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growing up, i guess.

3/14/2014

9 Comments

 
By: Lisa Slagle
Lisa Slagle
Hi. Normally I write about business or design or things that inspire me, but right now, I feel like writing about life. 
Why not? I'll put some headphones on, listen to Ben Howard, and start typing.  

I like writing.

As soon as I learned how to write, I was hooked. My parents used to find me facedown, snoring into a notebook, a flashlight running out of batteries next to my head. I'd wake up with no. 2 pencil smeared all over my face like war paint.  What do five-year-olds even write about? Pancakes, maybe. 
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Life is funny, I think.

I love life. I do, and I love the people in it. That's the best part of my job--- talking to the people behind the businesses, using art to express what they stand for and why they do what they do. It keeps me interested and motivated. People are the best.

I like it when they surprise me.

In a casual business meeting at Coffee Traders this morning, a local artist listened to me talk for a few minutes about office space, design, and if I wanted to hire more people this summer or keep doing what I'm doing. He listened carefully, while I ate my breakfast and talked through my options between bites. When I was done, he looked at me for a few seconds, and then said, "You're trying to figure out if you should grow up or not, aren't you?"  

There I was, wearing a hand-painted trucker hat, my favorite flannel shirt, and Converse low tops, speaking passionately about my target market and creative process, getting told what was up by a 40-year-old dude whom I was talking to for the first time. He offered no advice or opinion, but merely acknowledged the root of my thoughts for the past few months and carried on quite professionally with our conversation. 

It kind of blew my mind. 

I turn twenty-seven in about a month, which is somehow three years short of thirty already, and yep, I am trying to figure out if I should grow up or not. The late twenties are a weird and wonderful time, and I have learned more and made more mistakes in the last two years than perhaps the other years of my life combined.  (I've stumbled upon greater victories too, though.) Is it just me, or when did people start playing for keeps? It's like everything is more serious than it used to be. When did that happen, and where was I?

Don't get me wrong--I'm completely serious about my business. I care about my clients and getting them results. I care about creating work that I am proud of and passionate about. I care about running my business with integrity and compassion, and I am not afraid of hard work. But... I still love a good powder day, or driving all night to see the ocean on a whim.  I still love making breakfast for dinner, sleeping outside, dancing around the kitchen with my dog to "All the Single Ladies," and crashing my mountain bike into rocks. I even still love throwing snowballs at unsuspecting friends all over town and laughing hysterically when I make contact. Maybe this isn't the kind of thing I should put on my business website, but I work with real people every day, and I am a real person, too. So tell me, when do people magically grow up? How does this work? Am I suddenly going to lose interest in awesome things and start using terms like "human capital" and "cross-platform synergy?" Please punch me in the head immediately if that happens.

I think there's a balance, and I seek to find it.  Hear me out for a second.
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I used to be a bonafide ski bum. I graduated college early to pursue snowboarding, and spent my early twenties snowboarding from 9-4 from November to April and working nights, putting rent money together one month at a time. This made me happy for a few years. I laughed a lot, had terrific friends, and a badass boyfriend. We rode elite terrain all day, every day. It was all about being fast and strong, and I loved the definitive spirit of it. You could either ride a line or you couldn't. Show, not tell, you know? 

But the thing is, I got bored with this lifestyle. I might catch some shit for this, but I believe that while being a ski bum is the best life there is, it can be a selfish one. There's more. I can give more. I can make a difference. I never intend to stop snowboarding, and I will always live in a ski town. The mountains are engrained in me, and that couldn't change if I wanted it to, but now I seek balance. I can snowboard three or four half-days a week instead of seven full ones and still be happy.  I can make a difference, whether that is teaching at the community college or designing something that brings success to a local business or signing up to maintain three miles of trail on The Whitefish Trail for a year. I've never worked harder than I have in the last two years. I might smell like my base layers occasionally, but I will always show up to work and try my best to create design that matters. 
I love seeing local businesses succeed--it's as rewarding as stomping a horrifying cliff line into trees.

And I can probably still hit you with a snowball from half a block out.

Is that growing up?

9 Comments
Greg
3/16/2014 01:18:24 pm

And that's why you're my sister. Proud of you, keep it up! The mountains you've found may not be as steep and fast as home, but big and vast with so much more to see and experience. Keep it up!

Reply
Lisa
3/17/2014 04:38:06 am

Thanks Greg! You are nice.

