Leah Brinkman, Graphic Design, Creative Fellow 2023
“This city is so boring.” “There’s nothing to do.” “All Indiana is, is cornfields.” Those are phrases I see often on subreddits about things to do in Indianapolis and even muttered by my own friends. And honestly, I’m guilty of saying those words too.
When I was getting ready to graduate college I was convinced I was going to get the hell out of the Midwest (I grew up on Indy’s north side and went to college at the University of Cincinnati) and live abroad, move to some exciting city on the east or west coast, or even Chicago if I haaaaad to stay in the Midwest. It’s a sentiment I think a lot of young people from the Midwest share.
But we all know that Covid messed a lot of things up, including job opportunities for new grads. In the spring of 2022, the economy was definitely getting better, but the job market was still not back to how it was, especially for designers. So, after college, I moved back home with my parents and continued scouring LinkedIn every day.
Finally, after months of job searching and a few job interviews that didn’t pan out, a family friend told me about a design fellowship opportunity at PATTERN. Now, being from Indianapolis, I had definitely heard of PATTERN, but it was never something I had really looked into. (Remember, I was convinced I was never going to live in Indiana again.)
So, I went on the website and was impressed with what I saw. I applied. And I got the job! When I accepted, I told myself, “This is temporary. This fellowship is only one year. Once I finish, I’ll make my dream of getting out of the Midwest happen.”
However, something crazy happened. I fell in love with my city.
I remember reading PATTERN’s bi-weekly newsletter on my first day and being so surprised at all the local creative events happening on a random week in February. This past year I’ve pushed myself to attend as many of these as my schedule allows. Everything from PATTERN sponsored events like launch parties and the inaugural Creative Crossroads Summit, to events put on by the very hardworking creative force of Indianapolis. Some of these include BUTTER Art Fair by GANGGANG, Chromagic by Chromatic Collective, a countless amount of pop-up vintage markets, Uncharted Series performances by the Indianapolis Symphony, and a music mixer put on by Club Plex, an underground DJ collective.
This sentiment of “ugh, my city is so boring” is one I’ve heard not only from fellow Midwesterners like myself but even from people who DO live in these so-called “cool” cities like Chicago, Austin, Denver, you name it. Honestly, you’ll think any city is boring if you don’t put yourself out there and discover new places, try new things, and meet new people. That’s what makes a city feel like home. The connection to local businesses, to people trying to make shit happen (see what I did there – it’s one of the PATTERN slogans).
For my next opportunity, I’ll be staying in Indianapolis to work as a designer for a large, local non-profit. When I signed on the dotted line this time, I felt excited, ready to continue delving into all that Indianapolis has to offer. Who knows, maybe in a few years I will decide to take a job somewhere else (truthfully, I think everyone ought to experience living somewhere completely different than what they’re used to at least once in their lifetime) but right now I’m not thinking about my next move, my next steps. I’m happy and content with where I am. So thank you PATTERN, you’re not losing one this time. 🙂
