As documented above, the events in my life carrying the strongest influence are as follows:
PRE–EDUCATION
born to two creative parents
learn who Pablo Picasso is
become an over-thinker
Move to Lancaster, PA
Dad teaches me how to lucid dream
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
join the gifted program
become a perfectionist
watch Aquamarine everyday after school
Hans Herr Elem.’s Most Outstanding 5th Grade Artist
Dad takes me and the girls to market every weekend
MIDDLE SCHOOL
fall in love with the coast
exist as a middle school lame-O
start skateboarding
buy the giant pack of Sharpies
have my confirmation
stop practicing Catholicism
HIGH SCHOOL
drive Ava to school every day
Mom makes me and Ava a country mix CD
begin to understand the importance of nutrition
prioritize fitness
body image continues to fluctuate
become a Zumiez employee
stand up on a surfboard
become more confident
date a boy on the football team
come up with my current Instagram handle
dream way too much about flying
start following outer space innovations/theories
learn that I can really paint
gradually acquire confidence
develop Mom’s semi-neurotic tendencies
apply to 5 schools for mathematics
apply to 3 schools for linguistics
decide to go to art school
kiss my best friend, changing everything
COLLEGE
indefinitely borrow Mom’s 35mm camera
move to Baltimore, MD and start attending MICA
quickly learn how offensive it is to say “that’s gay”
start cooking for myself
realize sketching in pen is better
Dad gives my Grandpa’s necklace
do my first big graffiti piece
start those weird, spacey doodles
my work becomes incredibly intricate
notice Mom’s design style in my work
finish a sketchbook
follow a Joy’s classical music playlist
Dad’s smart-assery gets him in trouble
I realize my parents aren’t perfect
learn to appreciate self-forgetfulness
self-identify as “the paradox box”
begin to practice balance in my life
finish my first bottle of wine
make drawings inspired by space and nature
take a letterpress workshop
switch major from painting to graphic design
intern at Globe Collection and Press
appreciate the unpredictability of ink
crave tactility in my graphic design
make a book about the Devil’s Triangle
follow Felipe Pantone on Instagram
discover La Boca
start working with bright colors
help Tristan screenprint a few t-shirts
become friends with Isabel and Nicole
first official (and terrible) freelance job
read Cosmicomics
swear by efficiency and fluency
become aware of my own lucidity
discover I believe in determinism
accept my finiteness
take a sign painting workshop
make a screen printed stop-motion animation
download the NPR One app
Sophie finishes carving her own longbow
discover Tind.
buy a Steven Harrington postcard book
attend West Point’s 500th Night Gala with Alex
start writing letters again
begin to consider grad school for political science
Matt ghosts me
create and execute a creative campaign for students
appreciate design + community engagement
end an unhealthy friendship
sell my first series of prints
go on spring break with good friends
Nathan helps me discover Jim Croce
have the most stressful semester I’ve felt yet
first true struggle with depression
decide to live with my best friends
turned down last minute by a dream job
Ava graduates and moves to North Carolina
the family adopts the puppies, Bo and Sawyer
read The Unbearable Lightness of Being
understand vertigo with regard to my life
develop faith in the power of inertia
Sophie learns how to throw machetes
move to temporarily Nashville, TN
stay at a youth hostel for a week
intern at Hatch Show Print
get a membership at Climb Nashville
buy a weaving kit
go to Honky Tonk Tuesday at the American Legion
discover Noosa yogurt, my new favorite snack
listen to a podcast about temporal locality
enroll in an information visualization class
re-watch baby tapes with Mom
remember how much I like the Bryan Setzer Orchestra
subscribe to Anorak magazine
meet this cool guy, Sean—who knows, right?
* Update: As of 2020, Sean is just a friend...