That being said, in honor of my one year anniversary here on the interwebs, I'm doing two things.
One - I have gone back through all my posts and pulled out my favorite photos. I'm going to post these favorites and explain why as a point of nostalgia and, hopefully, encouragement for others to speak up.
Secondly - I'd like to dedicate this to two people. One of those people is my mom. She was the one who taught me to speak for myself in the first place. The other is Ariel McAnulty. Without her, this blog wouldn't even exist.
Here it is. Happy Anniversary. =D
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Mom said she thought long and hard about what she wanted to do for my blog. She decided on this, as she and I are both learning that silence has value as well.
One of my first posts. (Un)Fortunately, I remember every state of mind of all of my submissions. This one still resonates the loudest with me.
She helped me kick start the blog, and she definitely fueled my fire. One of my favorites of her submissions.
My first international picture. It roughly means "one condemns what one does not understand." Cue my shivers.
The first picture I ever received from a stranger. In the beginning, my posts were generated by photos of friends and people I knew. This was the first one where I didn't personally know the subject.
One of the most honest pictures I've ever received. Bold, raw, and unafraid. I admire her courage.
Something so simple, and it still manages to speak volumes.
The first time I had more than one person in a picture. I also loved this themed post, and this was definitely one of my favorites from that series.
One of the most unconventional and artistic. Usually I encourage that the statement be on a canvas of some kind, but I've found that those who branch out from this often shake me, and I could never deny a picture to make a post. (Click on it to make it bigger).
A frequent submitter and avid supporter, this particular individual helped keep this blog going with tons of photos. With a wide range of things she's had to say, this is one of my favorites.
Things don't always have to be so serious. I loved this for it's simplicity and it's hilarity.
Creative and different, yet effective. I enjoyed doing this one, and was very pleased with the final photo.
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For those of you who follow this blog, thank you. For those who support, who submit, who pass it on, who talk about it, THANK YOU. Without you, I'd be doing nothing here. Instead, I'm doing something.
And for those of you who have yet to submit - stop thinking so hard. Don't wait for the perfect thing to say; it will never be perfect, you'll be waiting forever. Say what you feel NOW. Stop being afraid. There's nothing to be afraid of here. Own your voice. Liberate yourself - this is freedom. Take back your right to say ANYTHING. Anything at all. As I've said several times, it only takes one voice to start a revolution. Will that voice be yours? Only one way to find out.
GET UP. GET AT IT. AND LEMME HEAR IT.
