I’ve been interacting with high school and college seniors for the larger portion of my makeup career. Senior pictures, proms, professional headshots, private lessons and actual graduation day makeup bookings have provided me a front row seat to their behind-the-scenes emotions.
Conventional graduations can invite us to consider all of our vulnerable yet significant convocations. The older we get, the more of our own “Hero’s Journey” we can contribute to the story of our lives. We never really stop graduating. Our ultimate initiations come when we accept and embrace all of our past selves, all of our flaws and mistakes, everything that has made us who we are, and look at our past reflections with a kind rather than critical eye. As a result, we set ourselves free and hopefully, save the world.
If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self, what would the letter say?
In the collection “Letters To My Younger Self” and song by MUNA titled “It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby”, individuals write letters/songs to the people they once were, filled with insights they wish they had when they were younger. Also included is the reassurance that all, ultimately, will be okay.
If you need to graduate from something, I highly recommend writing a letter to your younger self. Mine is below in a song stanza form:
Erin-
You’re going to graduate from a uniformed high school
And attend a tiny private college that will be more of the same
You’ll play soccer on a partial scholarship
And use it as a bragging tool to convince yourself you’re so important
And you’ll randomly select a major in Elementary Education
Because “You have to pick something” even when you’re directionless
You’re going to come home on weekends and get back with the ex
Because you’ll both pine for a sense of familiarity
You’re going to call your mom
It’s going to be okay
———————–
You’re going to go to a new college
And your credits and athleticism won’t transfer
You’ll pursue Fashion Design
Putting you in the “I’m behind according to society” 5 year plan
You’re going to learn how to sew
The ‘C’ grades will mirror your averageness you don’t want to accept
So, you’ll switch to Fashion Merchandising
And you’ll realize you’re experiencing more of the same
You’re going to call your mom
It’s going to be okay
—————-
You’re going to join a sorority
Knowing it’s not your personal definition of community
You’ll play the part and wear the letters
And get engaged to a tall, dark and handsome guy in a fraternity
He will call you once on summer break
You’ll normalize silence and realize
You too, don’t know how to communicate
And you’re going to act out your pain in destructive ways
You’re going to run {away} 10 miles a day
You’re going to call your mom
It’s going to be okay
—————–
You’re going to go to Makeup School
Then follow your fiancé by moving to New York City
You’ll both call the relationship quits after a year of living there
And you’ll move to Brooklyn with your cat named Katie
Then you’ll hit your career stride
Just in time to be honest with yourself
Big cities aren’t an escape from experiencing more of the same
You’re going to call your mom
It’s going to be okay
—————-
You’re going to move home
And live in the basement
You’ll go back to school for a credential
And you’ll start your own business
Your dreams will begin to come true
You’re going to walk upstairs to talk to mom
It’s going to be okay
——————-
You’re going to celebrate a decade of being a Makeup Artist
And earn your own brick-and-mortar building
You’re going to have a cozy home and find the beauty in ordinary life
You’ll travel for self-discovery
Things won’t feel like more of the same
You’ll be alone for a while, and then you’ll find someone
Who has a healthy reciprocal relationship with you
He’s going to meet your mom
It’s going to be okay
-Erin
