Kate Amann’s Existential Crisis
Kate Amann cannot sit still. She shifts restlessly in her chair, repositioning her tiny frame three times before gingerly taking a sip from her piping hot cup of coffee. She attributes all of her excess energy to an astonishing Starbucks addiction—“I always get four extra shots of espresso!” she proclaims, grinning wickedly. Kate is exactly the kind of companion you’d love to share an afternoon with, laughing over coffee. Warm and goofy. Smart and opinionated. Unafraid of a caffeine overdose.
“I thrive on staying busy,” Kate explains, as she taps her fingers lightly against the side of her coffee cup. “But sometimes it takes seven lattes to help me keep up.” This isn’t too surprising to hear, especially coming from someone who once described an 18 credit semester at the University of Michigan as “relaxing—almost like a vacation.” But now, exactly one semester away from graduating from the creative writing program, the reality of joining the real world has sunk in, and Kate seems to be dreading the end of her college career. “All of a sudden, I’m panicking,” she explains. “I don’t think I’m ready to be done with school! I keep asking myself questions like, ‘Who am I?’ ‘Where am I going?’ ‘Am I living to my full potential?’ But I can’t seem to figure it out.”
“Who Am I?”
A Grand Rapids native, Kate has dreamed of being a professional writer since she was a little girl. After reading the book Harriet the Spy, she immediately walked to the local drugstore to buy her own composition notebook. “I just began observing people and writing down everything I saw.” Kate remembers. “I picked up a pen, started writing everyday, and never really stopped.” Kate accredits her careful attention to detail and her vivid imagination to these childhood experiences.
Kate’s teachers were always full of praise for her exceptional writing skills, but when it came time to apply to colleges, Kate’s parents tried to push her in a different direction. “They really wanted me to pursue nursing—something more stable. But I was determined to be a writer, and I’m proud that I stuck to my guns.” Kate acknowledges that the path she has chosen might not be the easiest, or the most financially rewarding, but knows it will be the most gratifying. “I’m willing to work my ass off,” Kate says with a laugh. “I know I will succeed.”
“Where Am I Going?”
While the direction of Kate’s career is uncertain for now, she has many goals for the future. Kate loves writing short fictional stories, but would love to give journalism a shot. “There are so many untold stories out there,” Kate muses. “I love the idea of traveling around the world to help people share them.” Kate believes she will start her career as a freelance writer, submitting both fiction and nonfiction works to various publications, until she finds her niche.
While writing is undoubtedly Kate’s biggest passion, fashion comes in at a close second. Kate says that perfect outfit can serve as a source of inspiration. “When I conjure up a character for a story, I start with their clothes. I think about what they would wear and what that says about their personality. The characters just unfold from there.” Ultimately, the budding fashionista would love to incorporate these two interests and start her own magazine. “Something witty and clever, yet trendy.” she explains. “For the intellectual woman who worships fashion. For the girl who has a bookcase full of novels and a closet full of Jimmy Choos.”
“Am I Living to My Full Potential?”
A professional writer? Maybe not by most definitions. But Kate certainly does not lack the passion and dedication that ordinarily defines one. And despite the jitters that Kate feels about entering the world of professional writers, there is no doubt in my mind that she will achieve extraordinary things. With such enormous talent—and a personality to match—Kate has a bright future ahead of her. When I ask her where she sees herself in ten years, Kate shrugs and coyly replies, “I just know that I’m not limiting myself to by-lines. I’m aiming for headlines, too.”
