I went to college just north of Boston, where I studied Graphic Design. I loved Boston, with it’s intellectual energy and subway system referred to using one letter. I had a conversation recently with a good friend about how every city has a vibe. While New York City is to “be the best” Boston is to “know the most.” Not because they necessarily want to be the most popular in their given genre, but because they are so obsessed, they want to soak up as much as they can about [insert topic here]. I felt inspired just walking down Boylston St. Pretending to immerse myself in the rush. And because I was a student, I had free access to most museums, including the mfa & ica. Once I turned 21, I found an entire new pulse. Bars and events opened up to me. There were amazing venues for concerts, or places to just go and hang out after a long day. And best of all, a place to buy coffee within a 5 min. walking distance from where ever you were. (which is the substance that got me through my morning, afternoon AND evening every single day!)
BUT - by the end of my four years, I was screaming “get me out of here!” I found myself feeling like Ishmael, wanting to knock peoples hats off. For this reason, I knew I couldn’t stay and while taking to the sea would have been nothing but amusing, I did the next best thing that I could get away with. I moved to Atlanta.
Truth be told, I found myself graduating single, energetic, and for the first time - without any idea of what to do next. I constantly contemplated my options. The fear of student loans kicking in after 6 months made me feel the need to think realistically. That was balanced, however, by the idea of moving to some new city, making friends that I would explore new areas with, and meet up after work every day at the bar located right under my apartment - where my one friend would constantly suit up in order to meet new girls! Sound familiar? No, I was not trying to replicate a certain TV show, I’m not obsessed with finding the man who can put up with me long-term and years down the road explain to my children How I Met Your Father. I DID have this idea in my head that going somewhere new and making post-college friends would be really fun, and turn into somewhat of a makeshift family that I could grow into my future, business-woman self with.
Why Atlanta? Well, I had a safety net - an aunt and her family that I could live with till I got my feet off the ground. And while I have other family members that live in other areas of the country, this one has a connection to the graphic design community of Atlanta and I thought she could push me into any company that she knew of - at least for an internship. I also knew that going somewhere new meant going to a new city. I’m sure you can deduce the reason why.
So, I packed up all my belongings - after a heart-wrenching goodbye to friends and the awful hate-to-say-goodbye-to-this-thing-I-never-used purge, and drove to atlanta. (blog post on old blog here) After about a month I started to realize a few things. I didn’t like Atlanta. Or, more accurately, Atlanta was not living up to the exceedingly high expectations I had set for it. I started longing for the things I had already discovered about Boston and it’s alluring North Shore instead of discovering new fast food chains and that no one rides public transportation unless they can’t afford a car (let’s be honest - who can these days?!) More importantly, I started earnestly missing my friends up north.
Let me couch that last statement real quick by saying that I made friends with some really amazing people in Atlanta. I just started to be haunted with the idea of how hard it is to re-start making good friends. Investing energy and time - especially since I love the friends I already have so much! Also, with brothers wrapping up High School and Parents that I have a good relationship with, I didn’t want to be so far from them. Maybe not living at home with them - like how this story turns out - but within a decent day trip. You know, too far for a surprise visit, but still do-able.
So, I started looking for jobs in Boston, while working retail in Atlanta. Eventually the thought “why couldn’t I just do that from home” came to me - and within 3 days, I was on my way back. Home being Connecticut - just a short drive to where my heart belongs.
And here I am, living at home again, working a retail job, and blogging and creating things for my etsy shop to keep from going crazy. From this, I have found that I love telling stories, sharing information and inspiration. And while my friends lovingly sit there and pretend to be as amazed as I am, I wanted a place to document these things. I document using the following categories:
Abi Learns Design - Where I “nerd out” on you based on articles or other design blogs that I see. Only about design of course.
Get A Load Of This - Something that must be shared with as many people as possible, due to it’s outrageousness, cleverness, or awesomeness.
A Few Of My Favorite Things - What I’m Lusting After Currently (and most likely a “brief” description why) Will be in the form of lists, pictures, collages, etc.
Abi’s Adventures - Narratives, mostly humiliating, thought provoking or ranting.
Craft Corner - How-To’s or Look at What I Mades
This is my platform of choice to share with you and join the community that I have been tip-toeing around for the past year.
I may be a little edgier (my mom’s word describing my nose ring, not mine) than you expect, a little blunter than you like, and a little more obsessed than what you deem to be healthy.
But this is how it is.
Take me or leave me.
Read me.
No comments:
Post a Comment