As regular readers know, I have a soft spot for the truly creative folks within the creative class that is journalism. An MPR guy I've written about more than once, Jeff Horwich, is leaving the network this fall, following the cancellation of his digital/radio/social-network adventure "In the Loop."

Proving I need to monitor Facebook a little more closely, Jeff posted this Friday. It should resonate with anyone who's balanced the heft of organizations with the flexibility of freelancing, and weighed a love of journalism against frets about the future:

OK, I'm done being cryptic. Might seem odd to write a note like this, but I've lived a semi-public life with In The Loop and it feels like a reasonable way to communicate some news. So here's the plan:

Within a couple weeks, I will start a temporary gig reporting for the public radio show Marketplace, working from here in St. Paul. It'll be great to be back on the radio, and Marketplace is a groovy show that fits my style and fits where I'm going next...

That will last until September when I'm pulling the trigger on a plan to go back to school, getting my Masters in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. I have always been an econ junkie, and knew that if I went back to school, that'd be the way I'd go. The U of M has a great department, and the seem glad to have reeled in a student with the media experience I've got.

So, at 32, I'm rebooting my life a little bit. The time was right. The grad school option has been in my pocket for a few months as I considered how I might pay for it and whether I was ready for such a big change. But the media business being what it is — and my life's previous project having just come to an end — it felt wise to tighten the belt a bit and pick up some new tools for my life ahead. 

Not to mention the head-clearing effect of just moving into a new environment for a while. I have been fortunate to have almost 10 years of solid, productive, and often very fun employment at one company. But this change will be good for the soul and for my family. And I can pull it off without leaving friends and a city that I love.

Does this change mean I am done with making content? Done with music? Done with performing, interviewing, and creative public radio programming? NO! In fact, it opens some things up — a new flexibility to communicate and to experiment with new tones and forms. Working outside a corporate structure does come with some disadvantages. But it opens a big door to follow my own muse for a while. Lately I've been recording new music, beefing up my little basement production hardware, and exploring other places (like public television) that might be interested in my ways of addressing the world.

Which doesn't mean policy work or international development won't capture my heart in the end. But one thing I know is there will be a lot more on the table. And I'll be a happy guy along the way.

— Jeff

Hard not to root for a guy who can express himself like that.