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!