APW Happy Hour

HEY APW!

Najva here. Guess where I’m typing this? At the #compactclubhouse in Oakland, where I’m spending the next month (other than a quick jaunt to shoot a queer wedding in Alaska). Though having a work commute is… eh… getting to have lunch with my coworkers really doesn’t suck. I’m also getting to share a desk with our fabulous new studio manager, Chelsea, a super talented florist (and Bay Area native)!

Pride month has been crappy, to be honest. It’s so hard to be inundated with images of being fabulous and in love and full of joy when you’re curled up in a ball just trying not to fall into a pit of depression (and yes, I mean that in the clinical sense). When your community is celebrating brightly and you feel like you’re a walking raincloud, it’s really tempting to isolate. Did I manage to celebrate a little? For sure. With morning dips in the Hudson and afternoons at the gay beach and late night soup and skirts made of feathers. But did I feel rainbow sparkle lovefest? Nope.

It’s a double-edged sword to work at a wedding site when your love life isn’t really working out for you. In fact, I openly sobbed over this epic same-sex wedding this week (to be fair, I was PMSing). But I wouldn’t change it. Because seeing all this LGBTQ love at work helps fight against all the horrifying news I read everyday.

So right now, I’m focusing on the good: today I was on a super long tech call and my CEO brought me goat cheese cake and my coworker lent me a raincoat for Alaska and they’re putting me up in a gorgeous Victorian and ya know? Gratitude helps. So does recognizing the privilege of stable employment and donating to trans people of color in need. My Pride doesn’t have to be parties and drinking; it can also be supporting my community and prioritizing my mental health.

So tell me what Pride means to you, and how your week has been APW. It’s your turn to share.

XOXO,

Najva