“You’re only 18 years old!”
“If you don’t live your life now, you’re going to look back and regret everything when you hit 40!”
“You need to meet new people to know what you truly want in life!”
The grim statistics seem to echo these same thoughts. Only about 2% of the American population surveyed in 2014 ended up in marriages with their “high school sweetheart.” Many of these said marriages ended in divorce by the time the couple turned 25.
Day by day, it seems to become increasingly difficult to hold a standard relationship, let alone a serious relationship at the age of 18 years old. Most people struggle to hold casual relationships, while both the millenial generation and generation z seem to value one night stands and online dating over even the mere thought of settling down with one person and choosing one lifestyle. In today’s modern day and age, where technology seems to run the world, and real emotions have taken a backseat, it sometimes feels impossible to remain a genuine human being.
It took me a long time to figure out what story I wanted to tell with this project. Many of my blog posts and curatorial assignments have been centered around one of the most valuable intangible goods in my life: the idea of, the grasp of, and the experience of love. I didn’t want to write another love story, but I wanted the opportunity to express just how potent this concept remains inside of me and in my consciousness. I wanted to take the opportunity to let myself be cast as the “unadjusted minority” who still believe that love will always win, that the heart is the strongest part of a human being, and that kindness and goodness will always prevail.
Running with the desire to express this idea one last time, I turned my train of thought towards my relationship with my boyfriend of two years. Beyond school, work and family life, my relationship with my boyfriend has always been one of the most valued parts of my life. We had very recently reached the milestone of two years together. Dating someone for two years, beginning at the age of 15 and 16 years old and continuing past the age of 18 years old is a feat in itself. Making the entire two years a smooth, bump-less ride is next to impossible. The two of us have witnessed, first-hand, what it is like to fight and climb past both the smaller plateaus and the larger mountains. I have heard, countless times, the opinions of those who know nothing of and believe nothing of the two of us as a young couple. I have heard my feelings towards my boyfriend cast down as nothing more than “teenage infatuation” and “puppy love.” I have been told that what the two of us have is frivolous and ephemeral at best.
The two of us share a deeply rooted love for New York City and for the treasures of the place we call home. We fell for each other’s sense of adventure and desire for exploration. I fell for him because I saw a passion for making memories throughout the city, which he also saw reflected in me. Each new park, coffee shop, art gallery, abandoned building, pet store, restaurant, we discovered throughout the five boroughs was another memory made and shared between us, and another strengthening of the bond between us that is everlastingly growing.
I chose to create an interactive, digital map complete with photographs and video clips from each location we made a new memory at throughout the city. I mapped out 30 of my favorite memories and pinned each with photos and a specific location throughout the five boroughs. I created this city map because I wanted to tell the story of the two of us. I wanted to be unashamed to say that I believe that in the strength of our love. I wanted to remind myself of the safety I feel in his hugs and in his presence alone. I created this map to remember the outreach and depth of the bond we have created and the ensuing passion. I wanted to acknowledge the devastating chapters of our story, but I also wanted to look back and remember the countless, beautiful memories we made.
This map is my city, but it also the map that leads to the center of my heart. It is a reminder to myself that out of the billions of people in the world, at least a million and one beat the grim statistics. It is a story that shows me that the road can only lead to one place and to one person.
