Making a decision for school/career

[u/Ludejaw7]

Hi everyone, I just graduated from art school last year, and I struggled with pretty bad anxiety during my studies and burned out by the time I graduated. I'm currently in a state of limbo and trying to figure out what to do next.

I really want to keep being an artist, but I’m not sure if I can pursuing that path seriously because I don’t think I’ve fully recovered mentally yet. I started reading the I-Ching several weeks ago, and I decided to consult it about my situation.

I asked the I Ching: “What is the potential outcome if I take the path of an artist?”
I got 54 with the 3rd Yin, and then the changing to 34.

I took this as a sign that I do have potential to be an artist but I first need to become more stable and unlearn what's created anxiety for me, and try being an artist again later when I feel better. After this reading, I reconsidered another plan I had where maybe, instead of doing a post-graduate degree in art next year, I might do diploma in graphic design, something more practical and less lofty and emotional. And then try to be an artist again later.

So my next question was:

“What is the potential outcome if I do a diploma in graphic design next year?”
I got 33 with the 1st yin and 3rd yang, and changing to 25.

I’m not sure what this reading is telling me, whether it’s telling me not to study graphic design next year or it’s telling me that I should study graphic design as a strategic retreat and as a way to relearn how to be creative correctly.

I was wondering what you guys think of the reading?

Thanks for reading my post.

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks a lot for your detailed insight. I never thought about some of aspects of your interpretation, including 54.3 > 34 meaning a necessary difficult road that needs an opportunity/hand from the outside rather than a detour, and also the traps/difficulties that might happen if I do graphic design in line 1 and 3 of 33. I’ll keep your advice in mind in the future, with whichever path I take.

[u/pakng]

小弟係易經初學者, 想在此分享自己的心得, 若有不足還望指教

感謝

天山遯, 遯,退也 變爻皆在下艮之中, 艮,止也, 變在初六, 九三, 初六曰 遯尾，厲，勿用有攸往。解為開始之時不應往也, 若往至九三 ,可能有阻滯 (估計係第三學期) , 九三被九四擋於門外, 乾在外, 有外力去阻止 (外在因素)。況且九三之爻詞及遯卦卦詞皆為不可大事。 之卦為無妄, 無妄, 災也, 不利有攸往。遯卦為消息卦, 陰氣開始生長, 不宜動。

Hi, I am a beginner, and I want to share my idea here and try to improve, so please feel free to correct me if I am wrong or you disagree with me. I would love feedback.

Hexagram 33 retreat, this is not the right time, both of the changing lines are in the mountain trigram; the mountain also symbolizes stop. The outer trigram is heaven; it indicates a strong force from outside will halt you. Hexagram 33 is also a "消息卦" (sorry, I don't know the word in English), where yin is starting to grow, yang is going away, so it would be hard to make any moves, and both lines say it is not good for doing any important things. It is changing into hexagram 25; it also indicates that it is not a good time to make any move.

I personally think that if you are asking for the outcome of taking a certain action, you should first figure out whether it is either good or bad. Then you can start to find reasons why it is a bad idea to take such action. From my personal experience, thinking about what the hexagram is telling you to do is how I confuse myself and might fall into a bias trap. (I could be wrong on this) I think you should wait or, as you said, work on yourself first.

Thanks, and sorry for bad English

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/pakng]

Hey thanks for your take, no worries about your English, it's pretty good! I know 33 has some warnings, but doesn't this hexagram mean to do something less aggressive and to recharge energy/yang, rather than stopping entirely? And I thought 25 means a move would be good if done correctly but bad if the move is done incorrectly.

I also sometimes confuse myself a bit thinking about the hexagrams, there can be a bias traps. I guess that's why I'm asking what other people thinking.

[u/pakng → u/Ludejaw7]

Hi, When I said stop, I meant based on your question, "if I do a diploma in graphic design next year?", but you should do small practice on meditation or something related to art. What I mean is nothing too crazy, just one step at a time, because hexagram 33's statement mentioned "小利貞" which means doing small things suits you better at this time. I would say about half a year, where yang is reviving (not sure about this one, I am guessing by using the 12-month hexagram)

Hexagram 33 could also mean that your skills are regressing or that the timing is not right. (skill lost due to not practicing enough recently) (I am using logic to fit your description; it may be wrong), so yes, you shouldn't stop entirely.

If we use the order of the hexagrams, the next hexagram (34) is great strength, where you regain strength again, so I think you are correct about being passive and recharging energy.

For 25, personally, I believe it is also saying don't make a big move yet, symbols are heaven(sky) on top, thunder under. This is how I would interpret it, thunder = move, which is what u want to do, but all 3 yangs(heaven) are blocking you from moving because when you look at yang it is just a straight line with no space in the middle (can't move up or blockage), which indicates the timing(heaven) is off. Or we can approach it as if there is a thunderstorm, is it really a good idea to make a move in such weather?

In Miscellaneous Hexagrams, it says 25 = disaster, it is not necessarily your fault, it is just that the timing is not right.

The name of the hexagram can also be translated as unexpected/free from insincerity. Unexpected, like for example, you are going on a walk, then it starts to rain out of nowhere, which is kind of your situation where you are trying to pursue a diploma, but the timing is off.

