Who Are You? What Do You Want?

I think these are questions with different answers at different times in your life.  Who I am now, and what I want in my late 60s is the same, and not, as it was in my 20s, even if I am the same 24 year old inside.

I was always drawing and making things as a kid, and won a prize in an art competition.  Now in retirement I draw and make art again.   

But for my working life I set out on a technical career as I "needed to make a living".  I see on Social Media many that did not have that kind of focus at all. They didn't know what they wanted to do, so joined the Army, or went to be an English teacher in Japan, or some such thing, before finding a direction years later. I guess what they were told growing up was very different from myself.

There is this graph of happiness with age:

I am now up at the level of being the most happy and content I have ever been, living in Kyoto Japan and retired. I now make my art and music, go to exhibitions, cafes and concerts, as I please. Working away at home in my studio is what I want to do most of the time.

During most of my life, much the working part, I had to put off what I wanted to do, as I had to study for exams, or spend much of the weekend at soccer, or write a report, or keep up to date technically, or I didn't have any money for materials, or finish some project for a deadline, or had family things to do, or I wasn't sure of the future so I couldn't spend any money on that "at the moment".  For my working life in Japan, I had money, but no time to use it, and for much of my working life in Australia, I had time but no "spare" money. We came to live a very frugal life style before retiring and moving back to Japan, which ended up being pretty good for us. Even if I hadn't had a holiday in 18 years while back in Australia. 

I got back into recording music around 2006 when the Reaper DAW came out. And after ignoring my Squire guitar for a decade+, took up playing it again.  All the music gear I ever bought was from a little of the money I made from my freelance illustration gig. A MIC100 preamp, Squire Bass and Line6 Uber Metal Pedal being about it at the time.  It just seemed right to spend art money on art to me. As a musician, I am not a bad cartoonist. My drawing ability is far more than my musical ability, being a guy he loves power chords and just plays scales over them, but my music gives me as much satisfaction. You don't have to be really good at something to get joy from it. 

Most of those earnings went into our family account too though, but that was all good. 

Was just saying to my wife this morning, just not having to get to the office for the job anymore is such a relief. The travel, traffic, crowds and people.  

Of course, people not like me (me being on the introvert side), those more extraverted, really miss not having people around them and need that to energize them.  At a similar age they have to go out and join clubs or some such, and had a tough time during covid lockdowns from 2020.

Remaining healthy (the right weight, eating right, exercising enough) and active is so important now. Use it or loose it is true, as far as remaining mobile is concerned.

And some memories:  THIS IS WHERE THE SMOKE COMES OUT

By the way, that is NOT an Autobiography at all.  It has almost no personnel/ family stuff in it. But a collection of memories on what I was doing and thinking and the world events happening then too. 

Todays answers to the posed questions, that I could answer differently tomorrow.

Who Are You? An Australian now living in Japan that was always an artist, but went after a technical career to make a living.

What Do You Want? To make stuff in my studio, and have a happy healthy family life as a grandfather. 

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology