Wow. It’s been a year since I started my selfie a day project with 2 of my friends. They dropped off a long time ago but I wanted to keep it up! All I can say is….wow. It’s already been a year?? I should technically be doing homework right now, but I just spent some time going  through the pictures because my selfie album was missing 2 more than I was expecting-but I found them, don’t worry! I actually missed 2 days out of the year, so I have 363 pictures. Sometimes when you’re in bed and realize you missed your selfie, it’s not worth it. Sometimes it is-but not always.

This whole project sounds kind of obnoxious-a selfie EVERY day??

I tell myself it’s not obnoxious because I’m not posting them on social media. With the possible exception of this blog post, depending. I still can’t believe a year has gone by. My project took me through DC, major life decisions, firsts, races, changes.

Another thing I learned? I will not age well. I swear my selfies have way more wrinkles than a year ago.

What started out as a silly project turned into so much more, something much nearer to my heart. While I’m one of those people who looks nearly the same in every picture, I feel like that almost makes it more interesting because I look to the background and the subtleties. It’s also an amazing reminder of what my life was like each and every day this past year, and as I get older, documenting these things is more important to me. As the year came to a close, I considered continuing but ultimately decided to just take selfies more regularly and end my complete year as it stands.

One of the most surprising things about this project was the sense of confidence I gained. We all have days where we feel crappy, feel bad about ourselves, and generally have low self esteem. Taking a good selfie can be a reminder of self love, and quite honestly it could turn my day around if I was feeling bad about myself. Additionally, the seflie project made me actually try and make myself more presentable on days where I would have just moped around all day. Looking presentable seriously does make you feel better. That being said, not all selfies show me as presentable. Like this one:

 

I’ve also got a lot better at taking selfies. I know how to work the angles, what the best lighting is, etc! That being said, remember when you see people’s selfies on social media, they are made to look better than people would likely look normally!

I really loved this project. I looked forward to what my selfie would be each day, what moment I would choose to capture. On that note, I want to share some of the big moments to show how much this really captured.

First vs. Last Day:

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Color run featuring the mustache I didn’t realize I had.

My sister’s college graduation:

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First metro ride in DC:

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First day of work at a real job:

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4th of July on the National Mall:

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Learning the hard way that running+DC summer requires sunscreen.

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Mount Vernon:

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Visiting long lost cousins in NY:

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Giants-Nats game:

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Leaving DC and lugging 100+ lbs of luggage through the cobbled streets of Georgetown:

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Half marathon:

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First CS assignment actually running:

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First Spin audition:

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New blog profile pic:

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THE GIANTS WIN:

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Halloween:

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Thanksgiving:

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Obsessed:

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Santa Run!

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Christmas:

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The first day of my many months-long illness:

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First day working at the vet!

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Post-long run:

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Winter quarter finals studying:

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Sorority recruitment:

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Half marathon:

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I practically live in the sub-basement of the Physics building:

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Turning 21:

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Softball!

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And finally, a side-by side at how much better my selfies are from the first week to the last:

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And also maybe that I’m a year older and better dressed?

A lot can change in a year!