5 Ways to Fight Frustration

Sometimes I get mad at gravity. I mean, I’m grateful for it holding me to the earth or whatever…but when I’m frustrated it always seems to be against me.  I go to grab things, they fall to the floor. I trip over things and almost plummet to an unpleasant meeting with the carpet. Gravity (and physics for that matter…you sly little devil you) are culprits in escalating an already frustrating day.

Those times when you just can’t seem to push through a creative block or things just aren’t going your way can put a damper on whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Here are 5 tips to help get you through:

1.       Take a Break – Sometimes we get into super focus mode, when we just want to get the task at hand done by any means necessary. We sit there and stare at the same blank page or canvas or what-have-you trying to force our brains to do something…anything. These are the perfect times to take a break! Take a quick walk, watch a 30 minute tv program, take a nap…something that allows your brain to rest. When you come back to what you’re doing, you’ll have fresh eyes and be ready to go!

2.       Surf – The web that is (unless you're just that cool that you really can surf). With the wealth of brilliant work that is housed on the introwebs, there is a lot of inspiration to draw from. Hit up Youtube and browse something that will stimulate your mind. Look for examples of people you admire doing what you are trying to accomplish. This helps put you in the right frame of mind to put that admiration energy into your own work. 

3.       Talk – Sometimes when things or work exist only in our brain, they turn into this jumbled mess of all the things we think we want to do and, as a result, none of it gets done. It just stays all jumbled up in your head and you can’t sort it out and it just makes you want to get away from yourself. But you can’t. For obvious reasons. One way to untangle the web of thoughts that plague you is to find someone to explain your project or situation to. A lot of times as you begin to explain it you’ll begin to hear key words of phrases that help you gain a focus. The listening party may ask some questions that you hadn’t thought of before. 

 

 4.       Write – Remember when you had a class that required “free writing” in which you were forced to write in a journal about something that probably didn’t interest you? Perhaps I’m the only one who had that experience but, alas, there is some merit to that activity. Write about what ails you, don’t worry about how you sound or spelling or anything else. Just let your pen spew all thoughts that come to your brain onto the paper in a fit of writing frenzy. When you’re finished, go back and read it. You may find that something sticks out to you that you hadn’t noticed before or generate a new idea. Or you’ll just feel better having let it all out and you will be able to move on with your day. 

5.       Take an Inspiration Day – This is one of my favorite solutions. Take a day to yourself or with friends and visit the places that get your creative juices going. Go to a museum, a park, a film, a theater production, your favorite restaurant, your favorite bookstore…whatever makes your mind go to its happy place. Plan the day around one of those activities or do all of them – just make sure you situate your plans so you are not rushed. Take time to enjoy whatever treat you decide to indulge in. Take it all in, take a deep breath, and feel the rejuvenation! 

 6.       Bonus – Throw things. Yes, I do it sometimes. Don’t judge me.

I've never thrown anything this big, but if there are pens around duck and cover...

      Note: This is not helpful. You could break something (which you’ll have to pay for) or put someone’s eye out (which you’ll have to pay for. Not really sure what the rate for replacement eye balls is these days. Could get expensive). However, in this scenario you are using that pesky gravity and physics to your advantage – you are in control. Arguably one of the least helpful ideas I have ever written. You’re welcome.

Do you use any of these ideas? What are some other tips you have?

Like it Was Yesterday

Hey ya'll. I hope you had an enjoyable long weekend if you got a long weekend. If you didn't, I still hope you enjoyed whatever amount of weekending you were able to do. Especially all of you service men and women out there, I hope your day was super special!

Memorial Day is always a great time. I remember it like it was yesterday. Mostly because it was. I hung with family at a low key barbeque and got some sun.

This is my version of a laid back outfit I suppose. Since the event was a relaxing one, I did bring flats for running after children and hanging out on the deck. I mean, I'm all for impractical footwear, but sometimes you just have to do practical things....like hanging out in the middle of the street apparently.

I think I'm looking for cars...which is wise when you're in the middle of the street...which, really, is not wise.

I hung out in my favorite t-shirt that I borrowed (borrowed...stole..whatever) from my dad. The fabric is super light so it makes for a comfortable warm weather tee. I paired it with some well ventilated jeans and a simple heel. Great way to add a little something to a casual outfit.


How was your weekend? Did you go with some impractical wardrobe options too?

T-shirt: Vintage
Jeans: Wet Seal
Bracelets: Forever 21/Vintage
Heels: Steve Madden
Sun Glasses: Coach

Bright

Hope your having a fantastic week! I decided to celebrate the glorious weather and bright, sun-shinny days we've been having lately by rocking some brights myself. Though neon isn't found real commonly in nature, so it's a different kind of bright I suppose. Unless the sun is neon or something, I'm not sure as I try not to stare directly into it. I've heard that's a bad idea.

