Looking back on last years post, about 2014, quite a lot has changed. Though admittedly most of it has been in the last 4 or 5 months I have grown as a person even more this year and developed a lot of skills and this blog more. And I am forever grateful for all of these things and being able to keep growing and improving and blogging and all the rest of it. There have been ups and downs of course but honestly I ended 2015 the happiest I've been in a very long time, though admittedly I literally ended 2015 in bed, coughing a lot. Though that's besides the point, 2015 was pretty great and I thought I'd make this post as a reflection of that. Though ordering this is really hard.



Hair experiments: this is probably the most noticeable change physically in 2015, after leaving school (which i will get to soon) I had the chance to actually start experimenting with my hair. Started off slow, well in my opinion, by just shaving the sides and have since gone purple to grey to purple to grey. 2016 will have more colours in it but I think it was a good start. It's been a lot of fun
 I turned another year older, I'm finally 18! Which means a lot more independence and responsibility which was slightly scary to start with but I'm liking it. Plus it means I don't have to stress about finding id when all my friends are going out, or worry about getting kicked out of pubs. I had a lot of celebrations for this Birthday too, from spending the actual day at greenman, to a family celebration a few days later, one evening out, and a night out with different friends. Crazy.
Finished School: Another milestone! And slightly embarrassing picture, but I finished school this year and the relief was beyond amazing. I got my A levels, got into uni and never have to worry about any of the ridiculous and unique stuff school brings along with it. Even just not being in school made me so much happier, I worked so much harder on work than I ever had done in 2015 and despite a few teachers constantly putting me down I made it through. I also helped take all the yearbook photos for my school which was a super cool opportunity and I even have a thanks for it in the back of my year book (and it helped me get my first job, more but on that in a bit).

Started making my own path: I think that this is the reason I did a lot of things in the later half of 2015, which has had the biggest changes. While most of my friends went off to uni I made the concious decision to go out on my own and take a gap year, to do something for myself. This meant a lot of time spent alone and feeling quite lost, time trying to figure out exactly what I want and also learning to say no and do things because they'll actually have a positive affect on me, not because I'm "supposed to do the. It meant deciding to go on a photography course and volunteering at a photography festival to see eplore more what I wanted to do with my life. It meant being very very confused but making good decisions for myself at the end of it.
I chose the first photo because on a day where all my friends wanted to go on paddle boats I spent an afternoon in a tropical greenhouse and it was wonderful.

I got my first job: Yet another milestone, I started off as a photographers assistant in a portrait studio, then volunteered at a photography festival spent time on the dole in the low season and now have my second job over at Shake Shack. All four of these things have taught me a lot, I've adapted to new environments and ways of doing things. I definitely think that my new job is the most challenging (due to how many hours I'm doing on my feet from two months of staying in bed) and fun.
Travel travel travel: Ok so not as much as I plan to do in 2016 but I did get to travel a lot in 2015 and I am so grateful, from London to Manchester and Nottingham and then further a field. My girls Holiday in Corfu, a Holiday with a bestie in Paris and Barcelona with my sister last week, it's been magical and I definitely have the travel bug. I've seen some awesome things and I am definitely looking forward to getting to travel alone for the first time in 2016.
 Astronomical events: This may seem like somewhat of a random one, but it's more than exciting to me. I saw my first eclipse when I was in Sheffield back in March and then was up at 3am in the dark with my camera to see the Super Blood moon in September. I also decided that I definitely want to go and study Physics and Astrophysics next year at Uni so all very exciting.

Petted a lot of cats: Ok so for most people this isn't anything notable and some people may think this is sad but it's definitely something I did more of in 2015. The first two cats are My Sister's cats Flash and Buffy, then a random cat like the ones that often visit me when I'm taking photos for my blog. Finally the last photo is from a cat cafe in Paris, I hope to visit at least one more cat cafe in 2016, it was blissful.
Improved my photography and editing skills: From shooting at night, to more studio style photos, to new ways of editing and being generally more creative I think that this is something that's been mostly helped by me blogging and just wanting to make more interesting content for my blog.


Celebrated: Last year I was ill during Halloween and bonfire night and so this year I was determined to do something for both of them. I went to Pride for the first time this year and it was amazing, I felt so at home. I also had an amazing time at Greenman celebrating my 18th Birthday so fun times all round, the only thing I didn't really get to celebrate this year was New Year but maybe I'll aim for them all next year.

Appreciated life more and took positive steps forward: This is definitely the biggest and most important past of 2015 for me. And it's because of all the things above, I have made strides to improve my mental health and try to be a more positive person to help myself and those around me. I mean obviously there's still things I can do to improve these things. I've appreciated a lot more things like the dark, sleep and myself. I even started positivity posts on the blog which i will continue.

So adios 2015 and bring on 2016, I'm sure it'll be a good one! I look forward to new adventures, new friends and a lot of growth this year. And of course all the blogging I'll be doing, because it really has become a huge part of my life. I hope you enjoyed this little recap, thank you for reading whether you were a reader in 2015 or you've just started reading. Hope your 2016 is lovely and Happy New year!
Thanks for reading!