Chinatown

The desire to travel outside one's comfort zone and explore the world is a lifestyle which appeals to me greatly. I believe that I'm beginning to follow this lifestyle now as a fully fledged Londoner, and it will continue to be a a life that I aspire towards. I'm not one to limit myself to a small environment where everything remains the same and there's a constant sense of stability. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's just not fitting to my personality. Moving from Sixth Form in Liverpool to University in London has made me realise how much I love the idea of challenging myself, and constantly experimenting with new things. If I don't challenge myself, how likely am I to change? If something doesn't work out, I'm not disheartened; I will use it as a learning curve. I'd rather go about life with the intention of aiming high and reaching towards any possible opportunity to achieve my dream goals. If not, I'd simply play life safe, and I don't wish to live this way.

I guess I can't completely escape from some sense of stability in my lifestyle, as I am a full time student. But the desire to visit new places, try out new hobbies and meet new people who share the same passions as me is increasingly becoming stronger. That being said, I did grow up for eighteen years in a city with a close-knit community, where you were just a shoulder away from either someone you knew or a mutual friend. The comforts of home are therefore something which I will always find waiting for me, should I wish for it. It's a rather soothing idea, and one that I recently utilised as I travelled home for Christmas a couple of weeks ago. I love being an urbanite of England's capital, but a lot of London's charm stems from the fact that everything's always alive and busy, making it difficult to completely isolate yourself if that's what you like occasionally. Whilst at home over Christmas, I made the most of frequently visiting one of my favourite, quieter parts of Liverpool: Chinatown, to reaffirm my sense of solitude.

I've long had a tendency to isolate myself, and spend time alone to immerse myself in my creativities. Whether it's through reading a book, playing piano, writing down my thoughts, taking photographs, or perhaps just having a coffee, I think that being so comfortable alone is somewhat empowering.  People have this idea of loneliness as being saddening, as though you're not cool, but in actuality, I think it's the exact opposite. It's extremely uplifting and self-rewarding; allocating some of your time to spend alone is the best way to assess your lifestyle, express yourself, and feel completely confident in yourself. As I'm talking about this, I'm not trying to say that I don't enjoy spending time with people (I love having real conversations with many different people who all similarly interest me). But if you're happy in yourself first, you can plan your explorations and then find happiness with others. 

When travelling back to Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make the most of the comforts of home and its areas of tranquility which I have strongly associated myself with as I've grown up. The photographs for this post were shot in Chinatown, one of my favourite, quiet parts of Liverpool. Unlike London's Chinatown in the heart of Soho, the most central and busy area, Liverpool's Chinatown is a small, desolate area of the city centre. Made up of a few restaurants, coffee shops and flats, its calmness in the midst of a city centre allows one to appreciate its artistic, Chinese-style structure and architecture, a reason for which I will always love spending time there. It's just one of the many parts of Liverpool which I will always revisit when I travel home. Despite the journeys that we embark on, our homes will always be waiting for us should we ever wish to return. For me, returning home means dipping back into the small circle of the comfort zone, and though its a circle that I'm continually trying to move further away from, I think it's soothing to reposition yourself there every once in awhile.

I'll shortly be returning back to London, and back to the busy lifestyle which I love. However, being able to reaffirm myself with the comforts of home and thus solitude has been a rewarding experience. I'm excited to re-embrace the craziness of the capital again, and venture outside the comforts of home which I've transpired back into slightly. I think that it was needed, but I'm now ready to continue challenging myself once again.

On a more light-hearted note, a belated Happy New Year to you all! I have a great feeling about 2017, and I look forward to discovering what this New Year and fresh start brings for myself and you all.

Until next time,

Faye .x

Photographs by Emily Hughes: Instagram / Portfolio - be sure to check out her work as she's an incredible up-and-coming photographer!

Photographs by Emily Hughes: Instagram / Portfolio

~ xxx ~

Bodysuit: Urban Outfitters

Joggers: Zara

Boots: Public Desire

Choker: Topshop

Jacket: Mum's (vintage)

~ xxx ~