looking over the past year, i can honestly tell you i spent half the year in a [thrisis] which is basically a fear of turning 30. i looked back on my life and thought about the many ways it had turned out nothing like i had planned. there were a number of things i thought i would have accomplished by now, and it got me a little down, not depressed...more like disappointed.
then came summer, and i started looking at things in a new light. my life is just that, my life, and it's up to me to make the most of it. i stopped looking at 30 as an end of an era, but rather the beginning of something new and exciting. i started preparing my life for goals i'd like to accomplish in the next decade. looking back, the one word to describe 2010 would be [prelude].
i've been told, your thirties is when you really become comfortable with yourself. no more trying to impress anyone, but rather a time where you know your strengths and weaknesses, and use that knowledge to make the most of your life. let's hope that's the case.
for now...please enjoy some of my favorite shots defining the [prelude] year.
goodbye_christine_1.3.10
i started the year out selling my truck, a vehicle which got me though high school and most of my twenties. the truck was a centerpiece for a number of memories in my mind, but it was time for us to part. the first of many actions in a year spent saying good bye to my twenties.
i started the year out selling my truck, a vehicle which got me though high school and most of my twenties. the truck was a centerpiece for a number of memories in my mind, but it was time for us to part. the first of many actions in a year spent saying good bye to my twenties.
cold_structure_3.20.10
not the most interesting photo, but i remember the mind set i was in when i took it. it was cold, snowy, and dark. it was close to my birthday, and it was also the day i found my first gray hair. all of the above effected the final editing of this photo.
wichita_treat_5.15.10
i loved taking this photo. it was taken during wichita's annual river fest. it's, light, cheerful, youthful and fun, just like the riverfest itself. it's also a reminder, snow cones don't care how old you are.
denver_wedding_5.21.10
one of my dear friends got married this year. i've known her since she was born, and over the years she has become a second sister to me. not only was it amazing to be there to experience this new adventure in her life, but spending time with her friends and family is always a treat. as an extra bonus, the family she married into were as kind as cold be, terribly entertaining, and are now considered friends.
new_york_coffee_5.28.10
my first morning in new york, my friends and i went to for some coffee. the whole morning had been a sensory overload, so taking a coffee break sounded perfect. standing by the window, looking out on the sidewalk, wondering where in the hell i was, i looked down ready to take a sip, and saw this.
better_than_friends_5.29.10
old friends, delivered pizza, cheap beer, cinnamon apple vodka, new york rooftop, good conversation, and great laughs. by far one of the best nights of 2010, and my favorite photo of the year.
first_view_5.30.10
i'm not a huge sports fan, but there's something magical about seeing the inside of yankee stadium for the first time. there's a story that accompanies this photo, but it involves a lot of "new york style" cussing. lets just say i found people from the bronx to be incredibly friendly, even while using colorful four lettered words.
soho_5.31.10
horrible photo, but it means a lot. for an afternoon i found myself alone in new york, so i wondered around soho. shortly after taking this photo my phone died. i began to really experience that old cliche about feeling alone in a city of 8 million people. knowing only the cross streets where i was to meet my friends, i navigated from soho to the lower east side. honestly i was nervous and scared, but upon finding my friends, i thought to myself, "nyc...you just got owned."
swinging_around_9.18.10
once again i traveled to the kansas state fair. after experiencing new york for the first time this year, i still enjoy the simple pleasures one can find in their own wheat filled backyard.
acl_bus_ride
finishing off the year is a shot of my friends at the acl music festival, well...actually on a bus leaving the festival. this year we decided to try something different and took public transportation to and from the festival. there's something about cramming into small spaces with thousands of other tired, drunk, and sweaty people that really brings you closer to your friends. being that all of them have already crossed the 30 year mark, and still living life to the fullest, i realized i have nothing to fear.
not the most interesting photo, but i remember the mind set i was in when i took it. it was cold, snowy, and dark. it was close to my birthday, and it was also the day i found my first gray hair. all of the above effected the final editing of this photo.
wichita_treat_5.15.10
i loved taking this photo. it was taken during wichita's annual river fest. it's, light, cheerful, youthful and fun, just like the riverfest itself. it's also a reminder, snow cones don't care how old you are.
denver_wedding_5.21.10
one of my dear friends got married this year. i've known her since she was born, and over the years she has become a second sister to me. not only was it amazing to be there to experience this new adventure in her life, but spending time with her friends and family is always a treat. as an extra bonus, the family she married into were as kind as cold be, terribly entertaining, and are now considered friends.
new_york_coffee_5.28.10
my first morning in new york, my friends and i went to for some coffee. the whole morning had been a sensory overload, so taking a coffee break sounded perfect. standing by the window, looking out on the sidewalk, wondering where in the hell i was, i looked down ready to take a sip, and saw this.
better_than_friends_5.29.10
old friends, delivered pizza, cheap beer, cinnamon apple vodka, new york rooftop, good conversation, and great laughs. by far one of the best nights of 2010, and my favorite photo of the year.
first_view_5.30.10
i'm not a huge sports fan, but there's something magical about seeing the inside of yankee stadium for the first time. there's a story that accompanies this photo, but it involves a lot of "new york style" cussing. lets just say i found people from the bronx to be incredibly friendly, even while using colorful four lettered words.
soho_5.31.10
horrible photo, but it means a lot. for an afternoon i found myself alone in new york, so i wondered around soho. shortly after taking this photo my phone died. i began to really experience that old cliche about feeling alone in a city of 8 million people. knowing only the cross streets where i was to meet my friends, i navigated from soho to the lower east side. honestly i was nervous and scared, but upon finding my friends, i thought to myself, "nyc...you just got owned."
swinging_around_9.18.10
once again i traveled to the kansas state fair. after experiencing new york for the first time this year, i still enjoy the simple pleasures one can find in their own wheat filled backyard.
acl_bus_ride
finishing off the year is a shot of my friends at the acl music festival, well...actually on a bus leaving the festival. this year we decided to try something different and took public transportation to and from the festival. there's something about cramming into small spaces with thousands of other tired, drunk, and sweaty people that really brings you closer to your friends. being that all of them have already crossed the 30 year mark, and still living life to the fullest, i realized i have nothing to fear.
3 comments:
Great pictures and writing. Stop worrying about turning 30. Life got a whole lot better for me when I hit that mark.
hey eric -- happy new year! my experience would confirm that after turning 30, things get easier and so much awesomer! this is probably partly due to other factors in my life... but the two years since I turned 30 have brought me an exponentially increased degree of comfort with myself, accompanied by an incredible amount of self-discovery and just plain "figuring stuff out". in general now I more or less feel like I'm somewhere around 18, in terms of energy & attitude... but with so many more resources and possibilities than I had when I was actually 18!
happy birthday year. thanks as always for the great photos & thoughts!
thank you both for the comforting thoughts on turning 30. i'm know i'm freaking out a bit much, but hearing thoughts from two creative people like you both, really is calming. a happy new year to both of you!
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