This is what I look like when I'm sitting on a rock - in case you were wondering.

When I'm rocking a particularly bold or interesting piece, I usually like to let it stand out. Simple t-shirt and jeans do the trick.  Plus it's a way to be colorful without being overwhelming. Though I'm just working black and white my accessories, lips, nails, and shoes cover quite the color spectrum.

The shoes made my heart happy as soon as I saw them. I love bright/neon colors as a rule (see header) - the fact that it has been a trend this spring makes me all manner of happy.
 

A few of my favorite accessories, new and old. The watch doesn't work, but I wear it anyway because I like it. Could I get the battery changed? Probably. But I don't. And I have no good reason - not a one. So if your watch happens to stop working - don't throw it away! It can now takes on a new life as a bracelet with numbers and such.

What have bright days inspired you to wear so far this spring? Do you load up on colors or keep it simple?

Sunglasses: Coach
T-Shirt/Bag: Target
Belt: Salvation Army
Jeans: Forever 21
Ring: H&M
Earrings: Forever 21
Bracelets (l to r): H&M, Forever 21, gifted to me
Shoes: Aldo

Fresh Genes

As you may know, yesterday was Mother's Day. Shout out to all the mothers out there, I hope your day was wonderful! This post is dedicated to a favorite mom of mine - mostly because she is my mom. We've known each other for a while, so I'd like to think I know a bit about her.

 My mom is super great. She has taught me so much and been so patient with me when I'm hard-headed. She's been my bestie, but done an amazing job towing the line between friend and mother. She makes me laugh, listens to me cry, and lets me come to her house on the weekends and eat her food and go shopping in her refrigerator.

I wonder often if, when I have a family, I'll be as amazing of a mom to my kids as she's been to me. I know she's sacrificed a lot for my family - but she still manages to be a light to my brother, dad, and me our extended family. She's amazing. I love her. The end.

And now for some vintage photos of the woman who birthed me:

Not really sure why she's creeping in from the left over there but, as you can see, my mom is a total beauty. She was then and still manages to hold her hottie card to this day. Fingers crossed, I can do the same!

Outerwear FTW! Complete with a baby in a bucket! To be fair, I'm pretty sure it's an old-school car seat. However, I'm not convinced. That pudgy little thing in the baby bucket is me by the way.

Along with being beautiful, you can add snappy dresser to her list of awesomeness. She was rocking cap-toe heels and glorious 80's hair quite glamorously. Plus I would give my left sleeve to have that blazer now... fantastic.

I'm the baby being distracted by something random...clearly not much has changed.

I'm blessed to have such amazing parents (Dad, you're pretty fantastic too - more on that on Father's Day). My mom is one-of-a-kind and the most amazing lady I know.

How was your Mother's Day?

5 Ways to Find Your Passion

As I get older (I’m not super old, but I’m old enough to know (some) stuff) I realize the importance of indulging in what I’m passionate about. Before, especially in college, I left some of the things that were in my heart – things I felt meant to do – for the goals others convinced me were “logical” and “responsible.” Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being logical and responsible. In fact, I recommend it, but have you ever felt like you were meant for something greater? Bigger? Or at least something more fun?

Some of us are fortunate enough to know exactly what those passions are, and that’s awesome (you guys get two  enthusiastic thumbs up)! Some of us always had an inkling, but we’re too timid to believe it could be done  (sheepishly raising my hand on this one). Some of us haven’t a clue what the heck we’re supposed to do. Well friends, here are a few things I’ve found helpful along the way, hope they spark your brain too!

1. Reminisce:  

I remember when I was in around 1^st grade. My family lived in a tiny apartment, and to get my brother and I some physical activity my mom would take us down to the complex’s unimpressive exercise room (I think there was all of a trampoline and a NordicTrack in there.) And let us bounce and fake ski our little hearts out. The room also had a mirrored wall. I can remember taking my cassette player down there and making up dances to my favorite songs, which I would then entertain my mother and brother with (In other words I would make them watch. Hey you guys, you’re welcome). Making up those dances was something that gave me immense happiness. I moved away from dance for a while, but it was always a thread in my life. That’s a passion of mine.

Think back. Was there something you did when you were younger, something that you loved but for some reason got away from? What were your interests? Perhaps they have carried over, but you just have shoved them to the back of your mind because you don’t feel you have time for them. These could be a key to finding something you love to do. Granted, not every childhood dream may be feasible (As I’ve mentioned before, I was totally going to be a figure skating- astronaut -gymnast. Probably not real possible at this point) but there may be some great clues for you in the past. 

