Bag Lady

One thing about being an interviewer, you must always be ready. Saturday morning, I hopped up to visit an annual arts festival in the downtown of my city.

I look forward to it every year. I've procured many great pieces. I came across an artist, a young woman. She had a few portraits of celebrities. The talent was undeniable even though I didn't purchase anything from her.

I wanted to talk with her, find out about her life. Alas, I was unprepared. I mean, we could've chatted but I wasn't prepared to record. I stood there, weighing the options but left fruitless.

I had a harsh conversation with myself about preparation, "staying ready so I didn't have to get ready." I have already lost out on a couple of interviews and committed to "going forward" being more steadfast.

Fast forward to Sunday morning. Michelle and I headed to Middleburg for our monthly refresh. I told her how I was disappointed with myself about missing opportunities. But I did have a plan to locate the woman by posting her work on IG. I checked my camera roll and suppose I had inadvertently deleted it.

We left brunch and noticed a woman standing in the door way of a lingerie shop. Intrigued, we went to chat her up. It's not many Black shop owners in Middleburg. She began to share her journey with us, organically. I was unequipped but also very equipped. I asked if I could video her story and just like that I was redeemed.