Re: Sittin' at a Coffee Shop Impressing Strangers.

There was some extensive screaming going on in the apartment next to mine this morning at 6am. So when it was clear that sleep wasn't going to happen, I pulled myself from my cozy bed and headed to the yoga spot on 6th street. After the class, I went to the coffee shop on 1st Avenue to get some coffee and read my book. I knew I'd be cooped up in my apartment for the rest of the day sending out resumes, and really wanted to just sort of have a moment's peace. I wanted to overdose on Americanos, read my pretentious Anaïs Nin book and breathe. However, peace at coffee shops is difficult to find.

Even at 9am, the unemployed douches of the world were out and clogging up the coffee shop with their Macbooks and self-inflated egos. It's amazing that once you define yourself as an artist and drop out of society's conventions, what it does to your self-esteem...it obviously robs you of any, hence the reason you need to sit in a coffee shop in the East Village on a Tuesday commenting out loud about how you're working on your novel, photoshopping your photography or doing whatever else that falls under the creative category.

While part of me respects the need to be in utter denial of your ability and success, another part of me was so turned off by the majority of the clientele that I briefly considered going back to school and getting my MBA in finance...but then I remembered I can't even balance my checkbook, let along anything else.

In the words of Joe Strummer: "I succeeded because I was cocky enough to believe I could." There is a huge difference between cocky and shear denial...I guess one needs to get over the denial and embrace the cocky perhaps? Maybe there are steps to success, kinda like their are seven steps in grieving?

Either way, I'll be at the coffee shop tomorrow afternoon telling strangers I'm working on my novel. I'll also be wearing a homemade t-shirt that simply says "WRITER" across the bust...yes, that's what I'll do...because I'd like to succeed and now I just need to be cocky enough to believe I can.

xo.Mandy.

Speaking of self-inflated egos...