Standing out...and loving it!

Before we go any further, I'm warning you now that this post is about BEING YOURSELF. It might be a little cheesy and a little "easier said than done", but I've found out some interesting things since I've started this blog and I'd like to share them with you.

I have a bit of a confession to make to all of you - I've wanted to have a blog like this FOR YEARS. Why did it take me until last November to start? I could blame laziness or procrastination, but the real reason is that I lacked confidence. Yes, your lovely fashion blogger was not confident in her ability to share what I had to say with the world. Sure, I walked around with a look that stood out and garnered compliments that may or may not have reflected such a wardrobe. That hasn't changed, no. Rather it's the notion that I possessed a skill with which I had to become comfortable. After I took the plunge, it seemed that the creativity didn't stop flowing. I had idea after idea after idea. There's a multitude of amazing topics I want to share with you on this blog that we haven't even cracked the surface of yet!

I'm not trying to paint a picture for you of this girl who has an unshakable sense of who she is - that would be unrealistic. I have days where I look in the mirror and my outfit just doesn't "click" or I don't feel great about my weight or I look exhausted from my previous crazy day. (Trust me, I have a lot of those!) In the face of an icky attitude, I pick out something brightly colored, lean heavily on my music for the day, and I hope for the best. Sometimes, it's all you can do.

I've gotten the question posed to me as to how a reader of mine can project a confidence in what they wear like I seem to. Without the risk of this post turning out to be a "Guide to Being Your Fearless Blogger", I think I can give some of you out there a few easy tips on how to shrug off your questionable mood and be yourself. In the end, it just might make you feel better...

1) Do one thing today that you'd normally fear to do on a daily basis.

Okay, let's be real for a minute. I'm not suggesting you drop everything, take the day off, and go skydiving. Far from it. I'm suggesting wearing a color combination you might not normally wear, write for five minutes if you're so inclined, pick a quiet and undiscovered (by you) location to take a 15 minute walk. Spend sometime stretching your boundaries. Yes, this is harder for some than others. I always go on in this blog about things that are "harder for some than others". You all embrace things at your own comfort level and speed. No need to go overboard. I'm suggesting a mere step off the beaten path in your daily routine.

2) Give yourself time.

One of the biggest mistakes I find that people make in dealing with themselves is giving time to the goals and accomplishments they wish to see realized. I'm even guilty of this action! We seem to give an infinite amount of understanding to others when they cannot realize their end game, but we are all too quick to blame and judge ourselves when the situation does not turn out to be what we'd hoped. Forgive yourself a bit everyday - allow yourself to be excused when you fail. It really is harder and harder every time to get up when you fall. Lack of personal motivation doesn't help you to get a hand up. I hate to sound like overused platitudes, but you're the LAST person that should be telling YOU that you cannot accomplish anything!

3) Be a little crazy!

I'm going to give you a sample of an as of yet unused outfit post to illustrate...

Sunglasses - $16 (Target)
Earrings - $0.50 (Thrifted)
Button up - $13 (Forever 21)
Shorts - $9.99 (FCUK for Sears)
Necklace - $2 (Thrifted)Belt - $2 (Thrifted)
Tights - Gift (Gap)
Shoes - $6.80 (Target)
Purse - Gift (Louis Vuitton)

Admittedly, it's taken me years and years to feel like I can get away with being the person that I am. I have been through rough patches that still bring up old issues for me and make me doubt myself more than anyone else could. Being told that I wasn't good enough to be me hurt worse than hiding the person that I am. I keep this in mind constantly. I like being just a little bit crazy, and I hope the fact that I've opened up a bit about issues we all face has made you think about being just a little bit crazy, too.
Until next time,
~ they seek her there

Musings on Inspiration

Last week I came to the realization that I've hit a dry spell of sorts. I had every desire to provide you, my readers, with the best fashion advice and creative ideas I can offer. I tried and tried and tried. I couldn't count how many times I sat down at my computer and nothing was flowing. It wasn't until a few days ago until I really pinpointed the source of my un-inspiration. Now that I had identified the problem, I had to determine what to do about it.

I didn't have to mull over that question for very long. A friend sent me this video. Yes, that is John Cleese of Monty Python fame speaking very seriously about creativity; more specifically the necessity of "play time". So, I took some "play time" to think about the sort of thing that inspires me. This is what I came up with...

(From top left: vintage floral print, Stockholm Library, colorblock goodness via H&M, Neuschwanstein Castle, thrift store love, lanterns in Turkey)

Everyone's creativity is stimulated in various ways. Surprisingly, this little photoset isn't dominated by conventional, "fashionable" images. I go for colors over couture any day. Color is what draws me in, inspires me, and gets me in an excitable mood. Far-off places is the other underlying theme in this mini-collage. A single concept that never fails to generate fanciful thoughts and dreams in my mind are the picturesque locations one can only hope to someday visit. There is such history, beauty, and a story in each of these places. I aspire to someday design a line around my personal "Wonders of the World" locales.

Now that I've told you a little about my creative process to get my "inspiration juices" flowing, I want to know what gets you excited about expressing yourself!

Feel free to comment below and share with the rest of the class what makes your creative process so fantastic.

Until next time!

~ they seek her there