We were supposed to pick three symbols to represent three things that make us who we are. Maybe I went a little overboard with my symbolism, but I wanted to try to make something that represents who I am in the present moment, but also the person I’m growing into. To do this, I reflected on my past, present, and future selves.

 

There are a lot of different symbols in this piece, but I tried to choose ones that have personal significance. The different crystals are ones that I own and that have meanings I find important. I am also a big fan of plants and have both succulents and a golden pothos, like the ones shown.

 

Symbolism Breakdown:

 

Sodalite (blue crystal): stand up for beliefs; drive for truth

Peridot (green crystal): birthstone; sun stone; good luck; helping others go through what you’ve been through

Goldstone (orange crystal): self-confidence; happy thoughts; creativity; physical energy and mental clarity to achieve goals

Azalea (pink flowers): femininity; strength; beauty

Succulents (around base of crystals): loyalty; endurance

Air plants (around base of crystals): creativity; freedom

Philodendron (leafy plant above crystals): love of nature; growth

Aloe vera (spiky plant above crystals): healing; protection

Golden pothos (plant below crystals): perseverance

 

If we want to go the astrological route, I am a Leo. I’m a sun sign and my birthstone is peridot. Leos tend to be extremely loyal, loving, confident, attention-seeking, and high energy. I don’t always think I fit this description, but I’ve definitely always aimed to be a loyal friend. The relationships in my life are extremely important to me. As I’ve gotten older, I have started to learn how to love the people in my life without having all of my energy drained. I’ve also learned to step back from one sided friendships and relationships that are more give than take.

 

I love helping others whenever I can, especially my friends and family. I think the healing and protection of the aloe plant can be attributed to both my desire to protect others and ease their pain, but also my need to protect and care for myself and heal my own wounds. I’m still searching to find the balance between these two that I know is extremely important.

 

I’ve always had a love for nature and creativity. I seek it out in my life whether it’s through my latest project, travel plans, or taking a deep breath while I stand under rays of sun. I hope to intertwine these two things into my future career. Creative problem solving and design, environmental sustainability, conservation, and traveling are all things that interest me greatly. To find a career that emphasizes some of these things would be amazing.

 

I’ve always been a pretty positive person, striving to radiate light when I can. However, self-confidence is something that I have to work on everyday. I think almost everyone can relate to that. I also think that coming to college has been essential for my personal growth and development. My relative freedom from old expectations is refreshing. I feel like I am finally starting to come into my own through all of the ups and downs of new experiences. I think I can attribute this to both my own perseverance and the friends I met last fall. I am incredibly blessed to have these people in my life. They’ve encouraged me to pursue my passions, remember my own strength, and believe that my convictions are important. They are wonderful humans whom I love wholeheartedly.  

 

I hope that as I continue on my path of growth I find the energy I need to fight against the injustices I see around me while also embracing all of the beautiful things in this world, including myself. I hope to find the mental clarity to see where I should channel my efforts and where I should look for fulfillment. I hope to continue to learn about all the important and interesting people and places. I hope to find what sets my soul on fire and the strength to chase it. I hope to continue to push the limits of who I am and who I can be. Long story short, I hope to live a life full of meaning.