LIFE & LETTERS / NO.5

E is for EXPECTATIONS

I've been struggling with this one for quite a while now, and I have a knack that many other creative types deal with the same issue. I struggle with balancing the expectations that I have of myself as a designer and as a person, as well as the expectations that I feel others such as my professors, friends, and family have for me. While putting some pressure on yourself or feeling that external pressure is good and pushes you forward into places you could never expect, when do these expectations become more of a hinder than a motivator?

I certainly don't have all the answers, but I've started to realize that expecting myself to take on the whole world is first of all, not possible, but it isn't healthy either. When you put too many expectations on yourself, you start to cripple under the pressure and fail to really be doing the creative work that you have the potential to do. When these self expectations became too much for me to bear, I started to write some life rules for myself. Design and my personal life are so integrated that I made my list a general place to turn to when I started to feel the expectations getting the better of me. I think that sitting down, and writing a list of small sayings or motivational rules to turn to when you're in a mental bind like this has been life-chaning. It's just a small thing, but it's so great to turn to when you're in need.

1. Family comes first.
2. You can never do it all, so don't try.
3. Sleep, Kelsey, sleep.
4. Take care of the body and the mind — the rest will fall into place.
5. Practice every day.
6. Slow down and experience the moments of the day.
7. Take time to have fun.
8. Don't be afraid to fail.
9. Get out of your comfort zone — that's where the magic happens.
10. Stay optimistic.

That is just a portion of some of my rules, but I know that when I'm abiding by these, I'm meeting my own expectations. Sometimes, that's all you need to get by.

Be sure to stop over at my blog to see what Life Letter Ciara talked about and illustrated today! Just follow the link on the image below!



Life & Letters covers topics for creatives and bloggers going through the alphabet one letter at a time.

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Well my birthday is this week so I thought I'd put together a birthday wishlist of sorts, though I have no expectations of anyone getting me these things. haha. These are just some things I've been eyeing for a little while that I'll probably save for. I don't ever ask for gifts and if people even ask what I'd like, I have no idea what to say. I can't imagine people spending money on my birthday. I'm more into sharing experiences, like going to my favorite restaurant with my friends. That's good enough for me! But for all you libras out there, you might want to keep this for your list too!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 (but in oatmeal!)

SNIPPETS NO.5

1. Matchstic Branding Agency finished one of their projects, Beltline Bike Shop. My dear friend, Alana Dy, was the primary designer and she did one hell of a job! You go get em, Alana! I'm like a freaking mama bear.

2. Not only do I love the two toned nails by Love Aesthetic, but I'm loving the ring too. She got it from the hardware store! Um, genius, I tell you.

3. Jennifer Young looks so beautiful with her beau in these photos by Ben Blood. And that scarf is a knockout!

4. These sandals win.


Have a great weekend, friends! I'll be buying some leather, doing some code, and relaxing. Oh yeah, and get ready for next week - black and white week on the blog. woohoo.

SNIPPETS NO.4

1. Filly Designs has a beautiful Spring 2012 line, including a delectable lookbook.

2. You can always count on Obama's design team to have stunning work for his campaign. They never disappoint. The Life of Julia is not only an example of fine design craftsmanship, but it explains the differences a woman's life will experience with Obama in office vs. Mitt Romney.

3. En Pointe is a short film documenting ballerinas and their process to break in their pointe shoes. I never knew how much actually went into breaking in their shoes. I also learned later that their shoes can only be worn once after all the tear and breaking of the shoe just so they can wear it. Can you imagine wearing a new pair of shoes everyday?

4. There has been a new wind sweeping the blogger prairies called "Things I'm Afraid To Tell You". It was originally started by Jess Constable as a way to be more honest with her readers. Then Ez turned it into a viral campaign, challenging herself and others to address the transparency, fear, and anxiety that sometimes comes with being the blogger behind the curtain. Several bloggers have participated and it is really wonderful to see the honestly floating around. I have to agree, it is easy to be concealed behind beautiful images. It's so much easier to put up something attractive than talk about a bad day. I don't always want to talk about it - this space is my happy place, and also, I don't like being overly personal here. But I will say this: I don't live as glamorously as some of the photos I post. But I do live an exciting life in a beautiful, charming city. I am not always cheerful, but I am happy and I am grateful for what I do have.

