Joan Inman, 37

Location: Birmingham

Career and/or Hobbies: Adjunct Art History Professor at Gadsden State and Adult Outreach and Programs for the Birmingham Public Library system

So it's kind of crazy to think that I've known you for a few years now! What has been the biggest change in your personal life since we first met? And in what ways has that catalyzed your personal growth?

I know! It’s been a few years since French class. I’m still learning the language! (Lol) So much has happened since then. I graduated from my Master’s program in Art History, went on the hellish “post-grad” job search, and lost one of my sisters suddenly to pancreatic cancer and my dog who, after sixteen beautiful years by my side, also passed shortly after graduating. On the positive flip side, I am now working in community outreach and education roles that I absolutely love and I am also coming up on my first anniversary of buying a house with my partner and our dog Thor. So I guess you can say that a whole lot has happened!

All of these experiences have catalyzed my personal growth. In the last few years I have experienced great personal challenges:  the loss of loved ones, the struggle to keep afloat during and in the aftermath of graduate school, and the battle to maintain my sobriety while living with lifelong anxiety and occasional depression. I had a really rough time with my self-esteem after graduating. What I found to be essential to maintaining my mental state during this time was to constantly remind myself that because my career field is extremely specialized, the job market is limited and therefore not a correlation to my expertise or ability as a historian. 

Let me just say – it’s always been easier for me to root for others than it is to root for myself! But it’s an ongoing journey and a learning process. Life will never stop throwing curve balls, but with each of them is an opportunity for me to challenge myself and to grow from the experience. 

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your life up until now and what has been the most unexpectedly challenging? How have you (or are you) dealing with it?

The most rewarding aspect of my life has been, well, life itself. The people that I meet, the experiences that I continue to have, the obstacles that I’ve overcome, the losses, the victories, the surprises – all of it. When I was in my early 20s I had to undergo major surgery for a ten pound tumor in my abdomen. This has been my most eye-opening, scary time in life thus far. Going through something so traumatic with my body really made me value the gift of life, my health, and the transience of it all.  

Aside from that life-changing experience, I think that the most unexpected challenges have been the hard things for everyone, such as the loss of loved ones, responses of rejection, or times when I have felt that I truly failed at something. In other words, growing up and becoming an adult. When you’re young, you never imagine failure or loss, so when it happens for the first time it is traumatic. But the key is to remember that these things will pass, and they do. In addition to this, relaxing exercises like yoga, reading, and creating art for others has helped me combat stress or when I’m feeling down.

With the wisdom you have now, if you could give your 18 year old self any advice, what would it be and do you think she would've listened?

Whew, me at 18… yikes! Just kidding, I was alright. It may be cliché, but I would tell myself that I was not alone and to go for any and everything because anything can be achieved. The key is to keep at it and persist in your goals. 

In what way(s) would your younger self be proud of who you are today?

My younger self would have never guessed that this is the path that I ultimately chose. I originally wanted to be a journalist and I interned at the Boston Globe when I was 18, but decided a year later that I was too sensitive to ask a total stranger “How do you feel?” after their loved one was murdered just so that I could create a great article. Living in Birmingham, Alabama and becoming both a librarian and historian is not the life that I would have imagined, but this path is much more rewarding than I ever thought possible. Journalism, history, art, library sciences, they are all very much related, so I’m exactly where I’m meant to be right now.

I also think young me would be proud of the “adult” me because I am a survivor, both in terms of situational and mental challenges that I have faced thus far in my life. I would be excited to know that I still have a great passion for educating others and that I am an active member in my community via the outreach initiatives I take on in my professional roles. Most importantly, I would be very happy to know that I’ve stayed true to who I am. 

What are you most looking forward to in both your immediate and distant future?

I’m currently working on a handmade goods project that I hope to expand into a venture that would allow me to achieve my lifelong dream of taking my mother to Seoul. I am a first generation American on my mother’s side (I’m half white), and the older I get, the more I connect to my Korean heritage. So it’s important that I carve out the opportunity to share the experience of traveling with her to learn about where our family is from.  As far as the distant future, I look forward to more adventures and challenges in both my personal and professional life. 

What are the things that bring you joy and how do you intentionally pursue them even when life gets hectic?

I am obsessed with my dog Thor! He is the apple of my eye and probably the happiest creature I have ever known. He had a hard life before I adopted him, but he has never stopped smiling since the day that I adopted him. He has brought me so much joy and comfort throughout the years. So no matter how busy life gets, he goes to the park every weekend, weather permitted. My time with him is precious, so I always make sure to carve out a few hours of play time with him each day.