Starting a New Challenge: 100 by 30

Last week, on July 15th 2023, I turned 29. The magic year. I’m officially in the thick of my Saturn Return, a time when a lot of people have a quarter-life crisis or the period where sh*t turns upside down.

For us Astrology-nerds or Astro-curious folk, our “Saturn Return” is when the planet Saturn returns to the place in the zodiac where it was when we were born as this planet’s full orbit is around 29.5 years. Saturn is the planet that is all about rules, obligations, duties, responsibilities. It is occasionally called the “Teacher of the Zodiac”. It’s a period that acts as a challenge to “step up” or “put your money where your mouth is”. In my opinion, it’s less of a challenge-period and more of an opportunity to move into the life you want to live. 

I entered my 29th year of life in an amazing place. I’ve been a full-time artist for over a year, and I recently moved to NYC, my dream city. Despite being so grateful for my present reality, I was feeling stagnant. It was that feeling that led to me make this bucket list.

A list of 100 things to do before I kick my 20s-bucket and enter a new decade!


*Small note:

I tried my darndest to strike the middle between challenging and realistic. It is only ONE year after all. Also, it is my hope that some of these items can be grouped together. For example: “Fly a homemade kite — Hang in Central Park”, “Take a cooking class — Make Pasta”, “Send loving praise to 30 people — Send holiday cards”.

100 by 30

Art / Creative

1.  Get a professional photoshoot — My first professional photoshoot was taken by the amazing photographer, Mariah Miranda. I use these photos everywhere! But it’s been over 3 years now and I look quite a bit different (red hair, long-ish locs, etc.) so we need an update!

2.  Do my own gel-polish

3.  Learn how to make a great cake

4.  Learn how to make great bread

5.   Create a light-fixture sculpture

6.  Improve my Tarot skills - Learn Celtic Cross spread

7.  Take an in-person cooking class

8.  Learn and post a TikTok dance

9.  PRIVATE — personal goals that I prefer to not share on the internet.

10.  Sew a quilt from old clothing

11.  Vlog my entire day

12.  Make a kite and fly it

13.  Go trash-ure hunting

14.  Go to a “BIG” artist’s opening reception

Health / Wellness

15.  Get CPR certified

16.   Fast for 24 hours

17.   PRIVATE

18.   PRIVATE

19.  Get a Therapist —Just a good ol’ fashioned thing to do!

20.  Social media break for one week

21.   Take cold showers everyday for one week

22.   Take Sam’s yoga class

23.   Eat vegetarian for a week (5 days)

24.  Try Orange Theory

25.  Try Soulcycle

26.  Donate blood — My mom donates blood every year to honor her late father who died from Sickle Cell Anemia complications. He needed regular blood transfusions. I want to follow in her foodsteps.

Purchases 

27.   Buy an item of clothing in every color of the rainbow

28.  Get a new tattoo

29.  Get lashes done

30.  Tarot reading

31.  Get my astrology chart read

32.  Print out and frame Hawaii and Japan photos

33.  Create a capsule wardrobe

34.  Buy a new suitcase

35.  Make a new bag from my old leather bag — If you knew me well between the 2012 to 2018, you probably saw me carrying around a leather messenger bag. It was a gift from my dad (he got it with a new laptop purchase) and I wore it until I literally could not anymore. I tried so hard to keep sewing the newest hole but it was getting a bit ridiculous. I still have the bag so if anyone can recommended me a tailor or someone of the sort?

36.  Buy new prescription glasses

37.  PRIVATE

38.  Buy a new laptop

39.  Buy (20) new records

40.  PRIVATE

41.  Buy a new piece of artwork

42.  Create an emergency “Doomsday” kit

43.  Get a nice bookshelf

44.  Buy a new wallet

 

Love / Social

45.  Have a Christmas in July party (for my 30th)

46.  Write a letter to myself in 10 years

47.  Send holiday cards (Vday/NYE or Christmas?)

48.  Host a 3 course dinner party

49.  Buy myself flowers and chocolate

50.  Send loving praise to 30 people

51.  PRIVATE

52.  PRIVATE

Financial

53.  Pay off credit card

54.  PRIVATE

55.  Get a new credit card

56.  Create a budget and savings/investment plan for my sister

Professional

57.  Be featured in a major publication

58.   PRIVATE

59.  Have a successful blog

60.  Create a children’s book — Another long-time dream and probably one of the most difficult items on the list! The books that I read as a child had a major impact on my creative mind. I can still remember the images from “ The Rainbow Fish”,  “Harold’s Purple Crayon” or “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. I want to make a book for the magical/tarot-loving/Astro-nerds that are now parents.

61.  Be in an art show in NYC

62.  Get an art studio

63.  Get a new passport (Mine expires in 2024)

 

Travel 

64.  See Gaudi’s art in Barcelona, Spain

65.  Go to New Orleans

66.  Visit the Glenstone Museum

67.  Fly first class

68.  Weekend solo trip — I’m unsure why or how this hasn’t happened yet but I often daydream about going to one of those cube-like cabins and spending the weekend totally disconnected. Two whole days of reading, writing, daydreaming, and walking out in nature.

Food

69.  Have dinner at a michelin star restaurant

70.  Find delicious pizza NYC

71.  Find the tastiest bagels

72.  Make my pasta

73.   Dine at Misi or Sodi (Italian) — Randomly chosen *fancy* restaurant

Entertainment

74.  Watch all of One Piece anime (currently at halfway at around episode 500)

75.  Watch Bleach anime

76.  Watch DeathNote anime

77.  Watch Akira movie

78.  Watch Howl’s Moving Castle movie

79.  Read Tibetan book of the Living and Dying

80.  Read A Brief History of Time

81.  Read Sweetgrass

82.  Read A Short History of Everything

83.   Read the Women Who Run With Wolves

84.  Learn to play spades

85.  Learn to play chess

NYC Tourism

86.  Hang out in Central Park — Technically, I have already done this before but *not* as a resident!

87.  Statue of Liberty

88.  Botanical gardens

89.  Summit One

90.  Swim at a public pool

91.  Area 53 

92.  Take the ferry to Staten Island

93.  Scholars Garden (Staten Island)

94.  Go to a speakeasy 

95.  Rowboat in Central park

96.  Take the iconic Brooklyn Bridge photograph (in Dumbo) COMPLETED

97.  Studio Museum in Harlem

98.  New Museum

99.  American Folk Art Museum

100.  El Museo del Barrio