Lady Bird
Have you seen the movie Lady Bird yet? You've got to!
Hometown. For everyone, they picture something different. I picture oak trees, spring mornings when the grass is explosively bright, long suburb streets, stretches of strip malls and of course, my home. It’s strange how “my hometown” Sacramento was suddenly put on the map after Lady Bird stole our hearts. It painfully reminded me of when I moved to Seattle and when people asked where I was from. I would (could) lump it into San Francisco. People were usually satisfied with that answer and I never convinced them otherwise. But no, I’m from the suburb streets of Sacramento born into a wonderful home that never threatened me like San Francisco might.
As I consider all of this, I have some news. I’ve moved out of Sacramento. After graduating college in Seattle, where I really wanted to stay, I ended getting the one job I applied for in Sacramento at an agency called FUEL. It moved me back home, and for awhile felt surreal. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Sacramento forever but coming back to it was much better than I expected. I feel like both me and the city I knew grew up. I ended up finding an apartment in Curtis Park, a stone throw away from the infamous Gunthers. It was the first time I had my own bedroom in 4 years and It felt so strange and exciting to feel like I was doing it all on my own. Independent of everyone but still dependent on this city that I knew so well.
After some time at FUEL, I moved into a new position as the in-house designer for Pho Hoa and Jazen Tea, the largest pho franchise in the world! I also acted as their social media coordinator so that meant I craved pho daily as I was constantly posting and looking for images. The role was good as it pushed me to work hard, efficiently, and smart as our resources were extremely limited. I love the people there too, some of the best and more hilarious co-workers you’ll ever meet which helped me to feel comfortable and open.
Okay, but to the point. An important slice to this pie are the people in my life. One of the most important people lived in the Bay Area, and committing to a relationship where every weekend we were driving back and forth, trying to squeeze every moment out of the weekend worked…but it was tiring. It wasn’t flexible and perhaps, not sustainable. So I was secretly hoping, and longing to move. To move on and out of Sacramento as it almost felt like coming back to an old relationship that was good, but we just had to “figure things out.” It seemed like a fallback. As I stayed longer though, I realize that Sacramento is a place to be, and I miss it.
A few weeks ago I got offered a job at Gilmour Craves an amazing agency in San Francisco and I was, and still am so ecstatic. It meant change, it meant opportunity, and it meant being a part of this incredible community that I missed so much when I lived in Seattle. Along with this, my closest friend was willing to move with me and we found the perfect place in beautiful Oakland California, right by Lake Merritt. Pretty unreal how it all happened.
So this is the update post, but also a reflection that hometown doesn’t have to be negative. I enjoyed Sacramento and will be back for the family, for the ice cream, and for the beauty. Overall, I’m just grateful for the places I’ve been and I’m looking forward to this new place I call home.
So here’s to designing more, working harder, learning more, and mostly enjoying where I’m at.