Candace Nicholson: The Adventure Begins

It's been an interesting few months here at Incandescere. Ever since I've decided to take a different approach to my goals, my business and my career, I've been seeing inspirational cues everywhere. Granted, it may all be in my head, but what if there is something to it?

In 2003, a year before I relocated to Los Angeles, I had that same feeling that a major "change is gonna come." One reason for this was because I just knew something had to give if I was going to feel any happiness in my life in the future. Another reason my intuition was telling me to act was because I was more than ready to step out on that limb and take a chance that it might come crashing down.

Anyone who's met me knows that I'm not the reckless kind. I'm a thinker. An analyzer. A worrier. I make lists every day and my filing system is a work of art (*cough* when I stay on top of it). Like most analyzers, I can get stuck in the research and organization phase for so long I lose any momentum I might've had for action.

Unlike most analyzers, I'm also an adventurer. I need change and challenge in order to feel alive. Yes, I make a point to learn everything I can about whitewater rafting, obtain supplies and keep my insurance card handy should things go horribly wrong. But all of that means nothing if I don't actually get in the raft.

Over the past week, I've seen multiple signs that it's time to strike out on another adventure. Or in honor of the late Jack Kerouac's birthday last week, get my butt On the Road.

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time." - Jack Kerouac

And I don't mean a little road trip. I'm not looking for a small adventure. I'm in the serious need of a life-altering adventure. You know the ones that affect almost every area of your life. This past week, nerds and dreamers alike celebrated the births of such mindblowers as Albert Einstein, Jack Kerouac and Douglas Adams. Like Muhammed Ali, they shook up the world in their own inventive ways. It didn't happen overnight, but they set out to make a dream come to life and that's all that mattered.

I plan to do the same. No. I will do the same.

I can't speak to what I have in the works just yet, but I will tell you that on a visual front, I plan to revamp my website. I want to breathe a little more life into it, thanks to the inspiration from Emily Suess' new do and a brilliant guest post by Shari Lopatin. On Lynette Benton's blog Polish and Publish, Lopatin wrote about her decision to loosen up her writing style and revamp her blog. "Why A Blog Makeover Might Be Just The Thing You Need" shares why Lopatin took stock of her surroundings and determined that a "traditional" approach to blogging for writers may not be what suits her business.

Now, you won't see my blog go the way of The Blogess or Pioneer Woman. Amazing as they are, their voices are a reflection of what they want to present to the world. Plus, there are successful bloggers out there who do focus all of their content on writing like Susan Johnston, James Chartrand and Linda Formichelli. But the reality is neither approach (all freelancing content vs rare freelancing content) is perfect for me.

Heck, you can see it was never all or nothing in my category "Arts & Culture" in the right sidebar. Click on it and you'll find the fuel that keeps me going. Also, if posts like "What Mick Foley Taught Me" and "The Unlikeliest Role Model" don't communicate that I'm more than just an egghead with an itch for long-form writing, I don't know what will.

What you're going to see develop here is more subtle. My blog will take on a more relaxed tone, but I won't cut out the wonderful world of freelance. Why? 1) I'm too opinionated and 2) the freelance community is still pretty awesome. What you will see are more posts of varying length (not this one though!), more images taken with my own camera, a lighter, less formal tone (most of the time), and a new attitude.

I don't mean "attitude" like the greatest era in wrestling entertainment, the "Attitude Era." No. I mean "attitude" like Patti LaBelle's '80s hit anthem "New Attitude."* If my life is soul-crushingly dull, it's because it's not a true reflection of me. It's a reflection of what others want me to be. And as I sit here on the eve of my birthday, I can't help but demand a change.

So here it goes, ladies and gentlemen! The shift will be subtle, but hopefully, it will not be boring.

* What can I say? I'm a child of the '80s. Hence the blog post title.

Any questions?