PhD is taking a back seat

I have a lot going on in my head and a lot of ideas for research and projects.  Some of this can and will be fulfilled in some manner through my work, curating exhibitions, or researching things.  A number of them may be better followed through independent research or projects.  These could be independent curatorship, or committing some of my research into book form.  And others, a few others, might be best realised through the dedicated scholarship of doctoral research.  The problem remains, as always, that there is no museums programme offered by a Canadian university.  There are a couple of interdisciplinary programmes into which I might be able to adapt my ideas to fit, but mostly I have to recognise that in order to pursue doctoral research here, I probably have to adapt myself into a history department.  I love history, but I don't think I want to do a standard history degree.  What I'd really like to do is continue along the academic trajectory I began at Leicester, which, realistically, is outside of my financial abilities, at the moment.  This leaves me feeling a bit lost and unfocused.  Yes, a PhD could help focus me.  But I just can't shake the feeling that the real reason Trent rejected me is that they could sense my passion wasn't entirely where it should be.

I've been mulling this over pretty heavily for the last week or two, and here at my mom's for the weekend, recovering after a very busy exhibition installation and Doors Open, I've been thinking about it some more.  Work feels like it's progressing in a positive way.  I feel like I'm on the way up.  I get good press, I am a pretty good ambassador for the Museum, and mostly, people like the shows I put on.  I'm hardly shooting for a promotion, but I really feel that I've developed a sense of my work, the community I represent, and am an excellent advocate for heritage and history.  There's a lot I can accomplish in my current position and I don't think I've dug very deep.  A little more experience doing what I'm doing and perhaps I won't even need a PhD to start teaching.  I keep my eyes open all the time for speaking and teaching opportunities.  I'd like for them to start paying, but I'll take what I can get.  Anyway, I really would like to be able to put Dr. in front of my name, if only so that the option of moving to a larger institution is open to me, but it's not necessary.  I imagine I am not done with the contemplation and I may yet change my mind, but if I put it off for another year, it's not so bad as all that.

Life changing decisions are much easier to make when I'm miserable.  And I am definitely not miserable, which is a good thing to be sure.

In other news, and completely unrelated, here's a thing I photoshopped tonight.  

 

So, all thanks to this Winning at Everything post, I spent an hour of my life doing this, turning a somewhat horrifying picture of Mark Hamill into a somewhat hilarious picture of Mark Hamill as a hipster.  All while I was watching TV with my mom, who was mostly sleeping.  This is the kind of stuff I get up to when I have time to myself: musings on my life and photoshopping crap. 

This, folks, is a life well led.  I have no regrets !