This term, I have learned more about myself through actualizing my aesthetic, articulating personally significant ideas, and realizing my potential as a writer. The practice that has specifically transformed my writing ability, and also my perspective of myself, is the five-minute warm-up every morning. It was so rewarding to just write creatively, which I would sometimes do before, but now is a practice I will continue

regularly.

 

Curating images for my site has been another wonderful source of self knowledge, and has been what I enjoyed the most. I feel my site, both the words and visuals, act as a reflection of who I am, and in this way, looking back on my work this term, has been like looking in a mirror that was previously covered with dust. After clearing it off, my voice is now more pronounced, and my vision more tangible. I do believe my voice matters, as does everyone’s, but I do not think I am the one to say why. All I can do is share with the world what is meaningful to me, and hope my words matter to someone else. 

​

    An element of designing my website I really found satisfying was establishing my aesthetic. This process all began when I found my homepage picture, a drawing of an Oxford library. I picked that picture because it really encapsulated the niche I was trying to create, which was somewhere between academia and bohemian.

 

Using Pixabay was very meditative; finding the perfect pictures to use, and using my images as a sort of language was a special experience. Even though I did not actually include any quotes like I planned to, making the bookshelf was gratifying too. Just the way it looked in the end was appealing enough for me.

 

And although I added much of my own personal touch, the success of my aesthetic I really owe to my mentor, Ethan Maurice. His simple, yet engaging design inspired me, and without his site, I really would not have known where to start. One of the main differences I made though, was the font. Whereas he had a modern, ergonomic type of font, I decided to go with typewriter lettering, and it looked more artistic and enticing to me.