This weekend I spent some time looking through economic reports the way that I’ve looked through health reports in the past few weeks. Economics was one of my college majors and I have an MBA so I actually enjoy reading financial reports as much as I enjoy reading novels. I know this is yet another pastime that makes me an absolute weirdo, but hey, I gotta be me!
What the future of our economy looks like is as certain as the date when we’ll have a vaccine (aka – no one knows), I’m thinking about the following questions and ideas for my own future. I hope that they help you through this time of reflection as much as they’re helping me.
1.) What do I actually care about doing with my time?
2.) With a blank slate, what would I actually put into my life by choice? Not by momentum, not based upon my experience. Just me and the potential blank slate that’s our economy now. What would I do with that if I could do anything with it?
3.) If we may experience economic fits and starts for the next 5 years as some economists suggest, can I see that as something freeing? Can this be a reminder that the time will pass anyway, so I might as well do what matters most to me?
4.) The future is so uncertain now that how my life and career unfold from here is largely up to me and my actions. These days, as difficult as they are for so many reasons, really matter. They might matter more than any other days I’ve ever lived. Like it or not, this is a turning point for all of us so what do I want my life to turn into now and how do I make that a reality?
5.) I’ve had a few points in my life that clearly marked a then and a now. My father’s death. My apartment building fire. When I went into intensive therapy. Starting my own business. The publication of my novel. My education decisions. My life before and after each one of these events was radically different. They spurred meaning in my life that didn’t exist before, even if at the time they were tragedies. And now this virus has, too. It’s changed everything, and will continue to change everything. How do I direct that change as best I can to make it matter, to make it mean something?
On the surface these ideas might not look like economic thoughts, decisions, or ideas. They might look fluffy or contemplative or even spiritual. Here’s something that’s always stuck with me from my studies of economics: economic systems are not built on cold hard facts. They’re invented, by us. They’re largely driven by sentiment. And yes, that sentiment is usually created, at least in part, by data. But that’s not the whole story. The data is never perfect. It’s aways open to interpretation.
A lot of economics is gut, emotion, and prediction. A lot of it is fear, hope, uncertainty, and confidence (or lack there of). Economics is much more art than science, much more interpretation than unbiased facts. And like public health, it’s driven by our individual actions aggregated into collective actions. Deciding what role do we want to play now in how we build back may be the most important decision we ever make.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
Really important questions to ask. The “time will pass anyway” has been such a helpful concept to hold onto for me
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Yes, that’s one I keep coming back to, Lauren.
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