It’s been such a privilege (and huge inspiration) getting to witness your life and career over all these years — I still remember when you were making the decision between interning for Tina vs corporate P&G when we were at RISD! And, of course, I’ll never forget you picking up the phone when I got my very first job offer and called you for advice in excitement/panic.
This is such a lovely essay that puts to words (honestly better than I ever could) exactly how I feel about how I’ve ended up where I am. I’m always in awe of how mysterious and beautiful life is. Thanks for writing this ❤️
"None of them felt like career-defining moments when they happened. But together, they created the invisible infrastructure that supported everything that came after."
This continues to be proven true for me, personally, over and over again! And I'm honored to be a node in your story 🥲❤️ Thank you for writing this reminder on how important it is to build real relationships in this industry!
This gives me a lot of confidence that the insane meandering I went through is all part of a journey to the right people. How did you deal with loosing old network nodes ? I lost a lot during covid, because some people showed their true face or it was hard to stay in touch.
Thank you for this. I will add—the connections between nodes and the story only makes sense looking back. Many changes especially unexpected shifts felt like a disaster/mistake while I was in them. Some also felt thrilling/right—only to then get a few month in and be like uuuh this is actually not right at all.
The pandemic reshaped many relationships. I used to try to maintain these relationships, but now I try to make peace with that ebb/flow. Some connections naturally evolve or fade as our paths diverge, while others may rupture more suddenly when values misalign. Both can be painful, but they also create space for new relationships that better match who we are now. Your network should reflect and support who you are today, not who you were five years ago. And sometimes, old connections can lie dormant rather than truly disappear. The meandering path you described is right—it's all part of finding your people.
It’s been such a privilege (and huge inspiration) getting to witness your life and career over all these years — I still remember when you were making the decision between interning for Tina vs corporate P&G when we were at RISD! And, of course, I’ll never forget you picking up the phone when I got my very first job offer and called you for advice in excitement/panic.
This is such a lovely essay that puts to words (honestly better than I ever could) exactly how I feel about how I’ve ended up where I am. I’m always in awe of how mysterious and beautiful life is. Thanks for writing this ❤️
Yes!! You were there from the beginning! Thanks for being a part of it all. :-) ❤️
"When everyone has access to AI-generated perfection, slightly messy, genuinely human stands out." This is a relief to hear! <3
"None of them felt like career-defining moments when they happened. But together, they created the invisible infrastructure that supported everything that came after."
This continues to be proven true for me, personally, over and over again! And I'm honored to be a node in your story 🥲❤️ Thank you for writing this reminder on how important it is to build real relationships in this industry!
this is lovely.
Thank you, Tanvi!
This gives me a lot of confidence that the insane meandering I went through is all part of a journey to the right people. How did you deal with loosing old network nodes ? I lost a lot during covid, because some people showed their true face or it was hard to stay in touch.
Thank you for this. I will add—the connections between nodes and the story only makes sense looking back. Many changes especially unexpected shifts felt like a disaster/mistake while I was in them. Some also felt thrilling/right—only to then get a few month in and be like uuuh this is actually not right at all.
The pandemic reshaped many relationships. I used to try to maintain these relationships, but now I try to make peace with that ebb/flow. Some connections naturally evolve or fade as our paths diverge, while others may rupture more suddenly when values misalign. Both can be painful, but they also create space for new relationships that better match who we are now. Your network should reflect and support who you are today, not who you were five years ago. And sometimes, old connections can lie dormant rather than truly disappear. The meandering path you described is right—it's all part of finding your people.
HAWRAF (and how transparent you made it) is still an inspiration to me.
Beautifully written! Also met Deneesha last year on Brand studio team, she’s the best!
Deneesha IS the best! ❤️ Thank you for reading!