Reply
B link
3/16/2014 05:22:45 pm

Lisa- awesome read. I don't check social media, but your site always gives me a lift. Yeah- being a ski bum is a hand to mouth life, but it's worth it. I would not trade my days on the slopes for anything. Growing up sucks- let me tell you, it is dog eat dog world out there. There are some amazing people to meet and some to avoid. What you said about giving back is something I have been thinking about on a daily basis for two straight years. What's the best way, who to give to, and what to give ? Money, labor, or time? Tough questions. No answers here. I've been volunteering a lot and it's a great feeling, but at the same time I am a dedicated paper chaser. You were right on the money, everyone is playing for keeps. I learned to build high-end computers at a marketing job, got two associates, e-commerce and social media marketing, and I finish my BS in business admin. next semester, but I'm going to have to keep being a profiteer due to circumstance. I sell on eBay, build computers, and still run Gators. Been investing like crazy, have 15K of eBay goods in my basement, OtterBox travel case filled with bullion in my safe, just went in on a property on main street in Windsor with my Mom, I'm running the e-side of a sewing/wool shop she is opening. But crazy thing is, I don't spend my money. No fancy cars, no Ducati, just money orders sent to Credit Suisse on a regular basis. Just do what you love, I still flippin' cut lawns, and it's not for the money-(even though that's still a perk) I am just a weirdo and like to do it! I don’t want some job everyday until I am 65, I am banking it now to do what I want later. I say the art is key, I stopped playing music for a time and I forgot how much of a part of my life that was. Balance- I sure don't have it, work a 40 and school full time, but I am on the lookout. Gonna put an offer down on this sweet slice of paradise- http://virgin.craigslist.org/reb/4274741656.html - check it out, it makes me drool. Anyways- as always, your art is top notch, wish I could afford your mastery but I stumble around Photoshop to save $. Hehe, good to hear you are well, and you'll have to come visit me in the USVI to get some diving, sailing, and maybe some swells. Plus, I’ll pay ya to paint some sick decals on my boat! Stick in there- mid-life crisis warning!!! *beep*

Reply
Lisa
3/17/2014 04:46:36 am

B, Wow, good to hear from you. Thanks for checking out my website. That makes me smile. Sounds like you're doing well. I can't wait to see you driving boats around the Virgin Islands. Is it dog friendly there? :)

Reply
B
3/21/2014 09:01:56 am

Ha, yeah- doin' alright I guess, just one day at a time. Who knew people from landlocked states can sail?!? The islands are dog friendly, but getting them there is not- long flights, multiple transfers, it would be rough on him. It'll be a couple years, we'll figure it out. I'd probably take a boat from FL for the first trip because I'd haul some stuff to sell. Saw you sister a few times, she works too much! She was @ the Egg&I! Get some turns for me, and keep up the awesome work!

jordan
3/17/2014 03:29:54 am

Lisa, I stumbled across this on fb and I definitely feel what your saying. I feel like compared to you I haven't really gotten 'serious' and I am feeling the pull. I'll be leaving Telluride and my night job at the gondola soon and start grad school in California for International Education Management and forsee myself needing to dress up in nice button up shirts and live in a big city with a university which isn't going to be in the mountains like I am now, but I do feel like committing to something you love like art or in my case international ed. will bring on a new level of happiness and cause. Ps I'm turning 27 soon too, I don't usually reply to post like this, but it was a great one, pss Hey B!

Reply
Lisa
3/17/2014 04:42:24 am

Jordan! Good to hear from you, and thanks for the props on this article. I thought it was worth writing down. I have a hard time picturing you in a big city with button up shirts, but I can't wait to see what you do with international ed. What do ski bums do when they grow up? Let's keep in touch. You're great.

Reply
Julian link
3/17/2014 04:55:37 pm

Lisa, I cannot tell you how many friends I've shared this with! I don't remember a time when your writing prowess has not taken me. The insight combined with narrative made miss your deep and enjoyable frame towards life. I turn 27 this month, and I have had similar musings. What am I doing with my life and why or for what purpose? What is my impact on my students, my colleagues, etc.? At CC we have loads of hyper-privileged students who have the opportunity to live the life of a ski bum comfortably, without the month by month accounting you were/are doing (idk). I love that you frame your change as something about giving! Giving, whatever one has to offer, seems to me the most profound of human experiences and interactions. Reading this was a breath of fresh air that meaning in life is ultimate experience. You rock! Keep liven' the good life!

Lisa
3/20/2014 11:21:45 am

Hey Julian! Good to hear from you! I think sitting in a plastic swimming pool full of Aussie puppies in your garage is still one of my happiest memories. Thanks for the kind words. That was really cool to find. I'm pretty sure your birthday is March 24th, but that might be a little off. Happy 27th, dude! I bet your students at CC think you're hilarious. I'll hit you up next time I'm heading home. It's been forever, and I'd love to see you.




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