New York’s Nuances
The anticipation of packing up your suitcase to leave the town you grew up in behind, the town that feels so small because it's all you ever knew. What you are soon to find is a city that is so big, with endless possibilities, yet no room for judgment. Just enough room for you to join in on the chaos, to hop on the subway with the many strangers that occupy the train stops, and to begin a life of your own. That is what New York is about, right?
Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Chattanooga
The first time I traveled to the Big Apple I was immediately flooded with inspiration. I felt the need to sit down to write down everything I was taking in. As someone who feels passionate about storytelling and all the many forms that can come in, I was infatuated by the stories and lives of the strangers I encountered as I walked down the streets of New York or even those I sat by on the subway. I wanted to know everything about them, to understand their roots and learn about why they were here. I studied their outfits, their mannerisms, and what it was they were doing as they waited for the subway doors to open so they could continue with their day. The little things. Were they going to work in the tall buildings that overlooked both the city and all the many people who scurry about? Were they going to start their nine to five jobs that they schedule their day around? Were they going to their studio apartment they struggle to afford where their cat waits for them by the door? Or were they off to the job that I only dreamed of; working for a fashion magazine and having the freedom to work collaboratively with other creative individuals? Oh, the endless possibilities. Maybe it was my infatuation with other people’s stories that made me eager to write a story of my own.
The second time I visited this city, I felt like I belonged. Maybe because I felt too overly confident with my navigational skills to get to Tompkins Square Park by subway. Or maybe because I was with my friends who were equally inspired by the New York air, yes so dirty, but something oh-so different. Everyone who occupied the populated city was on a journey of their own. I felt immense freedom to explore the city on my own timeline with no ounce of anxiety, something so foreign to me and my mentality before I arrived in New York. I needed to break away from the life I left behind in my hometown, perhaps that is why the city had such an impact on me as it was so new, making me feel so at ease, not because it was my first time in this city, but because I also felt so independent and capable of being my truest self. Why was that? Perhaps it was the sign I was where I needed to be for that time being, or maybe for forever.
That is something I am trying to figure out to this day as I sit in my Chattanooga dorm room, writing this, thinking to myself “What am I doing here? Should I just pack up and go?”. As much as I would love to be in New York all the time, I am confident that my time will come for me to return and experience the anticipation and inspiration that overtakes me all over again. All of which make up all the little nuances that make me love it, such as the endless stories of people’s lives that populate the city, the feeling of inspiration from the fashion, and the crowded streets that make me feel so minuscule and capable of making my own reality without the pressure or judgment of others and their journey that can be so intimidating.
Truthfully, I am happy where I am as I am working to get my degree, contributing what I can to the universe that I so wholeheartedly believe has a plan for me.
There are beautiful nuances of life that I recognize, cherish, and seek out wherever I might be, giving me the hope and reassurance that it will only continue as I make my way to the city to stay. New York here I come.
Strike Out,
Writer: Sophie Hamblen
Editor: Jane Dodge
Graphic Designer: KateLynn Fronabarger