Our first Conversation Corner is super exciting to me because yes, I do love to write, but I love to talk even more.
"The internet is losing its realness." That was one of the first things I said during my conversation with @spoonsfullofsugar and that is the exact reason why she is No.1 on my list for interviewees for the Conversation Corner by Dear Diary because she is one of the most authentic people I know.
The Conversation Corner has one rule: it will always be real. No B.S., because quite frankly there is enough of that already on the internet.
So here we go…
Jules has been my best friend since birth (yes, we're related but that's beside the point), so we started with some gossip (what we do best), but I personally felt an overwhelming heaviness circling our conversation. I have moved past a lot of the feelings I had as a result of losing the remainder of my senior year of college, but it’s always hard to rehash sad stuff.
DD: How did you find out about the pandemic shutting our schools down?
JK: “When I found out it was a Tuesday, I was in the library, I had pulled two consecutive all-nighters to finish my thesis. It was so bizarre in the library, people broke down crying...It was a learning lesson because I had been underground working on my thesis...I should have prioritized fun and relationships because that’s obviously what was taken away…it took a while to pick up the pieces.”
That hit way too close to home. I think everyone who was a part of the Class of 2020 wishes they could have done something differently with the time that they did have. But, what we kept coming back to is that we both focus on living in the moment more now than ever before.
I wanted to talk to Jules because we had different experiences in quarantine. I got to stay in my college town, but she had to leave and go home.
JK: “It was so hard to be on the brink of peak independence, and then all of a sudden I was sent home and had to live in my childhood room again...But, a lot of times I felt lucky to take a pause...I went into school with a double degree, so I think being home with no schedule and as things slowed down, I was able to do a lot more art.”
We then went on to talk about the postcard-size woodblock prints that she has been making, while donating the proceeds to support the Black Lives Matter Movement, specifically Black Trans Femmes in the Arts and INCITE.
“It felt different than any other movement, there is no excuse not to recognize what is going on...just being out of college (and) not having much money to give, but I wanted to participate and show support if I couldn’t physically be there. I do have art I can give, and it's my time.”
DD: Now for our final question of each interview, what now?
Jules has been my best friend since birth (yes, we're related but that's beside the point), so we started with some gossip (what we do best), but I personally felt an overwhelming heaviness circling our conversation. I have moved past a lot of the feelings I had as a result of losing the remainder of my senior year of college, but it’s always hard to rehash sad stuff. There’s pressure taken off of us. It has given me this opportunity to spontaneously redesign my future and (it) has changed what post-grad means to me.”
XO