The year I lived young: 2011.

The end of 2010 brought me to a strange place. Everything that I had worked towards my entire life up until that point had come to a close. My future post-2010 was uncertain.

Walking into 2011 with very little expectation of what should happen meant that, in many ways, it became phenomenally better than last year. I lived young in the way I wanted to live young: by unashamedly throwing myself into my career and pushing myself past my own limits. I invested my entire self into multiple creative projects for nothing but love, working only to appease my own soul, delving deeper into who I am as both a person and creative. There was very little reason to not be so involved in something that I have pursued all my life.

No spare minute was given to thinking about doing—I simply did. 

So this year, I fell in love with videography and now there's no going back. I shot a wedding and filmed event after event; I captured the craft of letterpress and the wonders of digital printing; I participated in several exhibitions as part of a collective; I shot a lookbook, and directed a shoot involving horses; I was once at two different events in two opposite ends of town on the exact same night (this and this).

Together with working full-time as a graphic/web designer and maintaining personal commitments to friends & family, the true meaning of exhaustion became evident. It's definitely been worth it.

Something Remarkable: a little something designed by me (with photographs by me) from a quote by John Green.
Now available to download for your desktop wallpaper, my holiday gift to you. Enjoy!

I have been living to make every second worthwhile. The thought of suddenly dying tomorrow (an entirely plausible reality) without ever having achieved anything noteworthy frequents my mind. Living as if I will not be here tomorrow keeps me motivated without care for money or other trivial pursuits.

I'm a strong believer of creating your own opportunities, and I'm proud to have truly achieved that more than ever this year. The dozens of like-minded creatives I've made friends with over the past twelve months make me endlessly happy, and I admire every single one of them. They're the ones who have the same thirst to do more, to know more, to be more; who are as unapologetically consumed by what they love to do as I am. They've played strong roles in inspiring me to remain driven.

I enter 2012 with a little more faith in myself than I had coming into 2011. I will only love what I do more and more, and if there's anything I've learnt from this year, it is that that is unlikely to change.