Recharge

I am writing this on the train heading back from a daytrip to NY to pick up my art from the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Originally I had planned a quiet day where I would see only a couple of people, spending most of the day alone in the city. Last night I realized that I hadn’t seen one of my dear friends from college (Go Cuse!) in a long time and at the last minute, invited her to Enid’s, my favorite restaurant in Brooklyn (fried cheese grits and pumpkin pancakes…yuuuuum). Once we arrived, we remembered another friend who also went to school with us. I texted an invite and she was able to join.

Nadirah Bell, producer

Once we began catching up about work and life, I immediately felt recharged and energized to take on the next few months of my life. Nadirah shared news on her upcoming documentary, My Hair, My Voice, and Sara shared updates on her business, Kingsland Printing in Brooklyn. The three of us met as freshmen at Syracuse and though our lives took vastly different turns we all stayed committed to the arts and our friendship.

As brunch rolled on, we brought up old friends from school and played the “where are they now game”. We laughed about the ridiculousness of some of our life choices and whether they were “age appropriate”. We celebrated each other and the goals we accomplished and those that are yet to be fulfilled. Lastly, we shared business tips and the benefits of LLCs over S-Corp, payroll, and tax strategies.

Sara Gates of Kingsland Printing

I was so proud of us for living our dreams. None of us are married and we snarkily thumbed our noses at friends who settled down early, while laughing at ourselves for being so overworked and unlovable. Would we marry? And if so, what will that even look like for us? A husband that lived in the house next door à la Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter? A husband who lived overseas and visited a few times a year? It was a morning of high humor and some hard reality checks. Admittedly, none of us were even “ready” to be married, but then we wondered if we ever would be. My mother wonders (and prays) about this too.

It was a high moment for me and just what I needed before this new semester begins. I will be helping to organize and will speak at an upcoming women’s leadership retreat at MICA next month. My hope for all of our creative women is that they seek each other out, support each other, and celebrate each other as I have grown to do with my friends.