2021 REFLECTION REFLECTION 2021
to you, i say...
to you, i say...
MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS
to you, i say...
HAPPY NEW YEAR HAPPY NEW YEAR
to you, i say...
THANK YOU THANK YOU
A MEASURE OF TIME
A YEAR, A MEASURE OF TIME. ONE REVOLUTION AROUND THE SUN. TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY ONE OF THEM. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TWENTY FIVE. A YEAR, AN ACCUMULATION OF DAYS. A DAY, AN ACCUMULATION OF MOMENTS. SOME OF YOU, WERE HERE FOR SOME OF THEM. SOME OF YOU, WERE HERE FOR OTHERS. I WAS HERE FOR THEM ALL. SO, YOU WERE THERE FOR THEM ALL. I’VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH MOMENTS. MOMENTS: THEY PASS, AS FAST AS THE COME, I TRY TO CATCH THEM, HOLD ONTO THEM, I USE MY TOOLS TO SOAK THEM IN. BUT NO MATTER HOW I TRY, I MUST LET THEM GO. MOMENTS: A SACRIFICE TO THE PAST. I’VE BEEN LIVING IN THE PRESENT THESE DAYS. LESS AND LESS I LOOK TO THE PAST FOR ANSWERS; PROGRESS. I’VE BEEN PROGRESSING. BUT NOT PROCESSING. A NEW CITY, A NEW LIFE. BUT WHAT IS NEW, IF IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND STILL IS? I’VE BEEN LEARNING. I HOPE YOU HAVE TO. TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY ONE, ITS BEEN BETWEEN THE PAGES. THE LAST SENTENCE AND A TITLE PAGE. THE NEW CHAPTER HAS ARRIVED. ARE YOU READY? I LOOK FORWARD, I LOOK BACK, I STAND FIRM, IF ONLY FOR A MOMENT.
ENDS ARE BEGINNINGS
IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN: THE END. AND WHEN WE COME TO THIS TIME OF YEAR, WE REFLECT, WE CELEBRATE, AND WE GATHER. WE ARE THEN ASK OURSELVES TO MAKE NEW INTENTIONS AND MAKE NEW RESOLUTIONS. AND THEN THE CYCLE RESTARTS. REPEAT. REPEAT. BUT I BEGAN TO ASK MYSELF: AM I TRULY REFLECTING? THIS HAS BEEN A YEAR OF REFLECTING. AND THAT IS A RESULT OF MY LAST NEW YEARS RESOLUTION. LAST YEAR, IN THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC AND KNOWING I WAS APPROACHING A PIVOTAL LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE, I STARTED A DAILY PRACTICE OF REFLECTING. ON MOST DAYS, FOR THIS ENTIRE YEAR, I WOULD SIT DOWN AND WRITE. I WOULD WRITE OUT MY INTENTIONS FOR MY DAY, I WOULD WRITE HOW I FELT AND HOW I WANTED TO FEEL. I WOULD WRITE ABOUT MY PLACE IN THIS WORLD, OR RECORD THE SMALLEST GRATITUDES. I WOULD SIT DOWN AND JUST POUR ONTO THE PAGE, IF ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. EVEN ON THE DAYS WHERE I WOULD NOT WRITE AT ALL, WHEN I WAS ALL TOO BUSY. THE ABSENCE OF THOSE RECORDS BECAME REFLECTIONS IN THEIR OWN. REFLECTING ON IT NOW, CREATING THIS DAILY PRACTICE HAS BEEN IMMEASURABLY IMPORTANT FOR MY WELLBEING AND SO BENEFICIAL FOR MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD AND PEOPLE AROUND ME. THROUGH THIS PRACTICE I HAVE LEARNED, AS I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THROUGHOUT MY EDUCATION, THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAN BY MAKING SOMETHING. MY DAILY JOURNAL, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, MY SKETCHES. EACH ONE OF THESE ARE HOW I ACTIVELY TRY TO UNDERSTAND MY WORLD. WHAT I NEED TO WORK ON IS EXPRESSING THIS UNDERSTANDING. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I EXPRESS MYSELF BEST FROM A DISTANCE. I EXPRESS MYSELF BEST BY WRITING, BY COLLECTING, BY CURATING. AND THAT IS WHAT THIS THING IS. THAT IS WHY I WANT YOU TO BE HERE. I INVITE YOU TO BE HERE FOR THIS REFLECTION. AND I ASK YOU TO REFLECT YOURSELF. AND I ASK YOU TO SHARE YOUR REFLECTION WITH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. AND DON’T WORRY, YOU DON’T NEED TO MAKE SOMETHING AS CUMBERSOME AS THIS. THIS WORKS FOR ME, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO WORK FOR YOU. IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS HUG. I’VE BEEN THINKING RECENTLY ABOUT HOW WE ONLY SAY: “LIFE IS SO SHORT” WHEN LIFE BECOMES SHORT. WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THAT MOMENT OF URGENT CLARITY WHEN LIFE FEELS LONG? WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THAT ON THE GOOD DAYS AS WELL AS THE BAD. THIS IS A CELEBRATION OF THAT IDEA. TO BE HONEST WITH MYSELF, I AM BAD AT COMMUNICATING. I DON’T KEEP IN TOUCH. I DON’T POST ENOUGH ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA? I WANT TO KEEP EVERYONE IN THE LOOP, AND THIS MIGHT BE A NATURAL SOLUTION FOR THAT. SO AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR, STARTING WITH THIS YEAR, I HOPE TO GATHER THE SUBSTANCE OF MY TIME AND REFLECT ON IT. AND WITH EACH PRACTICE, I WILL SHARE IT WITH THE PEOPLE I LOVE. AND PLEASE MESSAGE BACK IF YOU ARE INCLINED. PERHAPS THIS CAN JUMP START THAT COMMUNICATION I SUCK AT.
