Bali…Hi!

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This is the beach in front of the eco-resort, Alor Divers, where I will be staying during my underwater photography workshop.

What do you do when, after 24+ years in business, your clients have all but disappeared? You take a long hard look at where you have been, where you are and where you hope to go. In my case, up until now I have defined myself by what I do. I am a graphic designer. But with no work to do, is that who I still am? At what point do I throw in the towel and re-invent myself? Hard questions. The answers, even harder.

It’s hard not to take this all very personally. But, rather than continue to drown in a sea of self-doubt, I have decided to shake things up a bit, get out of my comfort zone and plan an exotic, bucket-list worthy trip, where at best, I will come back with a clear direction and plan, and at worst, I will have experienced a new adventure, hopefully have met some interesting people and learned something new along the way.

So, I’ve booked a trip to the other side of the world. Specifically to a small island off of another small island in Indonesia called Alor, where I will be taking an underwater photography workshop for 10 days. To get there, I must fly to Bali and then take another domestic flight to Alor. I can’t stop in Bali without spending some time there, can I? There will be one day at the beginning where I will spend in Sanur, a beach town not far from the airport, and then at the back end of the trip I will spend 4 nights in Ubud, the town made famous by the book (and movie) Eat, Pray Love. After 10 days of diving I think I will be ready to pamper myself a bit with yoga classes, massages and some sightseeing. And, of course, take some amazing above water photographs!

I’m hoping to improve my underwater photography and get some inspiration for new life possibilities. I leave in mid-October. Who knows, I might even get some work before I go!

 

 

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This entry was posted in Life is Balance, Photography, Scuba Diving and tagged , , , , , by Sheryl Checkman. Bookmark the permalink.

About Sheryl Checkman

Sheryl Checkman is an award-winning designer with more than 25 years' experience in applying innovative yet pragmatic solutions to the full range of communications and design challenges. Before opening Checkman Design, Sheryl was Vice President & Manager, Design Services, for the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller from 1981-1992. Prior to that she was an Art Director at the The Barton Gillet Company, a marketing communications firm. Sheryl graduated from Cornell University and attended a Masters program in Communications Design at Pratt Institute as well as a three-month design program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She graduated from the High School of Music & Art in New York City. Sheryl is an avid skier and scuba diver. She swims, plays tennis, practices yoga and enjoys taking pictures, both above and below the water. She adds her creative signature to her photographs by creating Digital Fine Art which she currently exhibits in her online gallery. She recently launched a line of inspirational sports-themed T-shirts under the name Life is Balance®. In addition to her design work, Sheryl also creates custom photomontages for a variety of corporate and consumer clients.

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