Inspired to create: A dig inside my journal

I’ve felt incredibly inspired lately. Inspired to create, inspired to write, inspired to give. As eye-roll-inducing and buzzy as it is to say, I’m a storyteller. One of my go-to taglines is that I love writing about the people behind the processes. Whether that’s stripping away the spectacle of a show and speaking directly with actors, technicians and composers, or something like my current work — getting behind the scenes of labor unions and digging up the real, raw gems. That’s what I love. That’s who I am.

I’m not sure that I can go back and pinpoint the exact moment I knew I was a writer. But I definitely have episodes at the ready, prepped and locked in my brain to pull out when I need an engaging anecdote or background for why I am the way that I am.

One of them is writing books during activity stations in kindergarten. Raleigh, North Carolina is where I originally sprouted as a creator, and then coincidentally — or not, because I don’t believe in coincidences, I think there is intention to every moment — I ended up going to college for journalism just down the road at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Full circle. A teeny tiny writer takes on the Southeast. Make a movie out of it. It would be filled with lots of ink-stained hands from markers and pens, keyboard clicks, and ultimately, silence. Just me living in my head. Maybe we could do voice overs.

Another time I knew I was following my calling was senior year of high school. I was extremely involved in my school’s theatre program, and I even got a plaque at the end of my four years detailing every show I was part of while there. After our performance of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” senior year, I was standing with my mother and a family friend in the auditorium. We were discussing my plans to move to Chapel Hill and pursue journalism, and my mother was questioning whether or not I would do theatre there. I said no, because at that point, I’d recognized that performing was not where I needed to be.

Our family friend, who is a professional actor, just shrugged and said, “It’s all storytelling. Journalism is just a different form.” And that resonated. At this point in my life, after being in journalism school for three and a half years, I’ve heard the notion of storytelling used time and time again to describe my line of work. But that was my first encounter with it, and it was good. It pushed me, it inspired me to create.

There are other stories about the j-school at Chapel Hill that I can reflect on as significant details in the journey. Like one of the classrooms that had floor to ceiling windows and three huge conference tables on the second floor that made me feel creative every single time I sat down. Or a feature-writing class that pushed me to read Pulitzer-winning work and form opinions about writing. Or a public affairs reporting class that taught me how to build relationships with my colleagues and the people I’m covering. Or the time I was an editor at the school paper sophomore year, gaining wisdom from my seniors and learning that I loved working in a newsroom — even the nights that held you captive under fluorescent lights until 2 a.m.

All of my experiences at school taught me how to do what I love, how to chase dreams, and how to trust in my abilities. I met some incredible people along the way.

And that leads us to today. I’m just starting my third week as a journalist in my first post-grad job. I’m applying everything I’ve learned up to this point and putting it in a pressure cooker — let’s say an Instant Pot — seeing my work being refined and my professionalism honed every single day. Hopefully, I can get to the point when I open the cooker to a beautiful, tasty meal. But that’s all part of the journey, and I’m grateful to be on the ride.

When I got the first call for a screening interview at my company, it could not have been more ordained. I was leaving UNC Hospitals after a routine check-up the day before Halloween and heading to the gym before a 3 p.m. Wednesday class. My blue, speckled raincoat hood sat tightly on my head, with umbrella prepped in the other hand. I saw that I had a missed call and a voicemail from a number in New Jersey, so I opened up and began scanning the transcription. Obviously not a spam call, so I tapped to listen.

The message was in direct conversation with a journal entry I had written just three weeks prior, on Oct. 8. It read:

“I’m scared about post-grad life. I don’t know what my path looks like, and I feel a lot of pressure in terms of my career. I want so badly to be doing 9 to 5 journalism at a publication in NYC, or just be doing story-centric journalism in general. I’m driving a car with no GPS. I know my destination, but I have no idea how to get there.”

Enter the voicemail, where questions met answers.

“I’m scared about post-grad life.” - “I see that you’re still a student, but graduating soon.”

“I don’t know what my path looks like, and I feel a lot of pressure in terms of my career.” - “We’ve got part-time, freelance, and full-time opportunities available.”

“I want so badly to be doing 9 to 5 journalism at a publication in NYC...” - “We’re based out of New Jersey.”

“...or just be doing story-centric journalism in general.” - “We focus on long-form journalism and feature writing.”

“I know my destination, but I have no idea how to get there.” - “Give me a call if you might be interested.”

And thus began this chapter of the journey. When one chapter closes, it makes room to breathe life into a new one. In the same way that experiences as a child prepared me for experiences in school, experiences in school have now prepared me for experiences today. And every single one of those things taught me how to do what I love, how to chase dreams, and how to trust in my abilities.

I’m obsessed with my new job and all the future promise it holds, but I’m also obsessed with the present and what is being offered on a minute-to-minute basis. I’m learning how to pour into and how to be poured into through an artistic medium, which is such a gift.

If there’s one over-arching lesson I’ve learned so far, it’s that life is a people business. Loving others and learning from others is gratifying. I have so many business cards from sources, and dozens of new contacts in my phone. If I’m looking for information, most are just a text away. If you can build relationships with the people around you, both in your personal life and in your work, you are going to be just fine. We’re built to be relational, and I feel blessed that I’m in a profession where I get to lean into that and explore it every single day.

I’ve always said that my dream job is one where I can talk to people and get paid to write about it. Well, here we are.

I’m a storyteller. I’m inspired to create. And I can’t wait to keep driving forward without that GPS. It’s brought me to some pretty incredible destinations along the way.