Last week I finally read A Work In Progress by Connor Franta. I did actually start reading this book last year, I bought it as soon as it was released and I got a quarter way through before life got in the way. I never had the chance to actually finish it, but as one of my goals for this year is to make more time for reading I thought it would be the best time to actually finish it.
I adore Connor Franta, I found him a couple of years ago but I was never a huge fan. I was subscribed to him on YouTube but I'd only occasionally watch a video of his. The end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 I started watching all of his videos, and he quickly became one of my favourites.
So about a week ago I finally picked A Work In Progress back up and read it from start to finish. This book is sort of like an autobiography, self help, photography book. It sounds really weird but it works. It tells us the story of his life, from growing up in Minnesota to moving to LA to achieve his dreams.
As soon as I picked it back up I couldn't put it down. Connor Franta's writing style is the type of style I absolutely love, It feels like you're reading something a friend would write. I would actually be really happy if he started up a blog, just so I could read more. Instead of writing about his life in full detail, he writes about specifics. What his first kiss was like, how he felt when he was announced homecoming king. What he was thinking when he first came to terms with his sexuality, and how creativity is very important to him.
I also love how he includes little life lessons throughout the book, he tells us that it's okay to have time to yourself but if you're also feeling lonely then it's perfectly okay to call somebody up to chat or hang out. He talks about his anxiety and fears and how he's dealt with and still dealing with some of them. It's really refreshing to read something real that a lot of people (including me), can relate to.
A couple of my favourite parts about this book were the chapters 'Live Now, Worry Later' and 'Life Doesn't Wait.' Connor talks about how if you want to achieve your goals then you should go out and chase them, and not sit waiting for an opportunity to come because it might never happen. He also mentions how you should live in the now and not worry about the outcome of something. These have given me so much inspiration, it's made me want to go out and chase all of the things I want to do, no matter how much they scare me.
I enjoy Connor Franta's photography very much, so seeing a lot of his photography dotted throughout this book has made me very happy. His instagram is one of my favourite accounts and I love it when he posts something new everyday. I love the inside of the front and back covers, he includes two pictures and on the first page it folds back so a little bit can be seen through the front.
I really adore everything about this book, and I would recommend this to everybody, even somebody who has never even heard of Connor Franta. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those books that I will pick up again, and it's going to remain one of my favourites for a long time coming.
