The Road Goes On

       I mused in March that life is like a puzzle, and that I was just waiting for a few more pieces to fall into place for mine. Well, they have — no sooner did I finish that last blog than my schedule turned into a fully-fledged whirlwind that has only just started to settle down now in the middle of May. I’ve been too busy even to be stressed out!

       I spent Spring Break on the road, job-hunting at studios through Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. It was a productive week, but also leisurely. One of the highlights was when Anna and I got to attend a small local performance featuring Nashville singers… hosted by Andrew Peterson himself (the songwriter/author who posted my review of his book series on his website)! Since there were only about fifty people there, we got to chat with him without feeling rushed and he signed my copy of On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

       Before I continue, I should mention the incredible contrast between searching for a job in the South versus New York City. In New York, there were secretaries and guards at every door to make sure that I had an appointment (which can’t be gotten when companies don’t respond to the emails of unemployed college graduates).

       I realize that New Yorkers have to brace themselves against potentially psycho strangers, but in my ten weeks there, the only interview I managed to scrape up was with a Starbucks Coffee Shop. And to top it off, any and every professional that I talked to was not impressed by my versatility around a film set. “A jack of all trades is a master of none,” I often heard. That sent my self-esteem into an absolutely massive plummet — I was arguably the most depressed in September and October that I’ve ever been in my life.

       But as it turns out, it wasn’t my non-specialized resume or my preference for face-to-face interaction that was the problem: it was just the city I chose. In the south, all I had to do was send studios the same sort of “please-hire-me” email (which mentioned when I’d be in town), then show up at the door sans-appointment and give the name of the HR head that I’d contacted. Not only was I welcomed in, but everyone was beyond friendly and interested in hearing about who I was and what sort of experience that I had. I had four impromptu job interviews in just three days! Talk about a self-confidence boost.

       The last city that I visited was Atlanta. While two of the companies that I’d researched didn’t have physical locations there anymore (which was an fun discovery to make after paying for parking where they supposedly were), there was one studio that I did find. Most of the staff was out that day, but I was able to meet the director himself, and he and another staffer chatted with me about my resume and my experience. Rather than belittling my jack-of-all-trades portfolio, they lauded me as a “Swiss-Army-Knife” of production skills (a term that made my day— scratch that, my year). Best of all, as we finished up, one of them added, “We may be working on a feature film during Memorial Day weekend… so keep your schedule open.”

       That afternoon as I checked off my job-hunting list, filled out more applications, and sent more emails in a local library, I got a call from my iSTAND.tv supervisor (from my internship in New York). Before I’d left, she and I had briefly discussed the idea that I could earn a little extra money by writing movie reviews exclusively for iSTAND.tv. However, after I left and months passed by, I’d assumed that the idea hadn’t taken root. But now, with a wave of summer blockbusters about to begin, she wanted to know if I was still interested. I didn’t hesitate.

       Just a few days after I returned home (and helped some college friends get engaged at Asbury in a reunion that was the cherry to my week's sundae), I got a call from the Atlanta studio. They said (more or less), “You’re in trouble! I couldn’t find your phone number and I had a job for you this morning!” Less than a week after that, an official agreement was made: I gave my current employers my two-weeks-notice, started to look for housing in Atlanta, wrote my first review for iStand.tv, and tried to wrap up my current Kentucky projects (like a wedding video that wasn't complete until my very last day… but was so worth it). In a single month I went from no prospects to moving out!

       And as for housing arrangements, let me tell you! I did have the stress-relieving option of several family friends to fall back on, but they wouldn’t be long-term options. As we searched, one of the contacts I reached out to was a family with a daughter my age; our parents had been young-marrieds together. When we chatted, she admitted that she knew a girl who had access to a rentable townhouse and was looking for a Christian roommate. I got in contact with that girl… and as it turns out, she went to Covenant College with Noah and knew Anna when she worked in the Language Lab there!

       You will never be able to convince me that providence is not a real thing…

       And now, I am in Atlanta. I’m staying with some close family friends while my future roommate and I prep the townhouse for move-in (I was expecting a cozy sort of apartment-house, but this whopping place could house a family of five without breaking a sweat!) at the beginning of June. I’ve been at the studio for two weeks and I can already see a dent in the workload that I’ve been able to do for them. Officially, I’m a Production Assistant (errand runner), and it may not seem like a glamorous job at first glance. However, my duties are already beginning to vary, and it’s an incredibly special feeling to be needed, no matter the prestige of the task at hand. Not to mention that I have two desks (one of which is right next to some of the executives, so I can soak in their conversations while I work), as well as access to a fully-stocked kitchen.

       It’s been a lot to take in… and there have been some reminders to me of what I’ll be losing by leaving my loved ones behind. My family has finally gotten an offer on their house, and it feels strange to be so far away while the negotiations take place.

       I spent Mother’s day with a family that wasn’t mine (and while I was blessed and able to bless them through the experience, it still felt strange when I knew that my college siblings had returned home for the occasion).

       Our last week before my move was altered abruptly with the news that my paternal grandmother, who had been fading for some time, finally passed away. We spent three days with our extended family down in Florida and had a really special time supporting one another (and looking through some priceless old photo albums).

       Then, around a week later, one of my cousins (actually old enough to be my aunt) also passed away from a long battle with cancer there.

       It’s a lot to take in. I’ve been feeling this new journey of my life called “adulthood” starting for some time now, and moving to Atlanta has only been my ramp onto the highway. A good chunk of pieces have been added to my puzzle, with nuances that may take another full year for me to understand.

       I don’t know exactly where I’m headed, how I’m going to get there, or with whom I’ll be going. But I do know this: I am ready to go.