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Moments before I come head-to-head with the monumental, my mother cheers: “Go get them, my lioness!”
Perhaps it’s my lion’s mane (my hair is as thick as rope and I have a lot of it), or the fact that I’m a Leo (August 4), but I’ve always identified with lions. They’re majestic, born to lead and are relentlessly brave. My word for the year has been to be “bold,” and I’ve had my lion’s share of bold moments. Along the way, I’ve discovered that when I go after something I want, it’s more likely to become a reality. I just celebrated my 24th birthday and plan to take this mentality into another year of life.
Turning twenty-four is surreal to say the least. The past year has been a whirlwind, even before the pandemic. One of the interesting things about being born in August is that my birthday tends to take place at an end and a beginning: August 4, 2019 I was one year older and one degree hotter. With my master’s degree from USC Annenberg in hand, I was well equipped to take on the “real world,” or so I thought.
It turns out just because I’d received degrees from two of the top journalism schools in the country and had bylines from illustrious publications under my belt (The Hollywood Reporter, E! News, Darling Magazine) didn’t mean post-grad road was going to be smooth (it was more like the 405 at rush hour). Like most at this age, I came to realize that year 23 is the “freshman year of adulthood,” as Buzzfeed puts it so eloquently. I didn’t obtain a job immediately after graduation and only landed such opportunities by the grace of God and fierce networking (no, you can’t simply just “apply” to jobs and hope for the best). Then there was the whole “being financially independent from my parents” thing, balancing work and a social life, dating, and all the rest.
Needless to say, I eventually secured employment opportunities post-grad at Entertainment Weekly and ABC7 (and soon I’ll share some exciting career news!), made many new friends, created unforgettable memories with some old ones and had the chance to do some pretty cool things this past year (yes, even during this pandemic, safely).
Without further ado, here are my top favorite memories from my 23rd year of life and what I’m looking forward to at 24!
My Talk Show Took Off
Keeping it Krischic, my talk show for the ‘chicest creatives,’ evolved immensely during COVID-19. I created a pandemic special, “Quarantelling Stories” to feature stories of resilience during the Coronavirus Pandemic for season two.
This season was so successful that it even garnered media attention. Next to features in E! News, Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), MTV and HerCampus, I’ve now been covered by Voyage LA Magazine!
I became a Regular Red-Carpet Maven
Entertainment news like all news never sleeps, so neither did I at the beginning of 2020. Granted, I say this knowing perfectly well that I’m lucky to have attended and covered:
–Mulan premiere
–Onward premiere
–The Call of the Wild premiere
–The American Music Awards (AMAs)
-The Pre-Grammys
-The Knives Out premiere
-The For All Man Kind premiere
I’ll never forget interviewing Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Braxton, Shania Twain, Katherine Langford, Harrison Ford and so many more.
I Relentlessly Read
Thanks to quarantine, I gained hours not driving in traffic to work and events to curl up with some new reads! Fellow bibliophiles can concur: seeing the same four walls for months would’ve been excruciating if I hadn’t traveled through the lens of books. In this quarantine alone, I’ve galavanted to medieval England, jumped into an alternate universe where America is a monarchy, jetted off to 1930s Romania, 1830s New Orleans, LA, 1990s Boston, Edwardian New York, 1940s Scotland and loads of other times/places. My Goodreads challenge for the year was to finish 25 books, and apparently I’m seven books ahead of schedule! Let me know in the comments if you’d like a reading guide on the blog!
I Spent Ample Time with Family, Friends and Mentors
I wouldn’t be the first to realize from this pandemic that human connection is what makes life full and worth living. I’m grateful to have my mom, dad, brother, grandparents, extended family and close friends, who have been my support system during this turbulent year. While I hate being confined indoors most of the time (I crave busyness and exploration!) I wouldn’t take back card games and movie nights with family, cuddling with my puppy Winston while reading and Zoom dates with friends, virtual book club and online girls’ bible study.
Before the pandemic, I cherish moments with friends the most from my 23rd year too: Bible study wine nights, exploring all of LA with my best friends, random friendships made during events in Hollywood, learning vital life and journalistic skills from my mentors etc.
My Style Grew Up With Me
2020 has been quite fashionably formative, considering that for most of it, I was surviving on a tenth of my closet. The irony is I had to dress up for a talk show at least once a week, while the other half I was wearing loungewear. I’m happy to report that I got my closet back last week! That’s why I was able to sport this conversation-starting dress–you know, because it’s a comic book print–on my birthday. Until I give you the full closet confession in an upcoming blog post, you can learn more about my ten-year ensemble evolution here.
I Hit a Huge Milestone in My Career
You’ll have to wait for this one! This lifechanging occurrence will play a huge role into what my 24th year of life is going to look like. I’m excited to share this huge dream come true with you very soon!
What are some of your favorite memories from this year?
Keeping it Krischic,
Kristin Vartan
Also Check Me Out On: Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, E! News, Darling Magazine, Pepperdine Graphic, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok!
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Keeping it Krischic 