I’m an art therapist here to talk about life after a PhD, starting over, and living in a camper in the San Francisco Bay Area #introduceyourself
Hello Steemit!
I’m Amy. Last week I bought a camper that I plan to live in for a year with my dog Prudence. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is the most expensive place to live in the United States. My living quarters have been steadily shrinking in the ten years I’ve lived here, but this is the first time that my home will actually be situated on wheels.
The camper was a bit of an impulse buy, which I saw with more clarity after plans fell through with the friend who said I could park it on her property and live in it. But I’ve been looking, with only a minimal amount of panic. I put an ad on Craigslist, I’ve been asking anyone and everyone for advice (or a bit of land?). I’ve researched every RV park in the area. Something will work out. And just look at this thing. I’ll be completely off the grid, somewhere.
You might be wondering why I would make such a big life decision on a whim, especially when it means parting ways with a steady rent situation in the Bay Area.
About two years ago, I finished my doctorate in art therapy. The thing I’m most passionate about is my work with teenagers who have experienced trauma. But the first year out was pretty rocky. I guess you could say I was in a vulnerable place--trying to figure out who I am and what I want to do with the rest of my life.
And then BOOM.
On a day that started as ordinary as any other, my partner sat me down to tell me that he had been having an affair for six months. He was in love with someone else. In that moment we were on our way to the final inspection for the house we had just bought together. We were able to back out of it, and he moved out the next day.
For the past ten months, I’ve been teaching myself how to start over. My partner and I were together for ten years. As I was signing the final paperwork for the camper, somewhere across town a judge was stamping the final paperwork for my divorce. I didn’t plan it that way, but then again none of this was part of the plan.
These past ten months haven’t been all bad. I’ve been training for a marathon, which is a big deal for me because I am NOT a runner. I’ve been learning about cryptocurrency. I’m still figuring out who I am and what I want to do next.
And my dream is to become a writer, so here I am.
This is my first shot at writing a blog, but I invite you to follow me on this wacky journey.
Hello amy.hill! Welcome to Steemit! Hope you'll like the community here. As a start, here are 5 tips that we believe will be helpful to you:
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welcome to steemit, your ex is a dick :)
Thank you @ewasteguy1
No problem :)
Welcome! This was an awesome #introduceyourself post. Sadly, I can relate with the part about having a partner for a long time and finding out they were having an affair. It SUCKED. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
There are a couple other users on here who blog about moving into a small mobile space--check out @trucklife-family and @goingroam.
Following you! I'm excited to see what else you post. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you so much, @malloryblythe! I'm sorry to hear that you can relate, but I do appreciate the kind words and suggestions. I'll definitely check these out, along with your writing.
You are welcome @amy.hill. I am also new here, hope to make new friends soon.
Thank you @favourjames. Best of luck.
@amy.hill, welcome to Steemit. I know you'll enjoy being here. I give you two keys you need in your steemit journey:
Please, permit me to invite you to join the #steemschools discord here https://discord.gg/eTZqQvk and we will teach and support you to grow up in Steemit, to choose the right topic to attract readers, to use the right tags, make quality posts and comments on Steemit and gain more followers.
Thank you.
.![images (22).jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd2SkN4uQ26sio8A5DEoMfmT6CeSijWziB9UR3cp6jyYG/images%20(22).jpeg)
Greetings, amy.hill! Best wishes for a very fun journey here on Steemit! Have fun
By the way, there are several groups you as a newcomer can join. They will stay with you for your journey, helping and mentoring along the way.
@greetersguild invite link https://discord.gg/AkzNSKx
@newbieresteemday invite link https://discord.gg/2ZcAxsU
Thank you @cheneats.
Excellent article for a beginner, Welcome to Steemit.
Thank you @goldshot!
Amy, you are beautiful, love your smile, and I'm running when I'm playing basketball. I'm from Oregon, my dad, LA. Grew up in a trailer. But it would be great to have a camper like that. I studied psychology but didn't become a doctor like you. But I joke when I say I'm Doctor Oatmeal. People call me Oatmeal because I eat Oatmeal. You can call me Oatmeal or Joey.
Thank you Oatmeal. Nice to meet you.
Excellent post! Thank you for sharing with us your story. I'm happy to upvote and resteem your introduction post and welcome to steemit:) by @cheneats
Congratulations you have been upvoted and resteemed as part of #newbieresteemday's top 10 posts for the day! ...
We invite you to use our tag to connect with more of our members. To learn more: Come Join Us!!! (Newbie Resteem Initiative)
Thank you so much, @cheneats. This is a wonderful community.
Welcome to steemit. I was originally entertained by the person who photo bombed your picture by flipping the bird. Thanks for not cropping that out. Next up I was amazed that I had never heard of art therapy. What does that consist of? How does if work? I might need a lot of it of it does work. Lastly that is a sweet ass camper that I would totally rock. Deffinatly figuratively and possibly litterally. Don't worry about loosing the dude. There are plenty of us out there. Most of us are shitty so take your time choosing, you are stuck with your decision for a long time. Have an up vote and train your ass of for that marathon.
Thank you. The photo bomber is my favorite part. I can't speak for all art therapists, but I try to help people tell their stories and get through difficult times through painting, music, poetry, or any type of art they gravitate towards. Thank you again for the kind words!