2021 Greetings

It's been a while since I made my last blog entry and today felt like a good day to do some writing.

It's 2021 now and wow it has been an experience already- and not a pleasant one so far.

The Trump riot and storming of the Capitol building was horrific and disgusting to observe. I live in the DC area, I've grown up going to DC all of the time, and my university is in the city so it was so surreal to see that happen. I've marched in a peaceful protest for transgender rights and been by the Capitol so many times- mainly when I've gone to the US Botanic Garden. I do not support Trump or the hateful and discriminatory language he says/allows. I don't think anyone thought I was but I'd like to make that clear anyway. I believe in equality, non-violence (unless needed in self-defense), and respect. Things are quite scary right now and I just hope everyone is remaining safe, taking care of themselves, and doing what they can to support others.

I've been on winter break from university for almost a month and it has been very helpful. The latter part of last year was especially taxing on my mental health and I've been struggling, though trying not to show it. Every day is a challenge but I've been able to spend more time focusing on my art and writing again. I've been exploring poetry, dabbling in some of my novel writing, and painting so many fun things. I haven't done as much as I would like to- but I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself so I can enjoy the process and what I create. I finished a painting I really love recently and I have several different works in progress that I will be uploading soon.

The spring semester of university is coming up and I am nervous and excited about it! It will be all online for me just like last semester was. I am not entirely sure of what I'm doing (I wanted to double-major in Literature and History but I may end up just majoring in Literature) but I am looking forward to it. I've chosen some classes I think will be interesting and further my education. I will definitely be busy but I think that I'll be able to manage school and my artistic passions.

The last thing I'd like to touch on is that last year I was an art assistant for my school's literary magazine, AmLit, and I wrote an entry for their blog! I hope to be a part of their team again this semester and will be applying soon. It is an amazing organization and I am so proud to have been a part of it. I would definitely recommend looking through the Fall 2020 issue! So much incredible art, poetry, prose, photography, and more! Everyone worked really hard on it.

https://issuu.com/amlit/docs/fall_2020

That is all for now, I just wanted to provide some context on what has been going on lately.

Thank you so much for the support last year and continued support into this year. I cannot wait to enter some more art competitions and see what I create in 2021! I hope you stay along for the adventure.

~Nikolai