Joy, Always

~ Ally Smith

Seeds of Success was such a gorgeous, fun, and rewarding experience. Before the Blooming Together event, I was lucky enough to meet Fordham alumnus Pearl Gee! After graduating from Fordham with the Creative Writing Concentration, Pearl now does freelance writing in erotic fiction, realistic fiction, and creative nonfiction. Meeting with her over Zoom with fellow Capstone student Lily Stetson was such a joy––we all shared our writing niches, hopes and dreams, and even book recommendations. It was so lovely to hear about what life can be like post-grad, how it doesn’t have to be daunting, that you can really craft your life how you want it. The advice that sticks out to me is: If a job doesn’t bring you joy, you don’t have to do it. It can be easy to feel a strange obligation to stick with a job despite its emotional turmoil, but Pearl told us it’s okay to let go of it. I struggle a lot with remembering that, having stayed in many jobs/situations that were more upsetting than they were good, so it was impactful to hear. Also, it was fascinating to hear about Pearl's multiple work venues! Freelancing is so intriguing––having the freedom to write when you want. Careers associated with the English major can be very restrictive (editor, teacher, agent, etc.), but it’s important to remember that you have so many options out there. We met Pearl and other alums and undergraduates at the Blooming Together Celebration a week later! The Celebration was a chill night full of creativity, meeting new, exciting people, and sharing our perspectives. My classmates and I got to talk with alums in a casual, fun setting, which made building connections a lot easier. It was amazing how the event turned into a genuinely fun community moment, so entertaining that we and our guests didn’t want to leave! I got to interact with many alumni, all with different career paths. Each one of them had their own wisdom to share. Seeing the various ways you can utilize the English major was inspiring! An excellent piece of advice we heard was Sleep. Amazing things can quickly turn miserable if you’re tired, so it’s essential to set yourself up for greatness by simply sleeping. I was so nervous going into the project, but I had such a beautiful time. I’m so happy with our class’s public exhibition. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.