30 Life-Changing Moments Part 1

I've heard that we both are and aren't (just/merely) the sum of all our experiences.  What do you think? To what extent are we defined by life experiences, both by ourselves and by others? Watching the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, has helped shed some light on these thoughts. Here is a quote from the movie, incase you haven't seen it: 

Aki: All life is born of Gaia and each life has a spirit. Each new spirit is housed in a physical body. Doctor?
Doctor Sid: Go on.
Aki: Through their experiences on Earth, each spirit matures and grows. When the physical body dies, the mature spirit, enriched by its life on Earth, returns to Gaia, bringing with it the experiences, enabling Gaia to live and grow. 

Because I am one who likes to look at old photos and remember past events, I've included some above to help with my examples.

1. a single life-changing moment - moving to Vancouver, from Calgary turned into at least 4 others. 
2. I was able to have a live/work studio space, which helped me realize that I could put time and effort in to my art practice, since I had all the space available 
3. Within the live/work building were all sorts of other artists practicing in a variety of medium. This was life-changing because it provided me with the support, influence, and inspiration I needed. 
4. I went to a community college to (initially) pursue a degree in studio art.
5. As you can see in the middle photo - I showed my work in an open-studio event in the neighbourhood. This was the first time I had done so in this way. It changed the way I thought about practicing art.

Stay tuned for the rest of the list in the coming weeks, as I continue to celebrate my 30th birthday month! Don't miss any: subscribe via Rss Reader