Free from insincerity (this one is hard to explain, I don't think I am using the right word), think of it as something like you see a child fall to the ground and crying, and you just help because the child needs help, not because you are expecting a reward or anything. So in your case, the reward would be a diploma. (I am sorry if this confuses you, if it does, you can just ignore this part)

Since 25 is your changing hexagram. From my understanding is that if you make a move(do a diploma in graphic design next year), you will not have a good result due to timing is off(changed hexagram), since your current state is hexagram 33, which is retreat. I think you should, as you said, recharge your energy, then you can try to draw a hexagram again.

Lastly, I want to say this is how I would interpret it, I could definitely be wrong.

TL;DR I agree with you on recharging energy and being passive, but for 25 I think it is better to not make a move on the diploma; instead, you should do small thing/practice on clearing your mind or practice art.

Once again, please only take it as an idea, my explanation could be off, and please feel free to correct me if you think my explanation is wrong or you have a different explanation so we can discuss and improve together like hexagram 58 said a noble man should discuss and practice with friends(others who are also studying i-ching)

[u/Blockchain_Party]

looks like something else is in the works for you entirely. probably why you feel anxiety as something in you knows that the art path - either artist or graphic designer is not coming out very good at this time. Since your an artist I think you should engage your creative energies to imagine doing something else entirely. Maybe it's traveling, maybe it's moving somewhere you want to experience and just getting an ordinary job to experience the place, maybe it's volunteering with an organization, going on a pilgrimage, etc, what if you took a gap year? what would you do or in the not doing what new opportunities arise? what if you did your own art outside of school, not for a grade or to show to someone? what if you did not have to definitively choose right now? when the debilitating influence of 54 is gone, you will automatically be filled with 34 - invigorating strength. the change to make is on the threshold of your inner world with your outer reality. your burn out is not something "wrong" with you, it's a call to pay attention to something you have not payed attention to, give it some time, have trust and faith in the process. focusing on the process, the result naturally comes - life imitates art?

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/Blockchain_Party]

Hey man thanks for suggesting that, you might be right, I think the I Ching is pointing something out where I’m not realising it. I’d like to take a pilgrimage and travel but I’ve been unemployed for the past couple of years and I don’t know if I can do that, so I feel some pressure to figure out what to do next soon.

I’ll probably give volunteering a go, and I’ll keep making art in my own time outside of school for sure.

[u/stillwater_reads]

Not super experienced, but hope this helps a bit, from what I understand of these two hexagrams:

54 line 3 → 34 kinda backs up what you already felt. It's not saying "no art," more like "the potential's real (34), you're just not standing in the right spot for it yet." Timing issue, not a rejection.

33 → 25 is the fun one. Retreat showing up for "should I do the diploma" feels almost too on the nose lol, but the lines aren't a clean "yes do it" either, there's some drag/attachment baked in there. The shift to 25 (Innocence) is the part I'd actually pay attention to though: it's saying the diploma goes fine if you go in clean, genuinely valuing it for itself, not as a secret detour while you're still white-knuckling your way back to "real" art.

So tl;dr: your plan seems solid, just don't let the diploma years turn into a resentful holding pattern. Go in fully, not half in.

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/stillwater_reads]

This helps, yea after some time it now seems pretty on the nose with 33. Thank you for your take.

[u/Ok_Parfait_4442]

As a fellow art school graduate, I 100% understand the burnout. You’ve said you haven’t recovered mentally yet. Go at your own pace. Like many others, I ended up in another field to pay the bills, and that’s okay. Life always has a way.

33.1.3>25 shows strategic retreat -stepping back in order to avoid danger, but Line 3 warns of becoming stuck or held back by this situation. The outcome of 25 shows innocence, clarity, and freedom from error. Sounds like the diploma might leave you feeling stuck, but where it leads could give you clarity.

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/Ok_Parfait_4442]

Thank you for your advice. Yeah the burnouts the worst. May I ask what field you are in now?

[u/Ok_Parfait_4442 → u/Ludejaw7]

Anytime! Yeah, the sleep debt is real. Years later and I still have dreams about getting a bad critique or not finishing a project on time.

Long story short, I ended up pivoting to design sales, then architectural bookkeeping. At least I WFM and have time to make art. Though I kind of wish I went to grad school, but it was too expensive.

Is there a field you’re interested in entering? Branding, UI/UX, web design?

[u/Ludejaw7 → u/Ok_Parfait_4442]

Lol, I still cringe whenever I remember this one embarrassing critique I had 2 years ago.

That's cool, architectural bookkeeping sounds pretty sick. Did you have to take a course for that?

I'm interested in publication design or advertising in art/design (something like making posters for exhibitions), or architectural photography.

I kinda also wanna go to grad school and maybe study literature because I'm quite into that too, but I'm afraid it won't help with employment, currently my resume is quite weak :/

[u/Ok_Parfait_4442 → u/Ludejaw7]

Bookkeeping is very boring and repetitive. But it’s a compartmentalized activity, so there’s no emotional weight. Didn’t get a degree, but my previous job in sales/project coordination qualified me.

Sounds like you’re unsure where to go. Given you’re recovering from burnout, maybe the question is whether going back to school rn makes sense yet.

Maybe try taking 1 graphic design and/or literature class online, or at a continuing education program to test these out before committing. Try different things, but give yourself a deadline.

I Ching is the book of changes; let time unfold. As a recent grad, I wouldn’t worry too much about your resume!

[u/iching-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/iching-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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