REFLECTION
THIS YEAR
BEGAN INSIDE WAS A TIME BEFORE VACCINATION THIS WAS MY HOME
THIS YEAR
I WAS NOT ALONE I HAD A COMPANION
THIS YEAR
WE HAD FUN
THIS YEAR
WE WORKED HARD AND NAPPED WHEN WE COULD
THIS YEAR
BEGAN IN GAINESVILLE, IN THE FINAL YEAR OF GRADUATE SCHOOL. THE FUTURE WAS FELT CLEAR, YET UNKNOWN. DURING THIS PANDEMIC, WE’VE LEARNED TO NEVER TRUST THE FUTURE. IT HAS BEEN BEST TO TRUST THE PRESENT. AND BE THERE FOR THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
HERE. AT THIS DESK, I DID WORK. GOOD WORK. NATURAL WORK. RIGHT WORK. I FEEL THANKFUL FOR THIS SPACE.
a sketch of a wine opener, made for a sketching class i took at UF instructed by professor mcglothlin.
Molly, I and a group of dedicated friends finished and launched VORKURS, a student-run publication created by our graduate school. To see the book and to learn more about it, follow this link:
MASTER’S RESEARCH PROJECT
THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE SMALL CURATION OF IMAGES FROM A BOOK I PUT TOGETHER REFLECTING ON THE PROJECT, WHICH IN TURN, INSPIRED THIS REFLECTIVE PRACTICE. IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THINGS MORE CLOSELY FOLLOW THIS LINK:
THIS YEAR I COMPLETED MY MASTER’S RESEARCH PROJECT AS REQUIRED TO GRADUATE WITH MY MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE. BUT DON’T LET ME SOUND LIKE IT WAS SIMPLY A REQUIREMENT. REFLECTING UPON IT NOW, I FEEL THAT IT WAS LIFE CHANGING. THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT MYSELF, AND PERHAPS GAINED A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF MY PLACE WITHIN THIS WORLD. I STARTED THIS PROCESS IN 2020 AND FINISHED UP IN MAY THIS YEAR. A FULL YEAR OF COMMITMENT FEELS GOOD FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS STRUGGLED TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THINGS FOR MUCH OF MY EDUCATION. FOR MY EFFORTS I WAS GIVEN AN HONOR AWARD FOR THE PROJECT. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE UNAWARE OF THIS NOR A PART OF IT, THE FOLLOWING WORDS ARE FROM MY ABSTRACT: ARCHITECTURE HOLDS THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO UNCOVER THE HIDDEN INTENSITIES OF A CHARGED CONTEXT. BY COMPOSING THE PERCEPTIVE TOOLS OF LIGHT, SCALE AND MATERIAL, AN INTERVENTION CAN ESTABLISH PROFOUND CONNECTIONS ACROSS TIME AND SPACE. BY HARNESSING THE STORYTELLING POTENTIAL OF MATERIAL, ARCHITECTURE CAN STIMULATE AN EMOTIONAL AWARENESS OF THE FORGOTTEN HISTORIES OF A SITE. THE DIRECTED USE OF THESE PERCEPTIVE AND COMMUNICATIVE TOOLS RESULTS IN THE RE-SYNTHESIS OF PLACE AND PERSON, FACILITATING AN EMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING OF SELF, HISTORY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION; AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE ONE HAS COME FROM AND WHERE THEY MIGHT BE GOING. AMERICA HAS A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH ITS PAST. CERTAIN MOMENTS OF TRIUMPH OR TRAGEDY ARE CELEBRATED, WHILE OTHERS ARE INTENTIONALLY CONCEALED AND FORGOTTEN. AMERICAN HISTORY IS CONTAINED AND COMMUNICATED THROUGH INADEQUATE MEDIUMS, IMPORTANT TRUTHS HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND, BURIED DEEP IN THE GROUND, LEADING TO THE SOCIETAL DIVISIONS THAT PLAGUE AMERICA TODAY. THIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON TWO IMPORTANT FLASHPOINTS OF RACIAL VIOLENCE IN NORTH FLORIDA: THE ROSEWOOD MASSACRE OF 1923 AND THE NEWBERRY SIX LYNCHINGS OF 1916. THESE CASES OF RACIAL TENSION ARE THROUGHLINES THAT GUIDE US TO THE DISPARITIES AND VIOLENCE SEEN TO THIS DAY. WHILE THE TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY NEGLECTS TO RECOUNT THESE NARRATIVES, THE LOST STORIES OF VICTIMS ARE FOREVER HELD WITHIN THEIR LANDSCAPES AND ARTIFACTS WHICH ARE WAITING TO BE JUSTLY BROUGHT TO ATTENTION. IT IS THE POSITION OF THIS RESEARCH THAT ARCHITECTURE CAN BE USED AS A TOOL TO UNCOVER AND RE-ENGAGE THESE ACCOUNTS, FACILITATING A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH HISTORY. THROUGH ARCHITECTURAL AND PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT, THE SOUTHERN LANDSCAPE CAN BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN, TELLING THE STORIES OF ITS COMPLICATED GROUND. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS TO PRESENT
THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE EXERPCTS
GRADUATION
last light in studio
SUMMER
THE SUMMER: WAS A BLUR. IT CAME SMOOTHLY AND THEN DISAPPEARED.
