My goal on this platform is to express myself through an outlet that I am passionate about (writing, photography) and to hopefully inspire the people around me. I've had this blog for nearly three full years now, and I still can't quite believe how long I've been able to keep this up. My post schedule isn't very consistent, but I'm still proud of the content uploaded on Cake Potato.
This past year was tough for me, as I'm sure most of my followers know. I encountered a lot of problems with friendships and relationships, and at times it was too much to handle. My ambition kept growing as I tried to pursue the design and engineering program at UW while balancing work, research, commuting, and this blog. I've mentioned these struggles before, but I've never really mentioned the self-doubt and the criticism I faced during this time.
DOUBT
Last school year, I devoted much of my energy to schoolwork and side projects. If I wasn't doing homework, I was working. And if I wasn't working, I was busy creating a project with the hope that it would lead me to my major. But along this path, I happened across judgements that I never would have expected. My blog was mocked and ridiculed by my "friends", and I was told that the program I was pursuing "wasn't real engineering."
These sentiments came from people I had considered friends, and it greatly affected me to hear this from people whose opinions I cared about. I began to doubt my skills and my dreams. Then following an initial rejection into the program, I allowed this negativity to bring me down to a feeling of worthlessness. Though I continued to pursue other projects, the determination was no longer there. The discouragement from my peers was overbearing, and I felt that my work and my interests were a waste of time.
NO APOLOGIES
In the summer I was accepted into the engineering program on my second application, and I began to build connections with people who had similar interests. With these new people, I received helpful feedback that allowed me to think more creatively. They encouraged me to pursue design and engineering, and I felt I had received more support in this short amount of time than in the past school year.
With the "negative" people out of my life, I'm able to see my life in a new light. I'm appreciative of what I've accomplished, and I am no longer afraid to face criticism. Their statements had one purpose-- it was to make me feel bad about my work. This realization allowed me to feel passionate about my work again.
My interests, hobbies, and goals are what make me who I am. I should never have let these people discourage me. They led me to question my own identity, but now I'm confident with who I am and I promise not to let the haters affect me so much. This is what I like to do, and this is what I will continue to do.
So from now on, I promise to be unapologetically me.
