Intro

Hi, I’m Gabby. Welcome to Leaning In! Let’s start with the present moment. I wonder what your first impression of this site is? The graphics, the layout? Let me know in a comment if you feel called to, if not I will just imagine you’re admiring it in kind anonymity. 

Either way, I’m happy you’re here and I hope you can find this a valuable place to be. My intention for this blog is to build a community of readers to share with and express myself fully, in whatever artful form that may be. I hope to spark conversations and friendships, even just parasocial ones. 

In light of this being an introduction post, I will share some things about my arrival here. I am currently (and finally) completing my Bachelor’s degree in English literature, and if you know me, you know it’s been a long time coming. I live in the humble capital city of Virginia in a house old enough to have a well-founded fear of my shower falling through the floor any day now. If it does, I will let you know. I support myself and my cat by working full time at the front desk of a local tattoo studio within walking distance of my home. I also run an Etsy shop full of artwork and paint by commission. I’m grateful to share my life with a loving boyfriend, a sprinkle of friends that live far and wide, and my close-knit family an hour north. I love reading as much as I love writing, and I am excited to share the magic of both.

Let me be real, I created this blog two months ago in a passionate frenzy, which then began to peter out when I started to second guess the purpose, asking myself things like, what can I say of value? What can I contribute that’s original or meaningful? Is it egotistical to think anyone would care? Who am I? Well, I have returned here to humbly admit that my perspective is not particularly earth-shattering in terms of representation. I have also returned here to remind us both, as a generation of internet people disillusioned with the rampant trends of self-branding and shamelessly shallow self-promotion, that all individuals have a true gift, a purpose to share with the world. I believe my gift is words and art. You have an important individual gift too. I like to think of sharing these gifts in terms of the butterfly effect, the idea that every action has consequences, good or bad, and that although you may feel very very small, your existence matters, even when it feels like it doesn’t. Even when it feels unoriginal or frivolous. So I will share what I believe are my gifts here, and whoever finds value in them will. It’s as simple as that! This is me practicing the art of Leaning In. Welcome.