I've spent a lot of time thinking about how my year of designing my own education might look. It's a layered adventure, for sure. At the core of it all is the question 'how do I want to live my life?' My answer revolves around creating balance, having an impact, and strengthening my relationships both in my personal and professional life. While it's easy to focus on the detailed logistics of transitioning away from my job, moving out of my apartment, and planning travel, these are merely precursors to the fun part. If I think of my year as a story, it will surely have interesting characters and sub-plots. And, of course, the main storyline: three working apprenticeships in the biomimicry field that I will select over the course of the next year. The characters are just beginning to materialize as I've begun to sketch out three potential apprenticeship paths, as well as the areas where I want to maintain balance throughout my year (sub-plots). Here's an image that visualizes some of my preliminary thinking.
Potential Apprenticeship Paths with 'Sub-plots' for Balance:
Remaining flexible is key as I continue to reach out and connect with people and organizations. It will be interesting to see how these initial ideas transform over the coming months. Stay tuned.