Self-Portraits and Wild Dreams for 23

It’s my 23rd birthday. And for reasons I can’t explain, 23 feels like a significant year. Maybe it’s because I’m finally recovering from long covid, maybe I’m getting my spark back after a bad relationship, or maybe it’s just going to be a good year. Whatever it is, I’m very excited to see what 23 has in store for more.

As I do every year around this time, I took some self portraits, made a Pinterest vision board (as well as I could around the AI images), and mulled on what I want this next year of my life to look like.

Nature Photography

I recently moved to British Columbia for school, and the proximity to nature has been an absolute delight. It was one of the main reasons I moved in the first place, but the mountains, the birds, the ecology—it’s breathtaking. I want to take my nature documenting seriously this year, practice my videography, hone my photography, and generally give myself more opportunities to get out with my camera.

Wildflower Hearts and Eleanore’s Field Notes

Recently I started two newsletters, Wildflower Hearts and Eleanore’s Field Notes. Wildflower Hearts (this one!) is all about my photography, what I’ve been musing on, and the journeys my creativity take me on.

Eleanore’s Field Notes is my outlet to discuss the archaeology and environmentalism that’s so close to my heart. I’m currently in school for North American archaeology, and I will take every chance to tell you all about it.

Additionally, I’ve been job searching for nearly two years, and scraping by on the occasional freelance writing assignments. In this time, I’ve come to realize how much I enjoy researching and writing, and if I have any dreams for the next year, it’s to pursue my writing more seriously.

Travel

This one hinges on the aforementioned joblessness, but it’s still on my mind and in my heart. I took my first solo trip to Vancouver Island nearly two years ago, and I haven’t been able to shake the travel bug since. I want to see everything British Columbia has to offer, and I would like this next year to be the time to stop talking myself out of it.

Connect

I have so many artists, photographers, writers, and fellow creatives that I admire. But due to a variety of reasons (included but not limited to: physical illness, mental illness, school, and stress) I haven’t really connected with people in my field in a long time.

I miss making friends over shared favorite books, talking to my photography peers, and discussing the intricacies of art. I can’t be bothered to make corporate connections on LinkedIn, but I will always make time to talk to a friend.

Here’s to a year of growth, mistakes, travel, friends, and everything else the universe has to offer.