Finding the Joy in Monotony

On maintaining independence and morning commutes.

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend.

We didn’t do any traveling – on Saturday we went thrifting at Goodwill, on Sunday we biked 12 miles around Brooklyn and got drinks on an incredible sailboat (you can see my full video on that here) and on Monday we hosted a BBQ with approximately six dogs!

Life has felt pretty slow and steady the past few weeks, which I’m really enjoying. I’m diving headfirst into my freelance work, and I have more work than ever right now. I’m trying to navigate balancing my own content with creating content for other people, and I still don’t think I’ve quite figured it out.

I felt like my own content struggled when I was at my old job because I put all of my creative energy towards that brand and account, and I want to be careful that it doesn’t happen again. It’s hard because I’m a naturally passionate person and it’s a struggle for me to not commit to things 110%, especially when it’s something I genuinely care about like dogs and animal rescue.

I think working freelance really allows me to disconnect “work” from my identity because I’m working for multiple companies and brands, not just one. I still care deeply about what I’m doing, but I’m enjoying not having a specific name attached to me everywhere I go.

Have any of you ever struggled with the grey area that exists between your identity and your job? Let me know in the comments!

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New York in the Morning

I love my cozy, quiet mornings at home.

But occasionally I’ll have an early morning shoot where I have to be on the Lower East Side by 8am. I ride the subway into Manhattan with the other commuters and we rumble through the tunnels, together but separately. New York is quietest in these hours despite the sheer number of individuals – everyone has headphones in or a book on their lap. The train car smells like fresh showers, perfume, and coffee. A sleepy haze surrounds us as we all wake up slowly – the man next to me nods off, his navy suit wrinkled.

Once I get to my stop I hop off the train with dozens of other people – my neighbors, my comrades – and we all say our silent goodbyes as we shuffle into the next phase of our life, likely to never see each other again.

I get coffee after my shoot. At this point it’s a little after 9am and I meander into a coffee shop in Chinatown. When it’s my turn to order, the barista looks at me with the biggest, brightest smile. Hi! she says. Hi! I say back. I silently wonder why people say New Yorkers aren’t friendly, when that has never been my experience. I remember the time I cried on the street and a woman gently touched my arm and asked if I was okay. I remember the older artist who drew me on the subway and silently handed me the picture to keep.

New York in the early morning hours is shiny and sparkling. It’s brand new, and totally different from the day before. A new day with new opportunities, new people to meet, new coffee to try. New stories to write about.

I make my way back home, grateful to have experienced the beauty in monotony.

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Fresh off the Press

What I’m reading: Okay, I sincerely apologize to all you non-ACOTAR people. I know I’ve been going on an on for WEEKS about these books, but I’m happy to announce that I’m officially on the last book! Don’t read if you don’t want any spoilers, although this isn’t really a spoiler: I’m so excited that this book is in Nesta’s perspective, because I’m hoping to get clarity on her. At this point, I am Nesta’s biggest hater. I know there’s more to the story (obviously, there’s a whole book about her) but up until this point she has been nothing but rude and unlikable. I’m praying for the biggest redemption arc of all time, because right now I am not rooting for her happiness.

What I’m watching: My newest obsession is the new Netflix docuseries, Secrets of the Blue Zones. This series basically follows a man through his research of “blue zones”, which are areas around the world where the population tends to live to be over 100 years old. At first I thought this would be boring, but I was quickly proven wrong – each episode is so thoughtful and interesting, and has genuinely inspired me to change some of my lifestyle habits. I recommend everyone watch, because I think it’s a show everyone could benefit from.

What I’m thinking about: I’m currently in talks to potentially foster a senior dog (shhh, it’s a secret for now) and I couldn’t be more excited. After fostering Ken (a very young, larger male dog) I knew I wanted to do something totally different. I’ve been working with a few rescues, and one told me they found a smaller, senior female that they’re going to try to pull from the shelter. More on that soon, but I wanted you guys to be the first to know!

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That’s all from us! See you all next week! xo