This woman remembered she enjoyed empty thought bubbles. What about you?

2. Daydream (BIG):

This is my go to advice for many things in life. I don’t think people give daydreams enough credit. Often I find if I just let my imagination run wild without constraints of logic or time – I stubble upon things I never consciously thought about. When you let your mind wander, are there recurring themes? Do certain things make your heart go a little faster or put a smile on your face without you realizing it? Don’t ignore those things! While you may not come up with exactly the answer (if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, chances are you selling out a concert venue in 22 seconds a la Beyonce’ may not happen) you can discover the areas you enjoy and find ways to use the talents you have to be involved in it.

 

 3. Get Annoyed:

Is there something in this world that really bugs you. Just annoys the ever-lovin’ goodness out of you every time you see/hear/smell/taste/feel it? Great! Why not be the solution? If something really gets your goat every time it happens, it’s because in some way or another it impassions you. How would you fix it or make it better? Do it! Perhaps you’ve been looking at the solution to the problem in the mirror all along – and chances you’ll feel amazing being able to be a positive force in the situation.

What makes you stop and say, "Oh no they didn't!"

4. Research:

So now you’ve done a lot of thinking about what you might possibly want to do, and you’ve come up with a few possible options. Super duper! Find someone who participates in your area of interest and offer to take them to coffee and ask them some questions. Google like you ‘ve never Goggled before and find out some more info. Scour YouTube for examples. Gain all of the knowledge you can to see if it really is something that tickles your fancy.  

5. Just Do It

Most of the time, we have an idea of something we might like to do or try, and then come up with 122,342,395 different reasons as to why we can’t do it. What if we threw all of those reasons  out the window (let’s be real, most of them probably aren’t even good ones…am I right??) and just went for it. What if you just tried something out…just to see how you felt about it? I have struggled with this in the past. I finally realized that simply trying something doesn’t make me bound to it. If you try it and don’t like it, fine! If you never go back to it that does not make you a failure, it actually makes you a resounding success because at least you were brave enough to try. So if  you’ve had dreams of being a cat psychologist all your life and you find out after the first day that getting into the psyche of a kitty is just too much for you, no worries! At least now you know and you won’t be left wondering every time you see a forlorn kitty wondering in an ally way.

Could this be you??

I hope these things help just a little bit. Here are some resources I find helpful, perhaps you will too :

Behind The Hustle                                           Two Hours To Change Your Life

Do you know what your passion is? How did you find it? How are you looking for it?

One to Three: Part 3

Well it's finally here friends. The conclusion of One to Three. If you need a recap, you can check parts one and two. I wanted to do something a little different with my last bits of fabric, and for some reason the idea of sneakers just spoke to me. I figured it was time to get my flat shoe game right since I dance a lot and sometimes shoving tired feet into 4 inch pumps just doesn't work well. And so, I present to you:

One to Three: Sneakers / HSN: They Have Stuff / I Swear We're Just Friends!

 Since I started working with this fabric, I've seen it in my head paired with gray. I also had a vision of high top sneakers, so I said to myself, "Hey! Why don't I find some gray high-top sneakers?" And, I'm happy to say, myself listened. So the search began - high and low, near and far I searched (translation: I did a lot of Google-ing) until I found them in a somewhat unexpected place - HSN. It's not just for buying Ginsu Kinves (in case you need to chop a branch or log) at 2 a.m. and grandma jewelry ya'll. Who knew?

Paired with a little grey dress to let the shoes have their shine, I threw in my new favorite denim jacket and some of my favorite accessories to top it all off. Super casual.

For the shoes, I wanted to just add a little of the fabric in a couple key places. Since the pattern is bold, a little can go a long way, especially on something the size of a shoe. Not to say that I won't some day cover the rest of it, but for now I was happy with a touch of pattern.

Who's too cool for Keds? Clearly not me.

This is a The Fresh Factor first...me...in sneakers...who woulda thunk it?? I'm realizing that it makes sense to have some of these in my shoe arsenal, even though it makes me fell like I'm cheating on my heels. Oh heels, it's not what it seems. I still love you. I promise the whole time I was wearing these I was thinking about you!

So there it is party peeps! Do you have a favorite creation of the three? Might you take some of these ideas and use them in your own fabulous way? Discuss below:

Jacket: Forever21
Dress: Kardashians for Bebe (long ago)
Shoes: Keds via HSN
Pin: Rachel Rachel Roy
Bracelets (in order l to r): H&M, Vintage, Forever21, Marc Jacobs (thrifted)