Life transitions aren’t inherently easy. Major changes, countless unknowns, and the abandonment of one’s comfort zone all weigh on you like a late spring snow on branches struggling not to snap. The fear and anxiety associated with change gnaw at you to the point that you question whether uprooting your life is worth it or not. As someone navigating one of these transitions, I looked to creative outlets in an attempt to ground myself during this uncertain time. Before I discuss these creative outlets, I need to provide the context of this transition.

I was content. Not necessarily happy, but by no means displeased with how my life was. My early twenties were stressful, but by 27 I had a stable job, was in graduate school, had a supportive family, and a wide social circle.  Sure there were things that bothered me, but as a whole, my life was fine. My satisfaction with being content ended abruptly in October 2023 while speaking with people my age at my sister’s wedding. In talking to them, it became clear that almost everyone was more than “just content” with their lives. Suddenly, those little things that bothered me started to add up. I realized that I was in graduate school for the wrong reasons and, while I still enjoyed my job, I no longer looked at it through rose-colored glasses. By the end of October I had dropped out of my graduate program and decided I was going to move within a year. I didn’t know where at that point, but over the next several months I decided on New York City. I figured if I’m going to leave my comfort zone, I might as well go well beyond it. As someone who craved stability their entire life, the stress associated with the impending changes became a major factor in my life. As I previously mentioned, I turned to creative outlets as a way to remain grounded while figuring out what exactly I wanted my life to look like. 

I had never been a creative type – always more fascinated with science and technology than arts and literature. I never learned to play an instrument – aside from a few songs on the harmonica – and my extent of singing is restricted to an occasional karaoke night with friends. So I turned to writing. I never considered myself a great writer, but I could crank out essays with ease whenever I needed to. Looking back, these essays weren’t masterpieces, but they did the job. I struggled, however, when I was required to write about myself. Back in December 2023, I started journaling to get my thoughts onto paper so that I could reflect on how I dealt with this time full of unknowns. The first few days were difficult, but now, nearly three months into the process of journaling daily, my thoughts flow onto paper with ease. 

Now that I have built the habit of journaling every day, I want to branch out into a public medium and write about more than just what is on my mind. I’ve also recently taken up photography as another outlet, and would like a way to share photos as well. It’s for these reasons that I started A Diving Ion. As I navigate my move to New York City, and subsequently my life there, I hope to capture my life, and the lives of those around me through writing and photography – while honing these two crafts.