I am a Southern soul and a hopeless romantic, originally from Alabama, and now living in this big city with big dreams. I’ve always been someone that likes to appear to have it all together but to be honest, I am just now becoming into the person that I am today. I used to feel like I needed to have everything planned out about my future and now I am coming to the realization that I don’t. I’ve been trying to cope with being comfortable in my own skin. During this entire year, I have had a lot of time to self-reflect about my creative abilities and thinking of ways to formulate them into something a little more concrete. Even though I have a great job and I love the company I work for, I want to do something of my own eventually. Amidst all these creative ideas spinning in my mind, I feel torn about figuring out where my definitive home will be for me to execute them. “Will New York City be my forever home?” is a question that is constantly on my mind.
I find myself missing my family back in South, but I also love New York and the person I have become here. A lot has happened around me this year, but I feel very blessed that I have been able to stay afloat. I have realized the importance of relationships and intimacy in a way that I never did before, like seeing a friend and being able to give them a hug, a peck on the cheek, or even shaking someone’s hand. Living alone in quarantine has made me jump on the bandwagon of Facetiming my family more than ever. It has also kept me on my toes when it comes to accomplishing my dreams. I have this constant fear of failing whether its professionally or taking a personal leap of faith in the ideas that I have for my business. I know I am young, but I am at a point where I want to build a foundation with someone. I want to be able to find true love and my “happily ever after.” I’m scared of not being able to find that and living alone for the rest of my life, but I am hopeful in my journey.
I wake up every morning because of this fear of failure. My big idea is to be able to create a platform, “Just - In - Tyme” (a pun off my name Justin), and promote upcoming talent within arts/entertainment such actors, singers, and dancers. Even though I can’t host any events live due to the pandemic, I am in the process of creating a following via hosting virtual events. Hopefully, it will allow me time to strategize for bigger events in Spring if things open again. Until I find my “happily ever after,” I know I have every reason to wake up and strive for it.