The word of 2019: Surreal

Was 2019 a crazy beautiful sh*t storm for you, too?


Ok, I won’t say the entirety of 2019 was a sh*t storm...but it definitely packed a punch in the final quarter.

Right around August of this year some very substantial things happened:

1.) I had an opening for my new workspace location in the Pearl district. Brand new digs, all the plants I could ever dream of, poppin’ bottles…all the good things!

2.) I found out my mom has cancer. Stage 1 Diffuse B-Cell Lymphoma to be exact. 

3.) I started dating Easton, who is now my beautiful girlfriend.

4.) ^^^ I began the daunting task of coming out, over and over and over and over again.


So, it’s been A LOT. I would have days where business is great, I have a cute text from my lady on my phone, feeling all the good VIBES...then bam. I would remember my mom has cancer.

And then I’d go down the rabbit hole. Remembering she’s in pain. And she’s had biopsy after biopsy. And the chemo makes her want to die. And the doctor’s complete lack of bedside manner made me want to commit MURDER. 

And then queue back to being in love. Back to loving doing brows and honing in on my nano tattoo technique.

And then ANOTHER bam—> with each conversation with family, friends, and clients; returning and brand new, it is a reoccurring thought process of “how do I come out to them?” 

As a white, able bodied, attractive, educated person who had lived their whole life in the in - between (liking both men and women) this was something I had never experienced. You see, if anyone ever saw me they would assume I’m heterosexual. I’m feminine, I like beauty things, I’ve dated men... 

Well they are half right. So coming out for me has been this incredibly foreign experience, which depending on my audience, could have been met with love, hate, questioning, ignorance, or even violence. And the majority of what I had been feeling on the other side was complete terror. 

Fortunately for me, everyone has been lovely. And they have been overjoyed by seeing my happiness. So again, good things. But surreal things. 

Sooooo, hopefully you can learn from my lesson. If you are gay and your mom has a cancer diagnosis, I recommend tackling one at a time. I’m laughing/dying inside as I write that. But really.

Life is crazy and beautiful. And I am so grateful I am at this current spot in my life, although this last quarter has been a tornado!

I can’t wait to connect with you more in 2020. Over eyebrows, lashes, maybe even a makeup lesson. And if you’d like, bring your 2019 sh*t storm story along with you. 

I’d love to laugh and cry with you and maybe pop a bottle.

Love,
Emily