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In the past 7 months since I've graduated, a decent amount of change has happened, both in my professional and personal life. So much, in fact, that the other night I literally had a dream I was driving my Jeep Wrangler (as I usually do) way too fast over the speed limit (also as I usually do) but for some reason I couldn't hit the breaks or get the car to slow down and as a result, I almost hit the car in front of me repeatedly.
Being the symbolic person that I am, obviously I took this as a sign that maybe I should "take a chill pill," "calm tf down" "mellow out" etc etc etc and not drive over the speed limit anymore, both metaphorically and IRL. It's hard, especially when living in such a fast-paced and socially driven world, to remember that life is not a race and sometimes, you get slightly knocked down and have to figure how to get back up again, which doesn't happen overnight.
Before I continue to be cliché and sound like you searched "inspirational quotes" on Pinterest, I'll backtrack and let you know what's up, what's new, and where I'm at. I've debated writing a post like this for a few weeks, trying to decide if talking about my life is even something that would be of interest to any of my followers. However, since it semi has to do with hungrygrl, I figured it was worth a post, both to myself and to all of you.
Let's rewind to April, where I was still a college student trying to find a balance between sleep, a social life, and writing papers. Don't get me wrong, I fully know how lucky I am to have graduated from a university and with that said, I was diligently applying to jobs, to internships, and semi-staying on top of my last few days of classes. However, I came to a point where the more jobs I applied to because they sounded only fractionally interesting, the more I came to terms with the fact that if I didn't graduate with a job, it would not be the end of the world. I would still get my diploma (finals grades pending), I would (most likely) still move back home, and I would still get up everyday and find SOMETHING that I loved to do and would figure out a job to make sort of income, even if it didn't happen right away.
The second I became fully at peace with this idea, a crazy thing happened: I landed an internship at a place called INSIDER, which was a brand I only knew of on my Facebook feed and was tagged in videos by various friends. In reality, it was a lifestyle brand and publication stemmed from Business Insider, and produced articles and videos about all things beauty, style, art, travel, and in my field: food.
So, two days before I was set to put on my cap and gown, I accepted a 6 month internship as a Food Video Writer at INSIDER. I had never written for video before, however I knew food, I knew how to write and tell stories, and I was going to be in the city that I had dreamed of making a life for myself in one day.
I still remember my first day of work like it was yesterday; I remember what I wore, I remember where on my face I had to apply some extra concealer (as always, I had a pesky pimple emerging on my chin), I even remember the temperature and how many clouds were in the sky (just kidding I don't have that impressive of a memory). If you were a follower of mine on May 15th, 2017, you might remember the post-it I carried with me into my first day at INSIDER: "If you reach, work, believe, and continue to dream you can get what you want!" The summed-up story of this post-it is as follows: I found it in the desk at my first ever internship the summer of 2012 and have been carrying it with me ever since, from internship to internship, from school year to school year. It has been one of the best signs (both literally and figuratively) to have ever come into my life. Its existence helps me push myself to write more, to take more risks, to put myself out there more, and to believe that I can land any job that I put my mind to. Which is why it was with me on that day.
Over the next six months, I would learn how to write a script for video, I would learn how to use a "professional" camera, I would scour social media for the latest and greatest food phenomenon, and I would work with some of the most talented and genuine people I have ever met. And unknowingly to what I thought I would be doing during my time at INSIDER, I started going on shoots, and even more, I was actually in the videos. There was one point where people would come up to me in public and no longer ask if I was "hungrygrl" but if I was "the girl with the giant Moscow Mule in a food video on Facebook." This was both comedic and so strange to me, however it was such a compliment because it meant the work I was doing was well received and watched by people everywhere.
Yeah, you guessed it, I loved almost every second of being at INSIDER. I took pride in the fact that I was writing and telling stories of "nontraditional" things; while the world was spinning over the buzz of something the President said, I was pursuing my ability to tell stories in a way that projected a light of positivity to balance out the media scale. Welcome to 2017, where in the midst of getting your daily world news, you can also find out where to find a giant 5 pound gummy bear. Though there were days I didn't want to get out of bed even after I snoozed my alarm 5 times, or I was too hungover with the thought of getting on a bus and commuting into Manhattan, I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing in my post-grad days, hell even what I had only dreamed of doing: I was going to do a job that I loved with people I saw as both co-workers and the best of friends.
Before my post-grad life, I was pursuing hungrygrl as a side gig; I was meeting small-shop owners and learning about how they got into the restaurant business, how they learned how to cook, and why they do and serve what they do. Hungrygrl was my escape from the real-world, from schoolwork, and it helped me grow and develop in ways I could never have imagined I would; it led me to take my love of food and make it a full-time job for a short amount of time.
So after this lengthy post, and a fast-forward of a little over 7 months, what I'm trying to say to both myself and all of you is to always remember working hard and putting in your all is what matters at the end of the day. And sometimes, you may put in your all and the outcome isn't what you were hoping for. A full-time job offer was what I wanted to see in my future, however that did not happen for me. Though I have recently traded in making videos on giant foods and have picked up a temporary nannying gig while I figure out my next career move, I have come back to my "hungrygrl roots," as I'm going to call them. I've remembered why I started what I do in the first place, and I've stepped back to realize I now have over 30,000 people caring about where I eat! Never did I ever think I would get to this point, and I couldn't be more thrilled about it, which is why I want to be honest with myself but also all of you with where I'm at right now.
I am currently not where I thought I would be in life right now, however I am coming more and more to terms with this every single day. I have turned co-workers into people I still talk to everyday, have learned so much about both myself and how to write for video, and I have proven to myself that hard work will get you somewhere that you want to be. Plus, what would be the fun in being able to predict every single thing that were to ever happen in your life? I have never been a stagnant person or able to stay still, thank god, because now I am spending my time making hungrygrl even more awesome, working on my self and spending more time with people that I care about (perks of living at home), and I've been spending a lot of time helping out local restaurants with their social media while also applying to other full-time jobs. Being proactive is so important because the only way you'll be able to make the changes you want to see in your life is if you go out and do them yourself.
So, here we are. Hungrygrl is still a thing, and I will continue to bring pizza and bagels to Instagram no matter where I am professionally. And, as always, I can't thank you all enough for following along with me as I try to figure life out, with a side of fries. If you ever want to work together, or need food advice, or just need advice about life in general, please don't hesitate to reach out. And always remember, when one door closes, there are three more waiting for you to work hard and open them.
Xoxo,
Hungrygrl