22;
January is absolutely my favorite month. It's a month of beginnings--new year, new growth, new life. It's a time of assessing and planning, of hoping and dreaming. And I get to do it twice with New Year's Day and with my birthday. I've officially done a birthday self portrait since I turned seventeen, and it's fun to not only look back and see photographic growth, but just personal growth.
Last year found me very apprehensive for the year ahead, but content with who I was as an artist and person. It found me seeking even more improvement, more introspection, and more of a creative lifestyle.
This year? It's found me to be perhaps the most self-actualized I've been, which future me is already laughing about me saying that. But this past year I've begun (consciously) exploring the connections between humans and nature, and humans and God. Hence this year's birthday photo. I think it really represents some of the concepts I've been pursuing in my personal life: how we as human beings can return to being connected with our fellow nature, and how the God we worship is the same God that nature worships. How I'm not so different from that tree or this droplet of water, and my act of creating is no more an act of worship than the flower that blooms in the springtime.
Anyways, I could go on about it, but that's for another place. At the very least, I think this year I'm actually more nervous than I was when turning twenty one, since I actually have to be an adult now. But at the same time, I'm so excited to see what happens. Senioritis has already kind of hit me (and I didn't expect it to), but I can't wait to not have to worry about busywork or have other duties that are getting in the way of my personal and professional life. Haha I was spoiled having my own schedule over the summer.
But I have a feeling 22/2016 will be very good to me. I'm ready to stretch.