@alyssainthecity There is something so pure about the way Alyssa presents herself to the hundreds of thousands of people watching while she goes through so many changes in her career and lifestyle. Following the honest and gritty ride from her full-time job at Refinery 29 to her freelance flow had me suspect that she was an A,F girl deep down. This was confirmed when Alyssa revealed that she actually wore our "Don't Postpone Your Freedom" tee on her last day at work. (!) Alyssa's confidence swings from stomping through the street in a see-through number at New York Fashion Week with her best friend, Lauren Caruso, to letting her followers in on the cardboard box studded apartment move meant to raise her standard of living and empower her do more of what she loves. Her balance of hustle and unapologetic "organized chaos" intrigues and helps me piece together her path in pursuing her freedom. Everyone's path is different, join us to hear about her determined, monogrammed, Mansur Gavriel steps from corporate to freelance fashion. -Dahlia "I'd kind of describe my whole approach as organized chaos. I'm often flying by the seat of my pants, but part of me thinks I just work better that way." Please introduce yourself, including what you do and what you are passionate about. "My name is Alyssa Coscarelli and I'm a freelance fashion writer, consultant, and influencer. I'm passionate about clothes... About styling, brands, the people behind them. For me, that often takes shape in writing about the brands, stories, discoveries, ideas that excite me and sharing them with the world, whether through words or photos." In which event, series of events did you realize your strongest interest? "I'm fortunate that it's never really been a big question mark for me. I've been passionate about clothing and getting dressed since I was old enough to care. I have a natural draw toward fashion and all that surrounds it, and I've followed that thread all through my life." "... but eventually, I felt the pull in that direction and decided to act on it, for freedom's sake." To A,F, postponing your freedom generally means holding off on what you’d prefer to do in order to please expectations, or follow a “norm”. When/ how did you decide not to postpone your freedom? "It wasn't an overnight decision to leave my full-time job, for example, but eventually, I felt the pull in that direction and decided to act on it, for freedom's sake. I think you have to listen to what your gut's telling you, and act on the feelings you're having rather than suppressing them. It wasn't easy to leave the comfort and sureness of my full-time gig, but I feel invigorated by this new stage of my life and I'm finding it so exciting and fulfilling already." What is a setting/ activity/ routine that makes you the most happy? Anything at all. "Fitness is really important to me. While I love fashion and writing, hardly anything can make me feel as free and satisfied as a good workout. I'm a big fan of The Class by Taryn Toomey - it's tough to put my feelings throughout that class into words but nothing really compares, and I always leave happy that I went." What is your motto to yourself? / What motivates you? "I have a natural tendency to always want to be working to become a better version of myself, ever since a young age. It's just who I am. I think there's a level of ambition and motivation that can't be taught. It's no one end goal or motto that motivates me but more of an intrinsic desire to follow my passions, achieve my goals, and always be improving in various ways." What is your morning routine like? What key points do you include when you are trying to be your most focused/ productive self? "I wish I had a morning routine...Maybe in my next life. I have a lot of respect and admiration for people who get up early, make breakfast at home, read the news, meditate... My morning routine usually looks like me snoozing my alarm 12 times, hopping in the shower and running out the door, likely late for whatever I'm heading to. Often I'm meeting my best friend, Lauren, for coffee and photos in our neighborhood. But other than that, my morning routine is pretty nonexistent. I'm more of a night owl, staying up to the wee hours doing things around the house and banging out overdue work. I'd kind of describe my whole approach as organized chaos. I'm often flying by the seat of my pants, but part of me thinks I just work better that way. I know I'm just not the kind of person to ever have a bullet journal or a bound agenda. But that doesn't mean I'm not vision-boarding and making goals and intentions for myself in my mind. I just have a bit more of a laissez-faire approach." "- nothing sounds more soul-sucking than spending day in and day out doing something I'm not crazy about. But hey, that's just me." Why do you think most people settle for a career or life they don’t love? "Money, ego, comfort... Life and career choices are complicated, I know that for sure. But settling for something I don't love has never been an option for me -- nothing sounds more soul-sucking than spending day in and day out doing something I'm not crazy about. But hey, that's just me." What simple advice would you give to people hesitant to pursue their interests? "It's simple as only having one life to live. Might as well spend it doing what you love." What is your favorite quote? "This quote is on a print my aunt gave me, and I've cherished it and revisited it so many times since. It reads: "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given to you, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." I love that this quote by Ranier Marie Rilke reminds you to let yourself live your journey, even at all the difficult or unsure moments. It's such a metaphor for life... The way we worry about things, and then over time, by some miracle, they work themselves out..."
