Living the Life of Riley

People always ask me what Life of Riley means. Simply put: It’s a declaration of living your best life. The concept was based on a 1944 radio show and later became a hit 1950’s TV show, The Life of Riley. People started using it as a common saying, that person is really living the Life of Riley, aka the good life. I first used Life of Riley as an artist name when I created my award-winning column at my college newspaper. It’s weird to say, but I became an instant sort of low-key “celebrity” around campus. Students started calling me Life of Riley or Riley. I’d get shout outs from strangers telling my what they enjoyed about my column or what it meant to them. I’d left my sales & marketing career behind in order to follow my dream of becoming a published writer. The end goal was an eventual MFA, and I wanted to write a book. So I attended college for the first time (I was a high school dropout.) at the age of 36. It was a huge leap of faith. I was scared a lot of the time, but writing the Life of Riley pushed me to explore and grow as a person and a creative. Those Life of Riley shout outs motivated me, maybe in a way nothing else ever had, and I savored each one. It was a sign that I was right where I belonged. That was life changing.

While in school, I joined the board of directors of a nonprofit. This was right at the beginning of social media. The nonprofit needed a Twitter account. I was the creative. So I learned all I could about Twitter and not only built that account but built the account of other locations’ social media. I really fell in love with the spontaneity, creativity, and even the crazy challenging algorithms. As a writer and a marketer, it came naturally. Once the word got around that I knew social media, other brands asked to hire me. So I started my own side hustle, Life of Riley Communications, a social media consulting company. I ended up growing a six figure business and made that my full-time career for almost a decade.

Five years ago, this past September, everything in my life changed. I moved out of the city and made my home in Rockaway, craving more of an outdoors lifestyle and the sweet sound of crashing waves. An empty nester, burned out, and emotionally distraught, I’d lost my way. Although I continued with a few clients, my heart was no longer in my business. I’d also started a book, but I realized at a certain point that I had run out of words. I picked up my camera that I normally used to create content for clients and started taking photos when I’d walk on the beach. At first it was seashells, seagulls, boats, and all the interesting beach characters. One chilly fall day, much like the weather as I’m writing this, a lone surfer caught my eye. It was just the two of us out there: not another soul in sight. I couldn’t look away and continued shooting, mesmerized by his long, smooth glide on the board and the hustle and flow of the Atlantic ocean. The sky opened itself up to me in a way it never had before. Oh what light! That dancing light even on a misty grey day took my breath away. I was reminded of days on the water when I was a kid, and how my little brother and I never wanted to get out or leave. And that was that. At 50, I reinvented myself as a surf and water photographer. Life of Riley NYC was born.

So, yeah, The Life of Riley means living your best life. But what does that even mean or look like really? I don’t have it all figured out. Hope I never do, honestly. I do know what I’ve discovered up to this point with all my Life of Riley iterations. I believe it means practicing self love or at least self like as often as possible. Recognizing daily joys like a sunrise. Connecting with people who support you and inspire you and reciprocating. Taking chances. Being gentle with yourself. Trusting the ebb and flow of life. Exploring where the comfort zone dead ends and adventure begins. Here’s to living your Life of Riley!