Stacey Panousopoulos is a New York City-based design community organizer and Executive Director of AIGA NY.
Pronouns: she/her
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Gathering and feeding people is innate in Greek culture and very much innate in me. I love cooking. I’m obsessed with the process, the care and fun that goes into creating a menu, finding new ingredients and using them as a challenge to create dishes that will hug you from the inside.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
My first memory of being creative was in college. I had moved back to NYC after living in Greece for my junior high and high school years and started taking creative writing classes at Hunter College. I remember taking a writing class and having my professor tell me that I had a knack for creative non-fiction. I think that was the first time I actively remember someone telling me that I was good at something creative. I took that and dove into creative writing, with a focus on memoir and food writing.
What is your biggest regret? Not trusting sooner that my lived experiences have a profound effect on how I work and relate to people and that being empathetic, vulnerable, and kind are foundational to how I operate in my professional life. I didn’t trust that about myself for a very long time and wish that I had leaned into it earlier when I became a manager.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
In my teens, I got over heartbreak by writing long intricately folded notes to my friends. In my twenties, I had long calls with my friends and lamented not having enough wine. In my thirties, more friends and laughing. Since I was 13, I’ve had a few constant friends in my life and they have been the silver lining to my life. Their compassion and unconditional love has made every heartbreak bearable.
What makes you cry?
Every May/June for the last 18 years, I cry. Being part of AIGA NY and working closely with so many amazingly talented board members, doing events, running programs, bonding on everything NYC design community related. Every year when some of my board members fulfill their tenure, I cry. I cry hard. I cry because I’ll miss seeing and working with them. I cry the most because I’m perpetually humbled by their generosity and dedication to the work we do at AIGA NY. By March when it’s time to start open calls for board members, I start having separation anxiety and get weepy on our monthly calls. Ugh, I’m such a mush.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
I ride pride and joy about my accomplishments for a long time. We work so hard to get to these places and to dismiss them quickly is a disservice to the work done.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I think an afterlife is all about frequency and energy and when we’re in tune with ourselves, we feel it. Hoping that my frequency resonates.
What do you hate most about yourself?
I don’t ask for help sooner. I will run myself to the ground and when I’m on the ground, I ask for help. Actively working on raising that flag much sooner.
What do you love most about yourself? I’m a great friend. I foster my friendships and I really value them. As an only child, making friends was super important to me. I’m extremely lucky to have the friends that I have, and I love nurturing and fostering our relationships. It’s that Pisces-waters-run-deep-thing.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Picking a favorite meal is impossible for me. I love Greek food, but I love feta the most. Most of the food I make is just a vehicle for feta. I think about what I’m going to make and it always comes back to ‘that goes well with a hunk of feta on the side.’
The post What Matters to Stacey Panousopoulos appeared first on PRINT Magazine.