I have to admit, I haven’t lived in Indianapolis for very long. I should also admit that, at least in my 22-year old mind during college, it wasn’t the city I would spend my adult life in. Being a native of ‘Da Region’ (spoiler alert: it’s Northwest Indiana). I always had Chicago in mind since it was close to home, and cities have a lot to offer when it comes to jobs for writers. But alas, here I am living in Indy. So how did I end up here? Well let’s cover the basics so you can get back to finding out how awesome this city really is.

Growing up in Northwest Indiana was like growing up in one giant steel mill. They’re everywhere. They cover most of the shoreline in Lake County. Indiana has been the number one steel producer in the United States since the ’80s. Gary is home to the largest steel mill in the country. If you don’t work in the steel mill, someone in your family does—it’s what they do up there. My dad works in one, my brother does, all three of my uncles on that side either do or did at one point, and then there’s me.

I wouldn’t call myself a black sheep because I love my family and I think they love me too, maybe, at least I think, and I wasn’t THAT out of place. Truthfully, growing up surrounded by steelworkers is what brewed my passion for storytelling.

You see working in the steel mills means working crazy hours. Shift work, 12-hour days, 7-day weeks, etc. are the norm. Time for family gatherings is almost always limited to the holidays or one lucky weekend here and there. But man oh man, those gatherings something else and something big.

We cook everything—enough food for 20 people even though there is around eight of us. Even bigger than that, though, are the stories. Big stories and big meals, a trait I love about my family and the general culture in a blue-collar area like the Region. My brother, my cousins, and I were always captivated by the stories told to us over the years and still are. We laugh until we cry, then laugh and cry again hours later. Some stories we’ve heard almost every cookout since I was a child, but each retelling feels more exuberant than the last and to me that is art. That art of storytelling is a big reason why I started wanting to write about anything and everything. 

Fast-forward through college, moving back home, teaching (ugh, but ugh for another time), working in retail, finding my passion in internal communications, and we finally reach 2016. I decided it was time to make it or break it, move to a city where I could grow my career, and find a place that felt like me. During this time I was struggling with where to go—Chicago again was the obvious choice, but Indy had its own merits not to look over. Then my friend had a, to stay trendy, “game-changing” conversation with me. He told me, and I’m paraphrasing a bit, “you could go to any city and do well there, without a doubt, but cities like Chicago are already made. Indy is a city that’s growing, that’s making its mark. On top of that, people always leave Indiana because they say it has nothing to offer. Why not make it a place that has something to offer?”

So Indy it was, and here I am loving it. Everything about this city has kept me intrigued, engaged, entertained, and fulfilled—something I want to share with you and anyone else who ventures into this city. So join me as I tell Indy’s story through my personal lens and hopefully it will show that it really is a great city to be in.