Who Am I? The Ocean.

Who are you?

Where are you from?

What makes you unique?

​What moments define your life
​and personality? 

These were the questions I attempted to embody in my first Journal Book and the first image that came to mind for me was the ocean. ​

From a young age, I was drawn to the water. I could spend hours on end playing at the swimming pool, in the lake, and in the ocean. When I discovered in science class in the 4th grade that there was a career that would encourage this connection with the ocean, I was sold. From then on, I was going to be a marine biologist, no matter how many times I got funny looks after everyone else named more prestigious careers as we went around the classroom. I received a great number of discouraging remarks throughout my childhood.“There are no jobs in that”... “You won’t get paid well” ... “It won’t be easy.” These are the types of comments that numerous others have told me discouraged them from pursuing their childhood dreams. Thankfully, I had an equal weight of nurturing and supportive remarks. And I stuck with it. 

My nomadic lifestyle is yet another reason the ocean is symbolic in my journey to personal discovery. And this quote by Stephanie Gilmore says it all. Our oceans connect us. No matter where I moved across the planet, there was an ocean that connected me to my previous home and the rest of the world. 

These pages from Journal Book #1 describe my journey to my childhood dream of being a marine biologist.
(Click the hourglass with the plus symbol to view full screen)

In my next posts, I’ll expand on my nomadic journey to understanding my complicated relationship with the term “home” and how my childhood dreams took twists and turns to get me towards where I am today. ​