Let’s get down to business: #WhatMakesMe
Summer is almost a distant memory, I move back to university in less than a week and I am wondering if it is too early for hot water bottles! Believe it or not, I am about to start my final year of university- and final year of education for that matter. If you follow me on social media, then you will probably have seen that this summer has been far from boring! I somehow have managed two holidays, seen Wicked, had seven articles published, spoke at a conference, caught up with friends, been to a festival, met Vicky Pattison and spent two months working as the online community intern at Scope! By the sounds of it I will be going back to university for a rest. Before I move back into halls and things get serious I thought I would write a something a little different.
Gem Turner, a fellow Leeds disability blogger and all-around amazing woman, tagged me in her #WhatMakesMe blog post and challenged me to do the same. We all have parts of our identity that make up who we are, so why not share these with others! Having a disability is part of who I am, what more do I have to offer? I loved reading her post and hope mine is up to scratch.
So, what makes me?
My camera
I know this isn’t actually a ‘part’ of me, but it might as well be! Whether this is taking photos on my phone or on my camera, I rarely miss a photo opportunity. I probably look like a tourist in my own city and spend too long getting ‘the shot’ but it’s totally worth it. I enjoy taking photos and being able to document things I have done. I also enjoy taking photos of nature and capturing the smaller details of life. Even if I don’t have my camera with me I am probably still look at things and thinking about the photos that could be taken.
The yellow coat
If I am not wearing a yellow coat, then something is very wrong. I own multiple yellow coats to cover various seasons and I’m always on the lookout for a new one. You could even say that the colour yellow is part of me. Yellow coats, tops, cardigan and even my stick! I just love the colour. The perks of having a yellow stick and yellow coats means that you’ll always be matching! It also is a colour that’s bright, bold and happy.
When I was applying for Disabilities’ Officer at my university I knew my campaign had to be different if I was going to grab the attention of students. As a result, there was a big focus on my yellow stick- because you can’t really miss it! Safe to say, I won the election. In the past people have asked if my yellow stick symbolises anything, when in fact it is just a personal preference.
A cup of coffee
Who doesn’t like coffee?! Whether this is having a cup of coffee or having plenty of pretty mugs, I have it well and truly covered! I love nothing better than going to a cute café with a friend and putting the world to rights over a cup of coffee. I’m afraid tea just doesn’t cut it for me- which even I find disappointing! I like fruit tea, but coffee is always superior. The only time that coffee has been in my bad books was when it got spilt all over the car when I moved home for the summer. To make matters worse, it was fresh coffee, but my cafeteria was packed in a separate box and ended up in storage rather than at home. This is another reason why I need to move back to university.
The ‘clipped up’ hairstyle
This hairstyle is hard to describe, but you’ve probably all seen it on me 100 times before. You know it has become a part of your identity when housemates call it ‘the Chloe’ when you’ve asking them what you should do with your hair. It basically consists of taking a bit of hair from both sides, giving it a little twist, then pushing it forward slightly before it is clipped into place. I don’t even know when I started to wear my hair like this, but it is definitely a style that has stuck! I can sometimes find it difficult to do things with my hair, one of the reasons why I got it cut short, because of my hands. I also feel that this hairstyle has a slightly vintage vibe, which is always a good thing!
I’ve used the same type of clip to do it for many years, yet I have only come across them a few times. In that respect, they are a very precious possession!
I hope you have enjoyed this style of post and if you are going back to school, college or university then I wish you the very best of luck. To carry on the #WhatMakesMe tag I would like to ask Shona, Hannah, Elin and Holly to do their version of the blog post. All of these people are fantastic bloggers, so I’d definitely check them out.
In the meantime, I will be getting ready to move back to university with a cup of coffee in one hand, a yellow stick in the other, wearing my hair pinned up and taking a picture of the closest bit of nature there is!
~ Chloe x
