Meredith Chesney

Where you come from: Knoxville, Tennessee

Where you live now: Brooklyn, New York

What age you were at the time of the photograph: 37

How old you expect to live to be: 65

Have you ever known anyone who died of AIDS? Yes

Have you ever known anyone who died at a young age?
No and yes. Is 25 young? Then yes.

What is something that you do that gives you real joy in life?
I like to care for stuff. To love it back to health. It might be a lamp, or it might be an abandoned animal. I’m a fixer. It’s a blessing and a curse.

What about yourself do you really like?
I have splatter vision. It surprises people and is super handy.

What would you like to see people do to change the world?
Stop trusting media. Make your own decisions. Question all myths.

What are your favorite memories?
My favorite memories are with my father and involve the internal combustion engine. I am very much a Daddy’s girl, and being the middle daughter of 3, I think I strove for some favored status by absolutely loving going fast. At 8, I was the ragdoll flapping off the back of him on his dirt bike in the woods. He had a little plane and he would let me pilot for tiny amounts of time. Now, he’s 75 and I can still get him to open up the throttle for kicks. I really love my Dad.