JUVENESCENCE
Being young meant being immediate. It meant being quick with our decisions, words, and actions. It meant that we could make choices with the ease of it feeling temporary. It meant that we could speak our minds with the excuse of being young and idealistic. Being young meant that we could postpone the feeling of responsibility and give up on the seriousness of our lives with the ease of being too young to be mindful. Being young came with the harshness of minds being changed, feelings getting hurt, and teenagehood ending too soon. But still, being young has always been a blessing.
Sammy Alice Olly Ayushma Mia Mabel
Your teenage years last from starting secondary school, to finishing sixth form, and possibly even going to university. You start these years with almost no responsibilities, still living at home and carried by your parents, existing in a support net. The last few years when there weren’t any real expectations of you, you’re still ‘just a kid’. No expectations to work. No expectations to know what you want to do with the rest of your life. No expectations to have it all together. But then the responsibilities hit, and the expectations come. The schoolwork piles up, you get your first job, you’re forced to make decisions about your future, and you even begin to live a life not reliant on your parents. And as scary as that might sound, these become the years when you get your first taste of freedom. Learning to drive. Your first holiday with friends. Your first concert. You begin to live life on your own accord. And it’s this amalgamation of still living under your parents’ roof, whilst beginning to become independent, that creates the perfect environment to take chances and try new things.
NO EXPECTATIONS TO HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER
HOWEVER, AS TIME PASSED, AS THINGS CHANGED, LIFE WAS OKAY. EVEN JOYOUS AT TIMES.
Teenagehood was a time of discovery. I was no longer bound by the ignorant bliss of childhood and began to see the world for what it is. Alongside such revelations, self-discovery about my values, my people and my ambitions made this a period of mental disarray. The isolation and despair from not a single soul on this earth seemed to understand the lengths I felt and raging anguish towards the cruel indifference of the universe to the incessant suffering built into existence. However, as time passed, as things changed, life was okay. Even joyous at times.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT YOU WISH WOULD STAY THE SAME EVEN AS YOU GET OLDER?
I wish I could keep the same friends as I get older. I feel like I really click with them. I'm afraid that time apart at university will cause me to lose some friendships, but I'm praying that this doesn't happen.
I believe that connection with other people is the most important thing to have a fulfilling life. As we have the most opportunities to make friends as children, sometimes to me, the fear of growing up is linked to the fear of not having real connections with new people and growing apart from the friends I have now. My closest friends are the most important people in my life. The connection I have with them is beyond anything I could explain or understand or try and replicate. I have never been very good about opening up to people about how I am feeling, but without my closest friends (and a little alcohol) I may have never done it. Although I still struggle to ask for help, I know that my friends would drop anything if I needed it, and it'd do the same for them.
THE CONNECTION BEYOND ANYTHING I COULD EXPLAIN OR UNDERSTAND
IF YOU COULD CHOOSE TO RELIVE ONE THING, WOULD YOU CHOOSE CHILDHOOD OR TEENAGEHOOD?
I would choose my childhood because I want to experience being carefree and innocent again. I'd love to exist without the weight of the future and my actions on my shoulders. Being a child involved only worrying about the smallest things for me.
IN OUR CHILDHOOD WE WOULDN’T CARE ABOUT SUCH SMALL THINGS AND BEAT OURSELVES UP FOR THINGS WE COULDN’T CHANGE
While the years go by, I feel the effects of time affecting not just my physical state but also my mental. The things I used to enjoy do not humour me as of late and the habits I built from physical activities have been long forgotten. Growing up there are certain things expected of us to do and to get there means sacrificing things such as free time. I believe that even when the days become busy and difficult, we should reflect back on our past actions and cherish the things we have learnt to get to this point. We should take a breather and go back to the little things, just like how in our childhood we wouldn’t care about such small things and beat ourselves up for things we couldn’t change: even when we fell down we still got up and that is how we stand today.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT YOU FEEL THE MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?
“My friends” “Music” “Music?” “Art”
“Definitely reading”
“Connections with friends”
Art is something that I cherish in all aspects of my life.
Art is something that can document stories as well as emotions, that are felt through the artists and viewers alike. Art is something that I cherish in all aspects of my life.
Art is something I've enjoyed since I was a child. Something that started out as finger-painting and paper machè has evolved and grown as I have. I love the process of art and the trust you have to give yourself in order to make a piece you’re proud of. The artworks that maybe aren’t your best pieces but help you on your journey to creating ‘that’ piece. I love how you can witness a variety of artworks in all locations. You don’t have to go to a world-class museum to appreciate artworks instead your neighbour who loves making trains out of his front garden bushes that the children adore. That said the ability to go to art museums and galleries for free and admire the perseverance and strength of those artists as well as its history is just a mesmerising experience.
I've been playing music since I was four from the shared love for music with my mum who plays piano and taught me how to play. Music means so much to me because it's the thing I listen to when I'm stressed, and I also play my instruments when I'm worried about things as it never fails to relax me. My dad loves to listen to music and was always testing my knowledge of different bands. Music elevates how I perceive things and I love sharing it with other people because it's so much better shared and genuinely does bring people together.
