On Saturday, I wanted to get back to editing my novel, Where the Light Enters. I’ve left it alone for some time. I’ve been busy getting the rest of my life under control and I had a few distractions take up a lot of my headspace the past few months. Now I’m back to editing and revising. I missed Emerson Page.
I decided that I wanted to get out of the house to do this editing. I hopped on the metro and visited a number of different cafes in different neighborhoods. All of them were too crowded. I love The National Portrait Gallery’s courtyard so I stopped in there only to find a rap music event happening. After over an hour of searching, I decided to just head home to my neighborhood. I almost went right home, feeling more than slightly defeated, when I thought of Qualia Coffee, a cafe and micro roaster in my neighborhood that I’ve been meaning to visit.
Perfection! Qualia is actually much bigger inside than it looks. They brew a perfect cup of coffee and didn’t mind a bit that I sat there all afternoon. They have great art, fun music, and a number of customers working away on laptops. I learned my lesson: sometimes what we need is right in front of us if only we will open our eyes to see it.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
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