“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” - John Muir

This August, I picked up a new hobby - photography! I’ve always wanted to get into this hobby, and I finally have access to a good camera for the next few months! I’ve been reading and watching so many tutorials about the subject, and I’m definitely seeing an improvement as I get familiar with the camera settings and composition principles. I still don’t know what type of photography I like the most, but that’s the fun part! I’m just messing around and occasionally I find something that works!

(I’ve used an excessive amount of exclamation marks in the last paragraph, that’s how excited I am about photography)

Besides photography though, my life at the beginning of the month was feeling pretty monotonous. I spend most of my free time doing internship stuff or working on hobbies (with occasional phone breaks in between). Despite putting a decent chunk of my time into self-improvement, I barely had a set routine and not a lot of direction during my days.

The fix? I went to Isla Vista mid-summer just to move some furniture into my new place and to break the unsatisfying routine. I wasn’t ultra productive like I expected, however, just seeing some faces that I hadn’t seen in a while and getting work done at the UCSB library was exactly what I needed to break away from my rut and feel like myself again.

Towards the end of the month, I went on a Yosemite excursion with my friend. Probably one of the most memorable trips of this year I’ve had. We camped in the middle of nowhere, had more miles hiked than hours slept, and had a few terrifying moments. It was a trip that taught me more lessons in 3 days than years of schooling. Those hikes reinforced my understanding that I must stay consistent because progress isn’t linear, and sometimes you won’t start seeing the fruits of your labor until you’re well into the journey. It also made me feel independent, as this was the first overnight trip I planned that wasn’t with my family (the stuff that my friends and I tagged along doesn’t count). I could go on and on about my takeaways from this trip, but that could be a different blog so I’ll stop here.

What’s up next for September? For starters, I will keep exploring places with my camera, because it has brought me unforgettable experiences as well as a creative outlet. Additionally, I aim to maximize what’s left of summer, whether that means spending quality time with people who matter, learning new guitar skills, or finishing up my internship strong, I will make the best out of the final month of summer break. Last but not least, I want to set my goals for fall quarter. My goal-setting kept me disciplined throughout spring quarter, and I saw results from my hard work. I aim to continue some of those goals and establish new ones.