2017 was a wild year. I am proud of the people I met this year, the things I created, all the work I took inspiration from, and the places I went.
I started off 2017 in Paris, which was as amazing as you would expect. Macarons and luxurious hotels set the tone for a year of escapism. Highlights included feeding pigeons and finally visiting the beautiful Musee D'orsay.
I had the opportunity to visit Seattle for a journalism convention, which was not quite as glamorous but still a great experience. I spent my time wandering around Pike Market, wondering about the stories of passersby.
Spring 2017 was a productive time. In May, I finally executed a long time idea of ad placement in the senior portrait section. I worked with companies/ad agencies like Wieden+Kennedy (KFC) and the Martin Agency (Geico) to get school portrait images of the Geico Gecko and Colonel Sanders in the portrait section along with the rest of the class of 2017. Additionally, I got the rights to some celebrity photos to use as well. But more on that later.
Summer was about new experiences. I was accepted to the School of the New York Times, and spent two weeks at Fordham University, surrounded by some of the sweetest, most intelligent people I have ever met. We squandered our time sneaking into hotel pools and fantasizing about our lives in the city years from now when we're rich and famous.
Senior year began and existential dread set in. Fall was the season of college apps. I watched the sun rise and did a whole lot of nothing. In November, I went to Dallas (again for a journalism convention), a surprisingly cultured city. I don't ordinarily mention school accomplishments on here, but I've edited the school magazine for the past couple years. Each time we print, we have a theme that all the content is centered around. It's truly amazing to see my vision for the magazine materialized. Because we use nontraditional techniques, we hadn't won any awards, but this year our exploration issue ranked 6th nationally.
I saw one of Kusama's infinity rooms, All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins at the Dallas Art Museum with one of my best friends; I'd describe it as profoundly comical.
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| Picture Credit: Alyssa Ann Photography |
I've been a huge fan of Kusama for years. Her work affects me in a way that cannot be expressed in words, so when I found out Infinity Mirrors was coming to the Broad in L.A. I had to get tickets. I tried to get tickets ahead of time, and couldn't. I spent 3 hours in line for standby tickets and it was so, so worth it. Infinity mirrors is the kind of exhibit that makes you wish "life-changing" wasn't such a trite phrase because it seems so inadequate when used appropriately. During the same trip, I visited the Museum of Failure to remind myself that there is not a single creator out there who hasn't fallen flat on their face; the point is you have to recover from it.
The end of 2017 was much sweeter than the beginning. I ate my weight in Christmas cookies and got to spend time with family. I was featured in AdAge's Creativity 50, alongside so many people who have inspired me (including Kusama herself!) for my yearbook ad concept, and I realized that this year I've grown a lot as both a creator and a person.
But in 2017, I learned not to dwell, and to move forward instead. 2018, you better be good.
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