Welcome. I’m so glad you found your way here.
I’m Jules Van Patten, and this space is exactly what it sounds like: a walk through my curiosity. Some days that path winds through Korean dramas and digital art tutorials. Other days it meanders into the cognitive benefits of creatine, the stack of banned books on my nightstand, or simply the view from the commuter rail in my new New England city.
Here’s a contradiction that might sum me up: I’m a high school dropout with a GED, and I also hold a BBA and an MS in Finance. I spent most of my adult life raising children instead of working traditional jobs, and volunteered extensively in my community. Over the years I worked corporate roles at two massive multinational corporations. First time I was a corporate gal, before I had children. But later when I tried returning, I realized that isn’t my calling after real world experience raising my children. At the second company I’d giggle at corporate-speak during meetings and found myself genuinely baffled by the passive-aggressive art of “per my last email.”
I’m a private person who will happily chat with your dog or wave to your toddler but finds small talk with adults genuinely challenging. I’m prone to self-isolating for days, watching YouTube shorts and falling down rabbit holes. My spouse lovingly pushes me to work for social connection, not just income. He’s usually right.
I’m a philomath—a lover of learning, with a serious case of Shiny Object Syndrome. I’ve finally stopped apologizing for it.
Recently, I realized something important: I don’t think I have a hard time focusing. I just have a hard time being bored.
That changes everything.
Why This Blog?
I started find-my-voice.com because, honestly, I’m still finding it. After decades of being a daughter, a student, an employee, a volunteer, a mother, I’m finally giving myself permission to follow every spark of interest without needing to become an expert in any of them.
You’ll find me exploring:
- 📚 Books — Mostly nonfiction, but fiction too. Currently working through banned books I never read in high school (1984, Brave New World). I buy far more than I can read from independent bookstores and have zero regrets.
- 🎨 Creative dabbling — Digital art, photography, drawing (mostly Zen drawings and mandalas), crochet, hand knitting. I’m learning DaVinci Resolve so I can revive my YouTube channel with better editing.
- 🗣️ Language learning — Korean (thanks, K-dramas), Japanese (for a future visit), with some Spanish and French floating around in there.
- 🧠 Curiosity rabbit holes — Lately: creatine for cognitive benefits, world history from every continent (the good, bad, and ugly truth), and the science of weightlifting.
- 🌆 New England days — Navigating downtown apartment life, the commuter rail, and city sidewalks after a lifetime of quiet country roads in the South.
- 🔍 The job hunt — The unfiltered reality of interviewing at 50-something, making it to final rounds, and still searching for the right fit.
Who Belongs Here
You might feel at home if:
- You’re a late bloomer, reinventing yourself after 50
- You have too many interests and a permanent case of Shiny Object Syndrome
- You love learning just for the joy of it (not for a degree or a credential)
- You’ve ever felt like your pieces don’t quite fit together
- You simply have a hard time being bored
About That Name
Jules Van Patten is a pen name, borrowed from a character in a film I’ve loved for years (St. Elmo’s Fire). If you know the movie, you know Jules is someone searching for herself beneath the surface. That resonated with me. Consider it a small tribute and a personal wink to anyone who catches it.
(I am an 80’s trivia nerd. Not kidding. Ask me anything.)
A Few More Honest Truths
- I time-block my Outlook calendar in color-coded chunks. It’s the only way I get anything done.
- I quit Facebook except for occasional family updates. My brain thanks me.
- I’m working out. Just not at 6 a.m. Although I really ought to because again I am easily distracted.
- I have more books than I’ll ever read, more interests than I’ll ever master, and more questions than answers.
- I’m learning to be okay with all of it.
Let’s Walk Together
This path is winding, and I have no idea where it leads. But isn’t that the whole point?
If any of this resonates, pull up a chair. Leave a comment. Sign up for the newsletter (I’ll send one email a month, no spam, just musings). Tell me what you’re curious about these days.
The voice I’m finding? It’s still emerging. But it’s getting clearer with every step.
— Jules