Catching up

It's been nearly a year since my last post and a lot has happened. My thesis is long over, I graduated from college, and I've been living in New York for nearly five months now. Reading over my posts from the middle of thesis writing is kind of like looking back at myself in a tornado from a comfortable tornado-proof room a few miles down the road. Or maybe I should avoid using metaphors or similes because they aren't so much my strength. The point is, I was deep in the middle of total thesis insanity and most likely my fifth cup of coffee of the day when I last posted.

Now I sit in my small, but well-lit yellow apartment stuffed with books from college classes, paintings and jewelry from the countries I traveled to in Africa, an impressive selection of tea, and two talented and friendly roommates who (lucky for me) are also great at cooking. My thesis, beautifully bound into a small book, sits on the bookshelf between James Baldwin and Eula Biss. Though it's in good company, it's sort of gotten lost to my subconscious.

It's hard to imagine where I was one year ago. I felt so strongly that the writing and work I was doing had to have a major impact on the humanitarian industry, but when I go back and read the work I was posting it just seems repetitive. What was great about my thesis is that it afforded me the opportunity to delve into great writing about images, historical perceptions of Africa, and to explore current motifs and patterns in humanitarian campaigns, so ultimately, my thesis was incredibly important in formulating the core of my ideas about my line of work.

The last few months I've been focused on photography (http://jfirestonephotography.tumblr.com): shooting events for my congressman, photographing the lovely singer/songwriter Sara Lewis, and helping out a very talented young artist Ari Jessop to make her portfolio; music (still can't fit a drum set in this apartment so an egg shaker and a ukulele will have to do); and thinking a bunch about what I want to be when I grow up.

I'm going to use this space to "fluff out" my plans, frustrations, curiosities, and ideas about the world. I figure that's general enough to write basically anything. I don't expect too many people to read. If you do happen upon my blog and feel inclined to comment or send me an e-mail with questions, comments, job offers, to give or receive life advice, or you want to send me really good mix CDs, definitely don't hesitate to contact me.

Blog on, readers.

Julia