Gold Crwn Magazine Issue 21 | Page 43

keeping all of that bottled up inside of you is only going to make those things harder. Instead, use those feelings to your advantage. It is okay to feel. It is okay to cry. And it is okay to not be okay. Just remember that life is a roller coaster. There's a lot of downs but there's also a LOT of ups. Turn your heartbreak and pain into passion and find hope in every situation. Music is truly my therapy. Find your own way to express yourself and pour your soul into it and it will change your life. Why do you think teenage girls want to fit in so much and how do you get passed that as a young teen? Teenagers honestly have so much pressure on us these days. With social media and the pressures society puts on girls, it can get overwhelming and make it easy to feel like you aren't enough. The best way that I dealt and still deal with it is just by becoming comfortable with myself. Everyone says "be yourself" or "be confident" like it's an easy thing to do... IT'S NOT. So I'm not saying to just "be confident". Just try to "be comfortable". That's the part that comes first. Getting comfortable with who you are and accepting the things you can't change or might not like about yourself. When I stopped trying to be someone else is when I started appreciating myself. Do you ever just people watch? And if so, do you draw any inspiration from it? I am such a people watcher. I absolutely love observing different people and interactions. I play a game with myself a lot.. I'll watch people in a restaurant, on the street, or especially at the airport and I'll try to guess who they are or what their story is. I get inspiration from just surrounding myself with different personalities and temperaments. I have a very diverse set of friends that all live very differently and I absolutely love realizing how unique people really are. What lessons have you learned from 2016 that you will take with you into 2017? This year has been a pretty big year for me. I turned eighteen. I finished my second EP. I travelled quite a bit. I started cosmetology school. I got my own dog and named her KoKo. I was a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding. I filmed my first music video. I got to PET A ZEBRA (not in the wild, but still.) I dyed my hair blonde even though I swore I never would. I grew and changed and learned a lot about myself. I've learned that being an "adult" is exciting and scary. I've learned that doing other people's hair is a lot of pressure and it's also fun. I've learned that doing a music video requires you to listen to your own song a billion times on repeat. I've learned that being a dog-mom is so great and exhausting...and I've learned that my mom basically raises her for me while I'm gone every day and is the best dog-grandma ever. I've learned that finding yourself doesn't happen in one day. I learned that zebras are even cooler in