allow me to (re)introduce myself

Hi. I’d like to (re) introduce myself. This may seem new, but to me this has been a state of mind for at least seven years. This website/project/blog/diary/melting pot of my mind has existed in a few various forms over the years. I was just hampered by a lot of things 1. Other jobs that took up most of my time or exhausted me creatively 2. Fear (and shame, maybe? which we’ll talk about) 3. The question of whether or not there was room for this. 

Quick thirty second elevator bio: New York born, California raised, Manhattan nourished. I went to NYU and got a degree in Art History. I’ve worked in Fashion and Film and a few things in between. I like large parties and sparkly dresses. But you can always find me with my nose in a book or my head in the clouds(thank you TikTok for introducing me to maladaptive daydreaming disorder, it’s explains a lot) I’m a dreamer who has subsisted on a steady diet of the sunshine and the strokes. I think cinematically and dream in technicolor. 

 My New York City was informed by Gossip Girl and The Dark Knight (I know they filmed most of it in Chicago but stfu, we know Gotham is New York) and the eternal optimism of the whole bright lights big city mentality. I don’t know if that city is around now. It’s certainly been hurt by the pandemic and the economic shutdown and health restrictions but the beautiful thing about New York, is she always comes back. Always. Just check out our long and illustrious history (from Hamilton to 9/11) but I can tell you - I can’t wait to see what she does next.

So, I had initially started this project when I was a senior in College. I had been really lucky and had worked a lot of incredible jobs and internships(including two at Vogue) and found myself my senior spring without anything to do except my classes. 3 of which I was taking for fun. I literally only needed to pass a math class in order to graduate. So in anticipation for my long and illustrious career, I flexed my skills. I went to museums and art openings and wrote about restaurants and took pictures of fashion (this was early days of instagram when overly filtered images of avocado toast were the height of chic. Thank god we’ve moved past that collectively, as a culture.) And I did get some cool jobs. But my mind was always thinking. 

Before Times. Heading to an event Uptown, October, 2019

Why now? Well, I think it’s pretty obvious. The last year has put everyone through the ringer, (for me personally, it’s been about the last 2.5) and has left a lot of people questioning and reevaluating their priorities. I myself have gone through a pretty big personal epiphany and my approach to life, and I was left with only the ideas spinning around in my brain. But, despite all this time being inside and alone I need to get it out.

So this project is me. I’d like to think of myself as your cool, in the know, bougie, but still casual, older cousin who has already seen that play that’s been sold out for months (come back, Broadway!) or just ate at that place last night you’ve been trying to get into for months. All the things that make New York + Internet Culture so fun and addictive. The Uptown+Downtown of it all is absolutely me. It’s an inherent duality of New York, but very much something that I have struggled with my whole adult life (remember my personal epiphany?) until I realized. Why do you have to pick one? Why. Can’t. You. Be. Both? The answer. You can. And you should. (Spoiler: I’m also a very serious Gemini so do what you will with that.) The fact that I both love punk rock and emo music and leather jackets but also love headbands and sparkly things and afternoon tea shouldn’t mean I have to pick one. I can like both. I can be both. The dark and the light. 

And darling, let me tell you how freeing and fun that revelation has been for me. These are the adventures of a city girl with a curiosity, the drive to find more, in a city about to be reborn in a new decade historically known for decadence and being extra. So here’s my promise to you, to have good, high end, engaging but still fun content that has a little bit for everyone. But with a heavy emphasis on storytelling. This is not your average hi I like this because it smells nice or it tastes pretty (though you will get that sometimes and it’s also totally valid, but it can get … repetitive). Like for example yesterday I put on a perfume that made me imagine this whole story so watch out for those. You are going to find a lot of New York centric content but I dabble in California and the UK occasionally. I promise it’ll be a good story. 

XOXO

C