I hope all of you have a great weekend!

PRESENT & CORRECT

I'm in love with this store, Present & Correct. They have a large quantity of simple and beautifully designed products, ranging from stationary and paper products to home decor and vintage European trinkets. Their styling is perfection and the site itself is pure eye candy. And trust me, I'm eyeing that molecule kit. I just had to share this love of mine.

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who poured out their love on me. This new calender project will be fun. I'm so excited.

TEND THE FIRE

I'm working on a new project for BURNAWAY the online arts publication that I work for. They're are wanting to brand their membership campaign and I've been throwing some ideas around. Right now their membership page looks like this and I think that's a bit of overkill - not to mention eyekill. I liked the idea of using "burn" without actually showing flames, since flames are over done (I think). So taking some inspiration from vintage matchbooks, I came up with this little design draft. I know it still looks flat, but I'm not quite done. I have another idea in my back pocket, but I haven't pumped it out just yet. Do you like it so far?


photo cred: sahara // look inside // grill // drill // el tejon // stacy

Typeface: HIGHWAY

And it's here! Dan Cassaro's latest typeface, Highway. A very darling (and modern) take on mid-century typefaces. Cassaro was inspired during a long cross-country road trip while seeing countless hand-done types. This is his attempt to capture the organic nature of hand-done type in a very charming way. I love the artwork he made to go with his typeface. And at only $35, that's a deal!

More Lakes: NICOLE MEYER

I love to visit Nicole Meyer's project, "Branding 10,000 Lakes" every couple of weeks to see all the latest lakes she's branded. They are almost always amazing, and certainly inspiring. I've got to hand it to her, it is quite the challenge, and she's doing a great job on it. Come on, look at that cute little onion. Yeah, I love it.

BACK FOR (SERIOUS) BUSINESS

I guess I wasn't joking when I said I needed a break! The blogging haitus last week was completely unplanned, but I guess in a sense it was. I really needed a good break to refresh and get some motivation again. I feel like a brand new person and I'm running like a steam engine. Look out! Also, I'm feeling like my own person again, which feels great. We all have quirks and that is what makes us all different and brings us together. Embrace the quirkiness!

I mapped out what I did on the days I didn't blog, but I figured that I'd spare you all the unnecessary details. Some days I was busy, others not so much. But I will clue you in that a lot of that is just eating, grabbing drinks, and refreshing with some of my great pals. I hope you've been having a great week too!

DREAMY ELIZABETH DARE

Stumbling around Flickr, I found the beautiful film photographs by Elizabeth Dare. Her Flickr has an incredible collection, as well as her blog, Weepy Hollow.

CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS

Another nice branding project by Steve Shanabruch. His plan is to brand all of the 77 Chicago Neighborhoods. It reminds me of Branding 10,000 Lakes by Nicole Meyer, but quite more of an achievable feat. Though honestly, I love Meyer's work more as she has a greater assortment of styles and stronger personal style. What do you think?



via formfiftyfive

SNIPPETS NO.2

1. I'm sure you all heard or have read articles about SOPA and it's awfulness. There were a bunch of sites blacked out in protest, which is awesome. So if you don't know about it, this beautifully designed video will explain it. EDIT: it got postponed today! Enough voices were heard that Congress dropped the whole thing... for now. yay!

2. Anabela from Fieldguided did a gorgeous photoshoot of the contents of her massive bag. Inside was this cute mini satchel that I'm loving. My business cards might find a new home!

