Why Now?

After a long break from blogging, I’m giving it another go. This decision came on a whim a couple days ago with no planning, no design or layout ideas and no fancy strategy for social media marketing. All I know is that I have stories to tell and I don’t want to wait my whole career to tell them.

“Every day presents a new opportunity to hear and share those stories.”

Such is the life of a freelance writer, searching for her big break in New York City. In the last four months, I’ve graduated college, lived at home, toured France and Italy with my family, walked away from the one promising job interview I’ve had (more on that to come) and finally appreciated the beauty of New Hampshire.

Now I’m back in N.Y.C. for fashion week and I believe this city holds purpose besides my career. As I look out the window of my cousin’s apartment in Harlem, I see rows upon rows of other windows. But what I see beyond those windows are people. People with stories of travel, creativity, heartbreak, love, faith and perseverance. Every day presents a new opportunity to hear and share those stories. That’s why each day I’m not writing I wonder if I’m veering off track. On the days I do write, I feel a sense of direction, even if I don’t know where I’ll end up.

Friends and family might be wondering why I don’t start up my old blog again. Jenny’s Open Closet was a wonderful way to practice writing and connect with the fashion world, but my world isn’t just about fashion anymore. Journalism and my growing faith have shown me that there is so much to learn from our daily interactions with others. Fashion has a deep power to tell our stories, just like writing does, so I will continue to cover fashion by merging both forms of expression on this new blog. Additionally, I’ll write about art, culture, society and travel in ways that bring deeper meaning to our daily lives.

I haven’t figured out a way to “market” this blog in just one sentence yet. Finding this blog’s purpose is going to be a continuous process that will unfold in unexpected ways. My greatest hope is that people will come here to be inspired and find beauty in places they never thought to look.

— Jennifer