#sweetpinkbabyangel

[anonymouspuzzler]

this may sound odd to ask (and it probably is i am so sorry) , but do you have any advice for becoming an adult and coming to terms with growing up? 😭 im going to be a junior in high school soon and im just scared because my teen years are slipping away before my very eyes 😓

I hope this sounds more comforting than callous, but to be honest with you... it doesn't matter! teen years are just Years. you have so many more ahead of you, and you're going to be able to do things you couldn't or wouldn't do now! and it can be tough, because especially at the age you're at, every single day feels like The Most Important Day Of Your Life and the things you think and feel and do can feel all-encompassing. but nothing is slipping away! you're here, and you're You, and there is so much more You ahead of you!!

this is the most Nothing and Stereotypical Advice, but it's true: take it day by day. what's one thing you have to get done today? what's one thing you WANT to get done today? what's a kindness you can do for yourself and others? what's something new, maybe even scary, you can take a step towards trying or doing? it's true for you now, and it'll be true when you're twenty, thirty, fifty, ninety. get through one day at a time and appreciate what you have done for yourself and what you've been able to experience each of those days.

as for coming to terms with growing up and becoming an adult: first off, you get to decide what that means! I finished my undergraduate degree when I was 26 years old! I consider myself a Working Professional even though I still draw video game fanart and sleep in a nest of plush toys! I didn't start feeling Truly Settled Comfortably As An Adult until, like, this year! everything happens at Your pace and You get to decide who you are and how you relate to the world around you.

as for the nitty-gritty of taking care of yourself as an adult - be Cautious yet Brave. don't force or rush yourself into situations you have doubts about because you feel like you "have" to, and don't hold yourself back from something that's meaningful to you because you're scared. and always, always, always - ask for help! ask for advice! be curious and look things up! look for second and third opinions! we're Social, Supportive Creatures and anyone who wants you to believe they Absolutely 100% Of The Time Have Things Figured Out is probably trying to sell you something. we're out here to help each other, and the people who will help you are out there, whether they're already part of your life or people you'll meet and cherish one day soon.

[pancake-furby]

marlene exploring the outdoors

(thank you @sweetpinkbabyangel for the name suggestion <3)

[anonymouspuzzler]

what kind of museums do you want to work in? historical museums, science museums, art museums? ive been to SO. MANY. COOL. MUSEUMS. so far ive been to the museum of ice cream in chicago, medieval torture museum in chicago and the barker character comic and cartoon museum in connecticut (literally has all the cool old toys you can think of!!!)

honest answer is I would love to work in ANY museum!! they all have so many cool things to offer. I think I would especially like to work in a place that has at least some rotating exhibits though (that is, things that are there for a limited amount of time) - the place I previously worked did that for the vast majority of exhibits and it was always so exciting to get to learn about a new subject or artist when something came in! and of course I'd love to work on something related to popular/commercial culture (film, TV, comics, toys, etc etc) given how much of my non-museum interests/work is in that kinda field

[anonymouspuzzler]

have you ever read the catcher in the rye and if so what are your thoughts on the book itself and holden caulfield? my english teacher is awesome and he assigned it for our last unit and now im very very hyperfixated on it and i could literally talk about it for hours... i fucking love junior year english because the juniors are cool so we get to choose what kind of english class and history we take for the semester and i chose individualism for my english class and we got this book so yeah I LOVE MY ENGLISH CLASS AN MY ENGLISH TEACHER AND THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

funny enough I never did read catcher in the rye specifically!! (I did design a book cover for it years ago in a graphic design course, though, so I learned a bit about it.) also that is genuinely so cool and good that you get to have that level of choice in what you're learning at that level shouts out to those teachers