Self at 30

I have ginger hair. I live in Redruth, Cornwall, in a Victorian terraced house that I own with my partner, Harry. There are daffodils in my Nana’s jug on the table, an olive green sofa in the living room, wooden floors and a fireplace. The attic will slowly become my art room. I am a Pisces, with a Leo rising and Sagittarius moon.

I am currently a Marketing and Events Manager for a community interest company, documenting their heritage redevelopment projects and renovated social enterprise food hall and space. Most days, I’m photographing food for six independent kitchens, planning collaborative markets, or working on heritage engagement websites. Occasionally, I take on freelance photography and support other creatives on the side.

My tea is dark brown with a teeny splash of milk, though I like an occasional hazelnut iced coffee. My favourite thing in the world is taking photos on my Fujifilm camera and seeing yellow daffodils appear in spring. I wear linen balloon-leg trousers, dungarees and cosy jumpers with hammered earrings. I like sea dips in little coves, charity shops and sitting in fields in the sunshine.

Harry is a teacher working with early years children, spending his days playing or building in the woodworking room at school. He likes reading, going on adventures and disappearing down special interest rabbit holes about religion, stones and places. He is the kindest person I know and is very much my home.

There is birdsong in our garden. I like music with a cowbell in it. I am autistic and still working through therapy after some heavy years in my twenties. My body sometimes feels older than it should, but slowly, I am beginning to feel more at home in it again. My favourite thing to eat is little bites and plates to dip and share, and I don’t really drink alcohol anymore, though an amaretto sour is still my favourite bev. Most things are solved with a hug, an episode of EastEnders, and extra cheese on chilli con carne.

At the moment, I’m reading a book of short love stories, but I need to reconnect with paper pages. Weekends are currently spent trying to choose between slightly different off-white paints for the house, with charity shop hunting and the occasional tasting of plates at nice restaurants in between. This year, my adventures will be a friend’s wedding in the South of France and a Devon hut with fires, baths and quiet fields, with solo city trips and a journey with my Mum to mark turning thirty. I see my closest friends in a rented house at least once a year. I always wish it happened more often.

In the next year, I want to find my confidence again, reconnect with everything I love and ease into the quiet moments. I want to build my physical strength back up, but also lean into rest when I need it. I am exactly where I need to be; let's see where my thirties take me.