It’ll be treasured.

The big question now is, where does all this leave me. It’s been two and half years at my “first proper job”, so I think it was about time to move on. It was a huge shock, but sometimes you need your hand forced to make a change. But what will that change be? That’s the big question, and to be honest, I really don’t know at the moment.

There’s only one way to deal with this problem. And that is a big ass roadtrip round America for a couple of months. Obviously. On May 8th I’ll be flying off to America with my wonderful, and very understanding girlfriend and two other friends for the first part of what was initially meant to be a mere two weak jaunt stateside. As situations and feelings have changed, this has now morphed into a mega-holiday! Oh yes! This trip, unsurprisingly is a largely weighted as a climbing trip (with a healthy dose of Photography thrown in) which’ll be taking in the big name bouldering spots in the American west: Yosemite, Bishop and Hueco Tanks to name a few. At the end of the first two weeks, myself and fellow B2 producer (other) Ben will continue on an epic 3,000+ mile trip covering Colorado, Moab, Las Vegas and the coast road back to San Francisco where we’ll fly to Boston and drive to NYC. It’s going to be pretty intense, and I CAN. NOT. WAIT. Below is a map of the bulk of the trip. It’s pretty much a huge figure of 8.

As well as an insane amount of climbing, I’m also hoping to develop my photography portfolio with the addition of some more climbing photos, and no doubt some new landscapes as well. I’ve been toying with the idea of upgrading my camera body to a 40 or 50D. I’ve been looking at the difference in image quality between that and the 400D which I’m currently running, and it certainly is significant. I’m sure it’d be a wise investment, and one which I could recoup in enjoyment and hopefully money, relatively easily. He says. I just don’t know if my budget can extend to another big layout before the trip. Gah! I hate these decisions.

This brings me back to my original question: What will I do with myself when I get back? I have made initial progress into finding a new, full time job, but opportunities are fairly thin on the ground currently. Plus, other than knowing that I don’t particularly want to work for an Architects again, I don’t really know what’s available. I’d like to continue the design route, but more geared towards the publishing/magazine fields. I guess I just need to see what jobs are around (and indeed, what positions even exist) before deciding whether it’s an avenue worth pursuing. I may have to take a leap into the dirty world of cold calling…

Also, I’m wondering if I could market myself as a photographer (or perhaps, a photographer-come-illustrator-come-designer if such a thing exists. I’d probably need a snappier title than that as well). Since living in London, I’ve definitely found the passion and drive for photography that I hadn’t really had since I was studying it at A-level. I definitely have some strong shots, but I’m not entirely convinced I could cut it as a professional as its always felt like a hobby. It’s worked well for Amy though, and she’s definitely not looked back. Her recent successes certainly give me confidence that it can be done.

I’m thinking that perhaps freelancing is the way forward. I’m really inspired at the moment to try and further my illustration work. I feel I’m in a situation where I can explore more, and I think that my work has finally reached a level which I’d be happy to put on show, and hopefully, get paid for. Working full time where I was definitely had its advantages. I learned and awful lot, and feel I have a lot more to offer now. The nine-to-five was nice for a while as well, but I’m not sure I want to continue in that routine again straight away. Ideally, I’d be able to get some semi-regular, possibly in-house agency freelance work which I could supplement with some personal work as well. Again, I stress “Ideally”.  I don’t see why it couldn’t work though. The work must be out there somewhere, surely.

I’m hoping the trip away will help clear my head and help me decide (although, I am worried that I’ll just return wanting to be a climbing gypsy for the rest of my life – we can only dream, eh?). Sorry for the long, self indulgent post. I felt I needed to get this off my chest, and this felt like the logical place. If anyone could shed some light and or opinion on this they’d be gratefully received. Anyway, in the mean time prepare yourselves for (hopefully, internetz permitting) a wealth of climbing related posts in the near future coupled with photos from some of the most beautiful locations the US has to offer! You’re excited aren’t you? I thought so. I can tell. Ohh, I’m so excited I think I need a lie down…