Reflection, at least for me, is an essential way to wrap up each year. A lot can happen in the trip around the Sun… some may even call it revolution(ary). This time last year, I wrote an open letter to the whole of 2017: its peaks, pitfalls, and personal effects. To prep for 2019, however, I decided to take a different approach to the new year: a lookbook. Usually, a lookbook is a collection of photos showing off clothing for models. But with this article, I’m hoping to model to everyone who reads this about my mentalities, goals, and growth.
First up, I have decided my WORD of the year is genuine or genuity. Defined as “truly what something is said to be” with synonyms like “authentic, certain, honest, pure,” the act of expressing genuinity is something I want to strive for. On this platform and in my day-to-day life, I have a palpable fondness for words. That’s a bonafide fact. Choosing a word of the year, and especially one with such wholesome meanings, helps me use a lexicon to foster the feeling of personal experiences tailor-made for me. I have found that in the last breaths of 2018, I have used it a lot to describe how I feel (example: I genuinely am ready for a clean slate in 2019). Possessing genuity as a common word in my vocabulary will help me express more openly how sincere and well… genuine I feel about people, things, and life as a whole.
Next, but not necessarily decided by me, that 2019 in Chinese culture is viewed as the YEAR OF THE PIG. Pigs are very intelligent in nature, but they also can have a negative connotation in popular society. They are seen as animals of gluttony and associated with muddied environments (most literally because they like to cool off there). I do not desire to be piggish; rather, I am both yearning to and learning to be indulgent in all my dreams. I’m rooting around for the best place to start, much like truffles that pigs are often bred to seek out.
In the true form of a lookbook, I felt FASHION must be at least a little part. I consider myself to be relatively stylish; I see trends and modify them to fit my own interpretations. Last year, I deemed 2018 to be yellow. It’s sunshine-y and made me feel bright. This year, though, I am calling 2019 a year of REDemption. Red is a symbol for lots of things, but it mainly resonates with me as a color of passion, intensity, and sometimes anger. It’s a statement-maker. In terms of fashion itself, I’m aiming to integrate mesh into my wardrobe more. Although it can be a little more risqué, the material itself is indicative of physical and metaphorical transparency I want to have as I live a bolder and more beautiful life.
I go into every NYE celebration hoping I’ll have a cutie to canoodle with at the dawning of the new year. Alas, this probably still won’t be the case for me as we look onwards into 2019. But, my RELATIONSHIPS as a whole, in all respects, could do with some restorative focus. The past year has been eye-opening in terms of who and what I’m tethered to. People have shown their true colors and I’m learning to decipher those, as well as figure out the best way to display my own. I have also grown so much closer to friends from last year and integrated new ones into my heart. They have shown me that 2019 will be both another epic journey to self-love and squad, girl-clique love.
As a member of Generation Z, we are prone to have “up and at ‘em” mentalities and strive for a go, go, go lifestyle that can sometimes leave little room for introspection and relaxation. Especially as a college student in Gen-Z, I am of the mindset that “spare” time is really just me falling behind when I could be prepping for eons in advance… but, living like that can and does make me feel like I’m planning for a future that really can’t be enacted until I slow down and enjoy the present. My 2019 ATTITUDE is mindfulness, or as otherwise stated, “The psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment, which one can develop through the practice of meditation and through other training.” I don’t know if I’ll go as far as to meditate, but I aim to actively engage with the little moments in life and cement who I am now. Because I think I can be pretty incredible if I stop and look for awhile.
Does it feel weird to follow a lookbook aspect about slowing down and living in the moment with a section dedicated to my future CAREER? Maybe a little bit. This section for my career is more what things I’d like to accomplish to help me take strides to helping me in the future. I’ve looked into internships a-plenty and while Her Campus serves as my personal haven and online journal of sorts, I will be joining The Winonan in the spring and SCJ (The Society of Collegiate Journalists). I am excited to look into how these aspects of my Journalism major will aid me in my quest of my Mass Comm. degree.
And then finally, here are just a few of my over-sweeping GOALS:
-
Continue my self-confidence.
-
Think seriously about the path I’m walking—as I’m walking it!
-
Enjoy time with friends and make memories.
-
Work hard.
-
Grow.
My open letter to 2017 addressed how I personally corresponded with the 365 days, but this article (hopefully) will serve as a good reminder for myself on how I want to live in 2019… and that is to say: like myself, but elevated! I hope everyone has a wonderful dawning of the new year. If you want, share your own lookbooks with me or even just dwell on them for yourself!
Sources