February 7, 2025
So this one is a bit personal but I want to give context to my work and this project is an honest look at where I see myself over the next few years. I will try to keep things as concise as possible for those who want to use this as inspiration or direction for their own introspection.
This vision board was made as a “make, don’t buy” project for Crunchy Leaves, based on some prompts about goals, habits and affirmations we want to carry into 2025. You can read a bit more about my aspirations and reflections of 2024 in my last post, Blog post - thank you 2024!! and much of what I wrote there influenced my thoughts for this collage.
I poured through every magazine I had to find the words to say this. It’s about understanding what you need from relationships, not necessarily what you think you want or what others say you should want. If what you want looks different from what you were told is “normal,” accept that and figure it out for yourself.
The illustration sums up what I need personally and what I think men my age are afraid to seek: to be held and to be truly admired for who we are. Not measured by accomplishments or comparison, but for being strong, passionate, and sincere. Despite what the gem would suggest literally in terms of wealth, for me it represents aromantic expression and empathy as a treasure.
Do you ever have an experience where you’re so focused on staying calm and collected in an upsetting situation that you fail to affect the change you want? I’ve had this happen a lot and it only leaves me feeling angry at myself. Why didn’t I say something or do anything to help?
The real problem here is that trying to stay cool, no matter what, is not healthy. I don’t think the word “anger” describes all of the “heat” I tend to avoid, but anger is a valid emotion people tend to look down on. Anger is a powerful motivator that can be easily manipulated when not fully understood. Heat on the other hand, is just pure kinetic energy.
I have “move” written out here to remind me that heat can form into action, not into resentment. In the sage words on Tech N9ne, “don't be cool, everybody move.”
