On Binging Insecure: Notes from Season 3

I’ve been rewatching Insecure like my life depends on it…

Turns out I’m deep in my Season 3 Issa phase. 

Photo Credit: HBO

I’ve been rewatching Insecure like my life depends on it and it finally hit me why the show is bringing me so much comfort: I’m in my Season 3 Issa phase. 

If you haven’t seen the show for some reason (which, side eye! RUN, don’t walk!), here’s what I mean:

At the beginning of Season 3, Issa takes a hard look at her life and realizes that after 5 years, she is still sitting in a job that she is completely indifferent about.

She’s lacking passion, she’s lost her sense of purpose, and so, one day, completely unplanned, she quits. No backup plan. Just an instinctual feeling in her gut that her current reality just ain’t it. And if you’ve ever experienced that type of gut feeling, you know it’s hard to ignore.

I’ve felt it. And, even though it seemed impossibly hard, I listened to it.

I looked around at the career I’d been building for 5 years and when I looked up, I realized that it just wasn’t right.

I loved–and hated–so many parts of my industry but ultimately my gut was screaming that the current version of my work was only a fraction of what I needed to do with my career.

So, I quit. (Not quite as impulsively as Issa, though. I clearly put a lot of anxious perfectionist thought into the decision.)

After Issa quits, she takes a few odd jobs while figuring out her next move: she takes a property manager gig that she’s absolutely unqualified for, she drives Lyft, and all these muddy parts of the transition seem completely insane to her friends.

Tiffany, in classic fashion, asks “So, Lyft is like your REAL job now?” (No shade to Lyft drivers. Get your money.)  But despite everyone who doesn’t understand, she keeps it pushing. And along the way, she figures out what is important to her, she trips and falls, and she soars.

Now, I’m not driving Lyft (I lived in New York for 8 years. I don’t have a car.). And I’m not a property manager. But, what i’m getting at is

I’ve always been a person who follows her instincts. Maybe that’s bold, maybe it’s brave, maybe it’s a little insane.

Be it bold, brave, or insane, it’s all just one big risk. But I’ll tell you how risky life is: we’re not getting out of it alive. And following my instincts is what’s allowed me to thrive in the roles I’ve held. And it’s what will make me soar in my roles to come.

After I picked up my life and moved cities, I spent a lot of time running in the opposite direction of the arts space. Seriously, for a second I thought real estate was my true calling. But I eventually came to realize that I can’t run from my passions. 

Now for anyone who has watched Insecure, you know Issa has an ARC. Season 5 Issa is a badass, she’s inspirational, she’s built something that combines her passions, and her whole heart is in her work.

Season 5 Issa wouldn’t have been possible without Season 3 Issa taking the leap to quit and trust that with hard work, something better and more aligned was out there for her.

Even if she had to create it herself.

So, all of this is to say that for the last few months, I’ve been working on some stuff that feels really aligned for me.

I’m no longer running away from my passions of art and storytelling but the way my work and skills will be out there in the world will look different than they had before. I’m not at Season 5 just yet, but I’m on the way. 

…

Isn’t it gorgeous that stories – in this case, a show like Insecure – can be a mirror to see ourselves reflected back and a window into realities different from our own? They provide us with chances to connect with ourselves and others on a deeper level, to explore our dreams and desires, and to imagine possibilities beyond what our current realities look like.

They inspire us to take risks, follow our instincts, and create our own narratives of success. And they can comfort us when it feels like we took the leap but can’t quite see the other side just yet. 

Man, (good) art is powerful and is actually way more than just entertainment for entertainment’s sake, right? Spoiler alert: I’ll be leaning into this hard during in this next phase.

I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on.

Season 5 Jasmine loading.

What’s your go-to comfort show?