This Place We Call Home, Detroit & Its Culture, & Seeing It All Evolve

Hello All,

I know i've been MIA for some time now, researching, interning, & plain goofing off & enjoying my Summer as we all should. But i felt the need to take the time out to address thoughts that have constantly been burning in my mind. I absolutely love my city & the culture it engulfs. In the past year & a half i'll say, i've been influenced, inspired, & amazed by the culture, creativity, & productivity of people my age & slightly older. I am 16 & over this time period i've discovered that my generation has NOW, & we aren't taking it for granted. From the music scene, to fashion, to photography, the media & journalism--we're here.

Being apart of it all makes me feel alive, I really mean that I could never just go back to being a 'normal' teen, WHY? when I have the ability to do so much more than the movies or river walk on the weekends. When I have the resources at my fingertips to be something more, NOW, not later, not when Im older, NOW. I was never normal but geesh, I hated only knowing other kids who'd look at me funny if I explained to them my future plans or that I paint in my free time & like indie movies & art galleries. Being surrounded by other people you can relate to & talk to on several occasions about your passions is a blessing.

The most exciting part is that the crowd (I recently learned we're grouped as the 'hipster' crowd : /--hate how society labels things that are different, lol at them being the same.) I associate myself with has no problem prevailing in their passion, no matter what it is, no one is afraid to make their own lane. We've all come a long way, all of us have changed somehow, some for the better, & gaining local fame or recognition has changed some of us for the worst unfortunately. But all in all, Im just glad there is so much unity in this new melting pot of culture I call my home. We've made our own lane as we took a detour from the mainstream. Great shit, seeing as the city is in great turmoil, we are the last hope, it's understood. We're just kids, going for our dreams, not following trends, we make our own, & instead of selling drugs or earning 'street cred', our main focus is above, young people with positive focus, jet setting & such. It's an ever-evolving culture, This is what I live for.