Dear Cinnamon: The Art of Showing Up

Dear Cinnamon is a monthly column based on the idea that all of life's questions can be answered by art, because, after all, art is the spice of life. To submit your own anonymous questions, fill out this form

Dear Cinnamon,

I’m starting a new job and I want to feel like a badass day-one but I feel like an impostor who is about to get fired once they see that I am not qualified. What can I do to gain back my confidence?

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Um, have you noticed who the US president is? Being qualified literally means nothing at all. There are people on the internet making more money than you will ever even dream of spewing out health tonics and anti-vax propaganda who have never once thought of science beyond high school. And even then they were too busy passing notes to listen to basic biology. The stuff of the news is bad dress up, but the stuff of drag brunch and beyond is the kind of energy you and the rest of us need right now. Hit up Kit Kat Lounge, The Baton Show Lounge, or one of the many other lovely restaurants and bars who are facing it all with a full face of makeup and making it werk, honey. 

Illustration by Mat Huftalen.

Dear Cinnamon,

Every year I say I’m going to plant a garden but then I realize I actually hate getting dirty and being outside. What are ways that I can watch things grow and yet not have to do any of the work for it?

If you don’t like dirt then grow and change in a different way. Spring is the perfect time to challenge yourself to try something different since the sun is shining, we're closeting up our sleeping-bag-like coats, and watching as winter's grit washes away will be motivating to step outside. You don’t need to fully commit to a new hobby, but maybe see something that will surprise you or show you something new like the Leather Archives and Museum, or The Insect Asylum, or The National Museum of Mexican Art. There are countless ways in our city to go beyond the usual places that we associate with encountering art or encountering art from a singular perspective.

Caroline Huftalen

Caroline L. Huftalen is a food, arts and culture writer. Her reviews and interviews can be seen on BuskingAtTheSeams.com. A graduate of the University at Buffalo and the Savannah College of Art of Design. Huftalen lives in Chicago with her family and is currently writing a novel.