Mr. Cannon, 37, stated he knew early on that Ms. James, 30, “was somebody I may see myself with.” On Nov. 7, which they take into account their anniversary, he despatched Ms. James a textual content asking her to be his girlfriend after leaving her condo. She didn’t reply.
“I let him sweat a bit of,” stated Ms. James, who needed him to ask in individual. “I felt a bit of bizarre about it,” stated Mr. Cannon with fun. He was nervous however was assured of their connection. They grew to become official — in individual — later that day.
In 2017, they moved in collectively on the Decrease East Facet. Every Sunday, they took lengthy walks or bike rides, explored artwork galleries, or tried a brand new restaurant, a practice they might preserve within the years following.
In 2016, Ms. James’s workload elevated as a newly employed promoting gross sales affiliate at Condé Nast. By 2018, she was promoted to advertising supervisor. Mr. Cannon continued to deal with his artwork whereas working in retail. Over the subsequent few years, the couple stated their skilled ambitions created a ways. “We weren’t the identical as we have been the earlier years,” Mr. Cannon stated, so that they relied “on these Sundays to remain related.”
Ms. James, who grew up in Washington, D.C., is the company technique and strategic partnerships director at Condé Nast. She has a bachelor’s diploma in promoting and advertising communications from the Trend Institute of Expertise. Mr. Cannon, who’s from Racine, Wis., moved to New York in 2009 to pursue artwork.
When the pandemic halted work at his retail job, Mr. Cannon started exploring extra alternatives within the artwork world. At evening, he turned the lounge of their cramped condo into his artwork studio. That work grew to become a part of a bunch exhibition referred to as “A Gathering,” held in April 2021 on the now-closed Housing gallery on the Decrease East Facet.
