laid off? yes. fell off? no

i am now your unemployed friend doing absolute bullshit on a tuesday at 2pm

if you haven’t guessed by the headline, i was laid off from my editor role at apartment therapy last month, and i’ve been (f)unemployed for nearly six weeks.

i’ve been struggling to write this newsletter for weeks. as i touch my keyboard, i feel an overwhelming amount of emotions that range from anger to fear to anxiety to excitement. and i don’t know where to start writing!!!

after i was laid off at 8:30 on the morning of tuesday, may 7, i made an action plan. it consisted of jobs to apply for, things i’d like to do with my free time, and resources for freelance assignments. and guess what i accomplished from that list?

i slept. and cried. and decompressed. and did those three things a bit more and more until paper mario: the thousand year door was released on the nintendo switch. around that day, something shifted. there’s something about doing a very unemployed thing — visiting the nintendo store on a rainy thursday afternoon — and spending $60 on a game that motivates you.

i wasn’t prepared for the rush of emotions that comes with a layoff, especially when your mind, body, and soul have yearned for a break. capitalism and the american workforce have held me in a chokehold since 2015, so this is the first time i’ve gotten to exist without a job. and readers, that has been a hell of a feeling to work through!

i’m excited to share the freelance assignments that i’ve been commissioned, so keep an eye out for my forthcoming bylines and send me any pitch calls. i’m also really looking forward to giving this newsletter the time it deserves :’)

i am feeling relieved from the burnout and anxiety that were immediately whisked away from my body along with my access to gmail and slack. this anxiety comes and goes with job insecurity and financial instability, but it’s nowhere near the anxiety of hearing a slack notification.

besides writing, i’m hobbymaxxing by:

• bird watching at prospect park

• attempting to exercise three times a week (and failing for now)

• watching interview with the vampire, pretty little liars: original sin, scream queens, jujitsu kaisen, and the boys

• actually watching zero movies (embarrassing i know)

• being a beautiful DJ (i’m playing twice in brooklyn next month)

• traveling the world (occasionally going to manhattan, and i visited new orleans, the adirondacks, and dc)

anyways readers, thank you for reading and thank you to anyone who has checked on me amid the turmoil of being laid off. chat soon xoxo