In my first post, I talked a lot about drive, passion, and the importance of going after what you want, but along with those things comes some type of pressure, or stress. As AlunaGeorge says it best, “Life can be cruel, if you’re a dreamer.” This line resonates with me because I feel like anyone with a goal, or an ambition, naturally suffers along the way, but I’ve recently realized that it’s healthy and beneficial in the long run to find out what makes me feel calm and self-aware. For me, it has always been important to achieve an equal balance of ambition and peace of mind, and an ability to recognize what is important in life.
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I have a pretty active imagination. Working in a creative field, this often works to my advantage. I love being a storyteller, someone who can dream up the crazy ideas and then make them happen. Unfortunately, this active imagination, paired with the Type-A side of my personality that loves to list and plan, does not do me any favors when it comes to dating.
Whether going out with someone I met IRL or online, if the first date goes well (e.g. an attraction, an initial curiosity, a “spark”), it’s at this point that my imagination/Type A combo starts to run amok. The rational part of me tries to keep my cool, keep my distance, keep my shit together; the insidious irrational part of me creeps in, making pro/con lists, trying to answer the “What ifs?”, making up stories when my mind least expects it. One minute I’m on the subway, figuring out what I’m going to make for dinner; the next, I’ve caught myself thinking about when/if I’m gonna see Justin Long again, and where we could go if we do see each other, and whether we should go to that new whiskey bar because he said he liked whiskey, but maybe it’ll be too loud and crowded…. You see where I’m going with this.
In our first I & H Spotlight, we talk to Genesis Keller, a 24-year-old LA-based teacher with the Teach for America organization.
Aditi: Who inspires you?
Genesis: Definitely my mom as well as the other women in my family. I’m also really inspired by what my friends are doing. We make a point to support each other and we’re always bouncing ideas off of each other. The kids I work with inspire me and make me want to be a better teacher and person, overall. They teach me about myself and about what’s important in life. My job in general inspires me because I love that I develop meaningful relationships with my co-workers, and I feel like I’m making a positive impact in the lives of these kids, in some way.
While listening to one of my favorite songs last week, an idea popped into my head. We all have words that inspire us, motivate us, or define some part of us; whether it be lyrics, a poem, a fortune cookie reading, or a quote, there’s a reason they resonate and carry meaning. So why not start collecting and sharing them? I asked friends and friends of friends to help me with this project; below is the preliminary result.
Have your own words you would like to share? Email me via the contact section or reply in the comments below. Thank you to everyone who participated this time around and stay tuned — we can always use a few more words to live by.
After writing the last Coast-to-Coast post about my remaining summer bucket list, I was eagerly awaiting the weekend to try out my ideas – but the weekend-long (much-needed) rain in Los Angeles put a damper on this plan. While I did manage to make it to see my college friend, Veronique’s, band Leggy perform, I spent the rest of the weekend with Netflix and a blanket (which I quickly realized I didn’t need because apparently it doesn’t get cold here when it rains). I watched re-runs of all my favorite shows from this past season, and couldn’t help but to judge the shows differently, now that I know the results of this year’s Emmy nominations.
With two good months left of our favorite season, we want to do everything we can to make the most of our first real, post-grad summers in LA and NYC! We’ve compiled a bucket list of our must-do activities — feel free to copy our ideas and share some of your own:
Summer is the best and worst time to be a 20-something living in the city.
THE BEST:
AND THE WORST:
While there are a lot of amazing things about New York City in the summertime, I’ve come to realize how important it is to leave every once in a while. Without these mini mental health breaks, I become stressed and strung out; I didn’t know how restorative it could be until I was in the middle of some woods, smelling fresh air again. The challenge? Finding a way to “vacation” without the cost of airfare, hotels, or house rentals.
My senior year of college, I was constantly attending various mock interview sessions and alumni networking events, convinced that unless I picked up the skills and strategies taught at these seminars, I was going to be unemployed forever. Of course I was totally wrong. While these events were certainly helpful and gave me plenty of practice, there was something about memorizing my 10-second elevator pitch that felt forced. I’ve always considered myself to be pretty emotionally intelligent, and I realized that none of these conversations I was trying to pre-develop in my head could possibly seem genuine. If I ever found myself in a situation speaking to an employer of a company that I dreamed to work for, my gut reaction would absolutely not be to go on a 10 second rant about my career goals. That would be so awkward. I realized that these seminars were a lot like the difference between taking a class about a certain industry vs. doing an internship in that industry. While the class gives you the basic knowledge and understanding, you have no way of knowing what your strengths are or what your challenges may be, until you are actually in that situation. Upon graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, and decided that I wanted to come up with my own strategy for networking, that didn’t feel forced, and didn’t feel like work.
Picture this: you are sitting at dinner with a guy you met on Tinder a couple days prior. On the app he introduced himself as Matt, gave you his number to text him, and his profile links out to his Instagram page. In the few days spent texting and making plans to meet up, you have also done a little bit of background research. It first started with a brief scroll through his recent Insta photos, then a quick Google search (just to make sure he’s not an escaped convict). Before you know it, you’ve got Matt figured out: you know he likes a good IPA from his photos (caption: “Grabbing a beer at Brooklyn Brewery!”), that he has questionable political leanings from his Twitter (RT @ScottWalker: “The founders did not declare their independence from one big government only to create another” http://sw.gop/z -STAFF #FourthofJuly”) and that he has decent (but not entirely groundbreaking) taste in music from his Spotify (Mumford & Sons new album most recently played, really!?). Now, you’re sitting across from him; it’s at this point you’re supposed to start getting to know Matt, but your perception is clouded.
I was born in London, grew up in Tennessee, traveled every few years to see visit family in India, then moved to Washington, D.C., and finally I am somewhat settled in Los Angeles. Along the way, I was lucky to make friends with experiences from all around the world, and I always noticed how entertainment was something that had brought people together. Living within these polarizing environments has given me the ability to observe and understand different groups of people. I have always been fascinated by the way entertainment, whether it’s film, music, or literature, has the ability to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers.