hello!
My name is Sienna. I’m a 24-year-old who just finished graduate school with a degree in journalism. Welcome to my long-overdue Substack. I created this account back in December 2022, and here I am finally making my first post in February 2024. This is proof that it’s never too late to make something!
Still, the reason I didn’t get going on this page way back when was mainly because of grad school. The new semester started, so I told myself I’d post here once I got settled in all of my classes. But, the semester only got busier and busier. This Substack got put on the back burner. Yada yada yada. Now, here we are.
Grad school is over now, hurray! BUT, I’m unemployed, boooo. I have been applying for every job imaginable. I have been reworking my resume and cover letter so much that I could probably recite the whole thing if you asked (please don’t).
I was home for the holidays and barely came back to my apartment a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been feeling so many emotions—restlessness, anxiety, anger, despair, and hopelessness. I told myself originally that some of this might have to do with the weather, but I realized that I’d feel exactly the same even if it was warm and sunny.
Even though the weather isn’t the greatest, I’ve been making it a point to get some outside exposure. Lately, I’ve been going to the park to walk on the track. I’m not a runner or jogger really, so I’ve had no reason ever to go to the track. I used to believe I needed some scenery or a destination if I was going to go for a walk. However, there’s been something really nice about just walking in circles for an hour. It relieves the pressure of having a goal. The time goes by a lot quicker than I imagined. I don’t have to watch out for cars or stop at a crosswalk. I can let my mind wander as my legs go on autopilot.
Anyway, I was at the track today, thinking about this buried account. Some people are telling me to appreciate this time of being unemployed. At first, it was difficult to understand what they meant. Today, I was able to open my mind more to the fact that I have a lot more free time now. That’s free time to write!
What if I wrote my first post today? I thought. What would I even write about? No, don’t overthink it. Just do it!
What’s this page even going to be about?
Good question. This page is dedicated to casual, fun writing. I have been writing so much for school for the last few years that I haven’t been writing for leisure anymore if it’s not in my journal.
I want to write about whatever’s on my mind—personal stories, social observations, thoughts on cultural obsessions and trends, and stuff like that. I’m trying not to tack this down into one thing because I want to have the freedom to write about whatever. I know I and some others get discouraged when we set too high expectations for ourselves.
Each week, expect scrambled thoughts rearranged neatly into the form of a post. Bear with me in the next few weeks as this page finds its groove.
Thanks! xoxo