| a whole freaking year |
I’ve lived in New York a whole freaking year. Whoa there.
It blows my mind how quickly time has passed. It’s also interesting to notice the flipped state I was in last year.
Literally, the day after I moved here was a complete disaster (which you can read about here). Then the subsequent months were like trudging through sludge. But I knew that I needed to be here and just because it was uncomfortable, didn’t mean I wasn’t doing something right.
Well, here I am, a year later. Lots of right things have happened. Here’s recap:
J-O-B-S
That’s right, kids. Plural. In October, I managed to nab not one but two jobs within weeks of each other. One job as an office coordinator for a huge advertising conglomerate and the other with a brand agency as a social media strategist. I have even more opportunities to grow in both of these companies, which is just incredible.
RIP ConStruct Style
You may be wondering (or not…I’m not judging) what happened to ConStruct. Well, I kind of scrapped it. Not kind of. It’s gone. Not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it just didn’t work. Having a brand that isn’t exactly “you” makes things a little more difficult. I’m a very personable person and having a logo in front of my face didn’t feel right. Furthermore, with the growth of my social media career, it felt best to put my personal styling to the sidelines for the time being…however, if you need one, hit me uppppp ;)
New York Fashion Week/Men’s
Oh yes. This is probably the most exciting thing that has happened to me since…idk, since I moved across the country. One day, whilst tittering away at my 8–5, I received the most delightful email from none other than Aveda themselves. You know, the massive skin/haircare company? They were inviting me to go backstage for New York Fashion Week Mens, see the presentation, and get a complimentary professional haircut (which you can see here).
WHAT.
I literally just stared at the email like it was going to disintegrate into oblivion. Well, it was totally legit and then emails started rolling in for men’s and women’s fashion weeks. Suddenly it dawned on me that things were actually happening for me. There were moments when I thought, “they’re totally going to think I’m a fraud” but no. Everyone was so friendly and down to earth (for the most part). After being in a room full of “influencers” in the fashion world with way more of a following than me, I realized that we actually had a lot in common when it came to the industry and how things worked. I even made a few friends in the process!
Moving Forward…
I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that with all the great things that are happening, I’m still kind of waiting for the anvil to drop on my whole parade. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the shit out of all these amazingly cool events. This new year brings a whole new breath into my career; a vigilance to make things happen both with my brand and beyond.
It’s stupid that I get to live in this crazy city and actually thrive. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for me!
Steven Sharpe Jr is a social media strategist living in New York City | Follow him on his social channels here!
