Who? Morgan Ersery, 25 and Julia Akpan, 32
Where? We were both born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area which is where Julia still lives with her husband and 18 month old son. Morgan is in Harlem NY finishing her masters in fine arts at Parsons The New School.
What do you do?
Morgan: I am a New York based artist and freelance graphic designer. I also do volunteer art mentoring at an after school tutoring program for high school students. I have all kinds of plans though. I'll work for myself one day soon.
Julia: By day I’m a development editor of health and human performance text book, working with authors to revise or write the first book. In the evening and weekends I work on designing and making my crochet and knit accessories that I sell on Etsy and updating my blog.
What inspires you?
Morgan: Music, art, my sense of humor, fashion, colors, travel. My sister. I literally think she has more than 24 hours in her day. How else could you work a full time job, take care of a very active (and awesome) son, be a loving wife, and make super cute accessories (that I love to model), while still being a great role model for what it means to be a healthy young person? Our family in general is pretty awesome.
Julia: My sister inspires me. She has been an artist since she was 7 and has never veered from that path. I’m also inspired by people who’ve dared to drastically change paths. People who don’t silence their creative side; the teachers who play standup bass on the weekends, the techies who have their paintings in local cafés, and parents who are nurturing creativity in their children. I love beautiful photography of everyday things and people living a simple and beautiful life. I’m hugely inspired by possibility.
Why are you fly?
Morgan: Why am I not fly would be the question! I'm pretty determined to do the things I want to do out of life. I'm a great planner, saver which has allowed me to travel internationally every year for the past 6 years. I'm pretty fly because I've fought through my shyness to move to New York and pursue an unconventional path, and I have a great network of people supporting me. I love to learn and grow as an artist and as a human.
Julia: Clearly you haven’t met me! I’m fly because I’ve never let anyone else define who I am or how I should be living. I've never let someone else dictate what it means to be a black woman, married to a black man; what it means to be happy in your skin, to be healthy in mind, body and spirit.
Advice:
Morgan: Time is relative. It's never too late to figure out what you want to do in life. Sometimes we are treated as though we're supposed to have it all sorted out before we've seen any of the world, and really before we know ourselves. Be open to possibilities, even if they're outside of your comfort zone. Use common sense. Laugh off the small stuff, it's so not worth it.
Julia: Be yourself, and don’t be afraid to try different things to figure out who that is. Learn another language and then take that knowledge and travel. Wait for no one, they’ll catch up. If you find someone or something you love grab hold and save the games for the children’s play. Take care of yourself.