YOU SEE, THIS SUMMER WAS ON BORROWED TIME. IT WAS A DELAY. MY TIME AS A COLLEGE STUDENT WAS OVER. AFTER SIX YEARS IN GAINESVILLE, MY TIME WAS UP, IT WAS TIME TO PAINFULLY MOVE ON. INSTEAD, I BORROWED SOME TIME. I HELD OFF THE END. BOTH MOLLY AND I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF HELPING TEACH INTRODUCTORY DESIGN CLASSES FOR THE SUMMER, IT GAVE US A REASON TO STAY. WITH ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR, WE KEPT OUR ROOTS PLANTED IN THE PLACE WE LOVED SO MUCH. REFLECTING ON IT NOW, I WISH I WAS MORE PRESENT FOR IT. I FELT THE FUTURE COMING AND SPLIT MY VISION BETWEEN THE BEAUTIFUL NOW AND THE BLURRY LATER. TEACHING MADE ME FEEL FOR CHALLENGED AND UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME. I THINK I WILL LOOK BACK FONDLY AT THIS SUMMER MUCH OF MY LIFE.
THIS SUMMER: I FELT WHOLE. I SAVORED MY SWEET TIME. I FELT THE LAST LIGHT FADING AND BREATHED IT IN.
shadowing
my students
adventures with dad
friends of mine
in the sun
old friends
our last days in our abode
IN BETWEEN
CAN YOU MAKE LIMBO YOUR HOME? WHAT IF YOU GREW UP IN LIMBO? CAN YOU LOVE LIMBO? I DID. SUMMER ENDED. COLLEGE ENDED. AND IT WAS TIME TO SOME HOME. I FEEL HOME AT HOME.
BOSTON
THIS YEAR BOSTON ACCEPTED ME WITH A WARM EMBRACE. AND I EMBRACED IT RIGHT BACK. — I BOUGHT A BOOK CALLED THE ‘SILENT TRAVELER IN BOSTON. IT IS ABOUT A CHINESE MAN WHO LIVED IN BOSTON BRIEFLY IN THE 1950S. IT IS A COLLECTION OF HIS OBSERVATIONS AND THOUGHTS OF THIS WESTERN CITY THROUGH HIS EASTERN EYES. HE ACCEPTS THE NEW WITH A SIMPLE HUMILITY AND RECORDS IT WITH A TRUST THAT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. IN BOSTON, I WANT TO BE THE SILENT SETTLER. AND, SIMPLY SAID, I AM OFF TO A GOOD START. THE LOVE THIS CITY. I FEEL RIGHT AND TRUE ON IT STREETS AND WITH ITS PEOPLE. BUT FIRST, WE HAD TO GET THERE.
sitting in the whole foods parking lot applying for our future apartment (it was the only place with wifi)
molly signing our lease
a new city awaits
ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIVE MILES TWO DAYS TURNS INTO SIX
IN NORTH CAROLINA, AT OUR FRIEND AUDREY’S PLACE, WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO BOSTON, WITH A PACKED WITH OUR LIFE, OUR TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, AND GROUND US TO A HALT. I DON’T HAVE MANY PICTURES FROM THAT TIME. THIS WAS REALLY THE ONLY ONE I HAVE. IT WAS TOO STRESSFUL TO PICK UP THE CAMERA. I FELT CALM, I REMEMBER THAT.
molly in our new home
building our home
i have felt a shift
i will continue to listen
LIFE GOT QUICK AND THE PHOTOGRAPHS QUICKER
sketching is indiscriminate affection
who do i want to be in this city?
the days are getting colder
beauty is all around me
how much has changed?
picnics by the charles river
walks in situate
tender time with babies
waking up in vermont
granite in rockport, ma
reflections in scituate, ma
scituate light house at dusk
a selection of books i read in 2021
head of the charles
molly in the old boathouse
seagull in scituate
the view from thanksgiving
life is
stillness
and
motion
life is
stillness
and
motion