Taking the Leap
Catching my breath, taking a moment, writing it all out.
One of my perfectionist tendencies—I’m working on it, okay—is that I want everything, narratively speaking, to tie up in a red satin bow before I share it out. I don’t like to tell folks about significant updates or big life changes until everything falls neatly into place.
But by then, when it all comes together, the news can feel an overwhelming mess of information that makes it look like I’m losing my marbles. (See: leaving NYC for rural North Carolina to be closer to family and work at an almost hundred-year-old craft school whose website was still very early 2000s—but I digress!)
So, first, the big news: I’m the recipient of a 2025 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant in the short-form category. Over the next year, I will write a series of articles on contemporary art in southern and central Appalachia, focusing on artist-run spaces that promote a more holistic view of cultural life in the mountains. This funding will help me travel throughout the region, meet more folks, and, most importantly, focus on writing in the year ahead. (Know an artist, gallery, or a very cool person I should connect with? Send me their info!)
This grant is truly a dream come true and a real humbling moment: I’ve always been passionate about writing but never saw it as the “right path” to take, and yet…here we are. Doubt be damned. In the words of Catherine Lacey, “apply for every fucking thing you are eligible for every single year you are eligible for them." (Her post is a necessary motivation for all of us—happy to forward it to anyone who would like it.)
I had already decided to leave my full-time marketing job, and Basil and I had started planning a new chapter in Asheville, before I found out this exciting news. (Talk about trusting your gut.) He’s really helped me see that sometimes you have to jump, take the risk, and trust that it’ll all work out.
So, on top of receiving this life-changing award, I am also:
Leaving my full-time job at Sawtooth School for Visual Art. (Very bittersweet—one of the best gigs I’ve ever had with the most supportive, passionate team!)
Pursuing writing and editing full-time through freelance and contract opportunities. (I’m not leaving Burnaway!)
Moving to Asheville, NC. (We bought a house in West Asheville!)
Dedicating more time to this Substack. (Finally, paid subscribers—the playlist and bonus posts are coming!)
Teaching a writing workshop at Haystack in summer 2026. (Lobster dinner!) The news is out, and class and registration information will be available soon.
Saying yes to whatever else comes my way this year.
It’s a time of true transformation, of believing in myself and hustling harder than ever before. I’d be remiss to not say that I’m absolutely fucking terrified by all of this, but the support and opportunities that have opened up so far have been overwhelming in the best way. It feels like I made the right decision, at the right time, and it’ll be exciting to see where it goes. Thanks for following along.
For Garden & Gun’s December/January issue, I have a small piece about Old Salem and Lot 63 in the Agenda section. I was also fortunate to write a web blurb about the new Ralph Eugene Meatyard exhibition at the High Museum, celebrating what would have been the artist’s 100th birthday.
Greg shared so many great tidbits and stories about “Gene,” many I had never heard before, and I loved his summation of the talented, enigmatic photographer who has inspired tons of image-makers (myself included). “Gene was a regular American dad,” he told me. “He coached little league, collected jazz records, and was also an innovative photographer.”
The Playlist
Instead of the usual album list, I’m compiling a handful of unconventional, underappreciated holiday songs that have been in heavy rotation for me lately:
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – “Just Another Christmas Song (This Time I’ll Sing Along)”
Jan Terri - “Rock N Roll Santa”
Los Campesinos – “The Holly & The Ivy”
The Magnetic Fields – “Everything is One Big Christmas Tree”
Yes to all of this, Robert. Congrats and more of the best to you in 2026!
So happy for you, so proud of you, and also inspired. Let's go 2026!