The main theme of my avatar is hiking and my connection to the outdoors. The background image depicts an example of one of the thousands of trail blazes found on the Appalachian Trail; a 2,185-mile continuous trail spanning from Georgia to Maine. So far, I’ve only hiked a few sections of the massive trail, however I hope to one day “thru hike”, or hike from start to finish, the entire journey.
The accompanying bird tracks represent my love for hiking and running, while also portraying my fascination with birds and other wildlife. From a young age, my parents taught me to respect and appreciate the flora and fauna around me, mostly in the manifestation of early morning bird walks. It was through these groggy treks that I gained an admiration for the ecosystems around me.
It was quite difficult to figure out which aspects of my personality could be best summed up in a small square image. Although I could have chosen something more academic or culturally relevant, I thought my love for the outdoors was most organic and intrinsic. This task was made even more challenging because my audience, my classmates and professor, knows very little about me, and therefore can be a harsher judge of my image choices.
