In 2012, I was living in Portland, OR and feeling isolated (just moved there, knew no one) and decided to try satire and humor writing for the internet. In the last 8 years I've met some of the smartest, funniest, kindest people from all over the world doing this kind of writing.

I've co-written with some of the best writers around, taught satire at college campuses across the US, lectured and taught in the UK and the Middle East, and my own writing has grown and gotten so much better from the people I've admired who lent their brains to my work.

I started doing this because I was lonely, and it's amazing that it's shaped my entire career. I wrote the Second City satire classes so I could meet students who liked what I like! You never know where reaching out will take you. Yes, I am emo, sorry!!!

From being so sad and feeling like I had to do everything by myself, I've realized recently that I actually have hundreds of people who will help me and so cool things with me. As a disgusting American individualist, this is very belated and lovely realization.

When I was in Portland, I made a habit of taking an hour a week to cold email writers and say I admired their work. One of them, a famous comedy showrunner, went on to give me the advice that shaped five years of my career. A few others, I became friends and collaborators with.

I started teaching classes online so the barriers I felt were blocking my path could maybe be a tiny bit lower for others. At times, I felt like I was only 2% ahead of my amazing students, and wondered if I taught because I couldn't really write (that old chestnut).

But it was seeing my students EXPLODE and get onto The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's, late night, that made me see I wanted that kind of commitment to writing as well, and to actually do it! I think now I was just still learning as I was teaching.

I'm working on things now that would have been so far out of my talent reach even a year ago. Teaching and mentoring and co-writing has been grad school times 100 for me. A hearty thank you to all of my students I've had the last 8 years.

This is such a sad time, obviously, but tapping into other people's creativity as we write together had given me some of my happiest and purest moments of 2020. You can learn so much seeing how other people's minds put pieces together. It's endlessly fascinating.

This isn't building to a major job announcement or anything, just a reminder to myself that I've come very far and met such great people along the way. Co-writing is a fantastic balm during this time, and with that, I'm off to read and write some more :)

One person I want to call out is @Jason_Rouse. When we met in Portland and started writing sketch together, my mind expanded 20 fold. He is one of the smartest + most creative people I've ever met, and our sketch show, "The Big Combo," one of my favorite things I've ever made.

I went to grad school too young (barely 23!) and so while I learned structure and discipline there, I wasn't ready to learn much more till I finished. So my collaborators and co-writers and teacher since then have been my continued education well into my 30's.

Your teachers may not be coded as teachers. They may be your co-worker who is funny as hell without knowing it, your mom's very specific way of phrasing, a friend's very particular wording. People without "authority" who are so smart + funny + observant + unusual + awesome.