Working Title is the name of my column. I did not come up with this on my own, but rather stole it from one of my favorite podcasts “Working Title” by Margot Lee. I started watching her videos on YouTube some handful of years ago and have since kept up with her content and even bought my own copy of her prompted journal (go to noparticularorder.com and get one). Throughout the various forms of media content she posts online, she remains true to a very specific vibe: calm, cool and collected, making the environment feel as though you are sitting right across from her catching up on life over coffee.
When I began writing for this section of The Observer, that was what I hoped my column would feel like to the readers who choose to indulge in my stuff. But the more time I spent focused on crafting up this easy breezy image of myself, the harder it was to execute. This semester especially, I have felt major writer’s block and a lot of difficulty coming up with things to speak on. Second guessing myself and my writing capabilities most days I sit down to type out these things, I always attempt to reframe my thinking by coming back to why I keep choosing to write, to which I respond: because it is something I genuinely enjoy.
Often used in movies and television as a temporary name for a product or project, I liked the name Working Title because it encompasses a little bit of everything, leaving me bound by nothing and, honestly, that is exactly what I feel like my life is right now. With an existential crisis regarding post-grad life just waiting to happen, I feel major fear knowing that my next steps are completely up to me and that there is essentially no definite plot in my life that needs to be followed. I need to come up with a story on my own, and I don’t know how it’ll even begin.
And as unfortunate as the truth is, it is okay to not know. In fact, isn’t that the whole point? I mean seriously, if we knew where we were going, it wouldn’t be fun, would it?
I never want to come off as a motivational speaker — I really don’t feel qualified for that sort of gig — but I will say that if you feel lost, or don’t feel like you have it all figured out, acknowledge and try your best to accept this truth. You are young, you are breathing and everything will work out in due time. For now, go play in the snow.
Moira Quinn is a senior at Saint Mary's College studying communication. When she isn't writing for The Observer, she can be found with friends, watching a good romantic comedy or missing her basset hound. You can contact Moira at mquinn02@saintmarys.edu.
