GROWING UP

BY ANDREA FLORES

hmm, what is growing up? is it another day? another week? month? year? i mean it can be that but it can also be meeting new people and wanting to better yourself. physically and mentally that is. Growing Up,  is not only a zine but also a documentation of me, a 17 year old girl, living in los angeles and creating some amazing relationships with people along with some crazy events/adventures here in california. Even though it was originally a zine for zine fest, i decided to let that grow. From cruising down the avenue listening to your favorite jams , or the ones you heard as a kid as the sun goes down, to skating down the street with your headphones on while your friend does tricks at the bottom of the hill or you just laying in bed looking through the shoe box of pictures you kept about you and your friends from the other days to even that photoshoot you did with your sibling in the bathroom that used a ziplock bag and some flash. To me that’s growing up. Not only is it another day in the life hoping when things will get better or the sandy beaches and the lovely sunsets and the palm trees at every block you pass by but it’s the memories created, the ones you made the best out of. it’s also the fun you had making. Growing up has three key points; Cruisin, Skate and Nostalgia. I wanted to depict these three themes not only because they’re important to me but also because they are themes everyone can relate to. Growing up plays a huge part in my life because after spending a while exploring myself after the zine was published, I have almost completely found myself. I have met so many amazing people along the way of the end of my sophomore to my now current senior year and I am very grateful to have met such amazing people in my life. I am also very thankful that these people have also supported me along the way. Not only do i want Growing Up to be important to me but I just want it to impact everyone. I would also want to acknowledge the idea that I have amazing people I can consider my friends. I chose film to display these photos because there’s something that draws me into it. Film photography is a beautiful medium and that’s originally how i created my zine, off film photography. The people depicted in these images are my closest friends, or people that I just love having around/ feel amazed knowing.