“Hi there. I’m Ryan.” “Nice to meet you. What do you do here in the city?” “I’m the Editor of an online creative culture magazine called BLEEP.” “Oh nice.” For eight years, most of my introductions in New York have played out in nearly identical fashion. Each time I’ve met someone new—be it at a […]
Read more "A New Dream"The night before something big is to happen in my life, I don’t sleep very well. My mind can’t stop doing summersaults and my body can’t get comfortable. I know I’m not alone in this sort of night-before, anxiety-based alertness, but knowing it happens to other people doesn’t help me get to sleep. This state […]
Read more "The Night Before New York"When I was little, going to my grandma’s house actually felt like the song; Over the river and through the woods. My paternal grandparents lived about an hour north of us and on holidays, we made the drive up to visit them. There’s something dreamlike about driving off to grandma’s house to stay for a […]
Read more "A Moment of Living Magic"One summer during college, I participated in an internship at my church. I’d applied to work in the church bookstore for the summer as a way to make some money but when I had my interview, they offered me a paid internship within the children’s ministry instead. It sounded far more interesting than retail so […]
Read more "Well We’ll go Swimmin’ Everyday…"My ability to move to New York hinged on securing an internship, which I did at the eleventh hour. I found a marketing internship at an off-off Broadway theatre known for fostering new work, something I was very interested in. Also, it allowed me to live in the city I loved while looking for a […]
Read more "The Best Answer I’ve Ever Heard"In my life to date, the “Things I Thought I’d Be Incredible At” list is long and tortured while the “Things I’m Actually Incredible At” list is startling in its brevity. No one’s incredible at everything, even if on the surface it appears that way, and no matter what, there’s something they’re bad at—be it […]
Read more "Things I’m [not] Incredible At"There was a moment recently when something profound happened. It’s not a particularly unique moment—it’s something all human people go through—still, when it happens, the impact crater it leaves is inescapably large. Recently, one of my friendships shifted. It shifted from that person being considered a close-knit-friend-family-member to a cordial-acquaintance-with-a-shared-history. It happened so quickly. Yet […]
Read more "The Shift"