3. Tomorrow I'm going with my friend, Alana to see My Week With Marilyn. Very excited about this. (photo by Brigitte Lacombe)

4. Very funny prints that don't hide the feelings that designers feel with clients. Trust me, they're all true.

5. Stunning earrings from Dear Fieldbinder.

6. This is next week, but I'm so excited to be seeing Twin Sister on Wednesday. It was one of the best shows I saw last year and I can't wait to see them again. Plus, Andrea Estella is adorable and I have a girl crush on her. (photo by Tim Lampe)


Have a great weekend, friends!

SNIPPETS NO.1

So here's a new column for me - a weekly round up of either things I've pinned, something interesting I read, a fancy product, movie, art, etc. etc.

1. I'm seeing Givers tomorrow with Tim and some of my friends at The Earl - one of my favorite music venues here in Atlanta. REALLY excited for this. Please watch their video for Up Up Up.

2. Loving Rebecca Minkoff handbags. They are gorgeous and I think I'll start saving for one now.

3. Matchstic Branding Agency posted a very interesting article on their blog about craftsmanship and consumerism. It is sad that truly magnificent handcrafted work is being smitted by businesses like Burger King trying to stay up on the trends. Do they actually think that we believe their burgers are “artisan crafted”? I think not.

4. Jessica Comingore tweeted about this Etsy shop and I fell in love with the astronomoy section. All of the prints are gorgeous.

5. I'm currently reading Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned. It's not only set in the 1920's like The Great Gatsby, but it has been noted to be extremely similar to Fitzgerald's own life and marriage with Zelda. I'm not very far in, but it's wonderful already.

6. And also, these pretty earrings by Erin Wasson.



givers // badge

TYPOGRAPHY

Darren Booth

MARNIE GILDER

Simple, pretty work by Marnie Gilder.


Also, I'm not sure how many of you read my blog using a RSS feed or whatnot, but the site is getting a little makeover. New logo, sidebar, etc. Yay! Let me know what you think!

LITTLE PRINTER CUTIE

Happy Friday! I thought I would leave all of you with this cute fella, Little Printer. I had a permanent smile after seeing this! (Put him on next year's wish list?)

GOOD SHOTS

Pitchfork put up their favorite photos of the year today. Go check them out - they're all gorgeous. And this one of Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes made me smile.

SISTER SISTER

I spend the majority of last weekend with Tim's family for Thanksgiving. Tim's sister, Katie, and her boyfriend, Andrew, live in New Jersey and work in New York City. She is a Creative Merchandiser for Urban Outfitters and has amazing style. I guess it helps when you work for Urban, right? So naturally, every time I saw her in a new outfit my jaw was on the floor. So I thought I'd share with all of you some Katie highlights. Besides all the clothes, she wore MAC Rich Ground Fluidline which is to die for. It was interesting seeing her pairings, as I found I was loving them all, but might not have paired them for myself. I love new ideas. Also, that picture doesn't give the poncho justice. It was a real looker in person.

coat // poncho // ring // shoes

BLOGSHOP, YES

Hey there folks! If you follow me on instagram, you know that I was at Blogshop yesterday. I heard that a few of you wanted to hear about it, so listen in!

First off, I was not a student of the class and did not attend the entire length of the course. This specific course was three days and geared towards photographers. The first two days consisted of photo training, tips, and a photo shoot. I came for the third day when Angela and Bri arrived and taught the students how to use Photoshop to edit their photos. I was an assistant and helped the students when they had questions during the class.

I have been following Bri's blog, designlovefest for about a year now and that's how I found out about Blogshop. I like her energy and her design style and liked the ideas behind teaching others how to blog and use photoshop. I wanted to make sure that my growing appreciation and support for Blogshop was well deserved. So I invested myself into it and found that it is, truly, a wonderful thing. Now's here's the best part - my experience at Blogshop, even though it was only one day, was more fullfilling than I ever expected. Being around all those photographers and seeing their passion for design and creativity was the most inspiring. I had a wonderful time getting to know the students and meeting the ladies and the photographers running the course.

So all in all, it was a success and I really enjoyed myself. I am so glad that Atlanta is getting on the map for creative things. Next up, Creative Mornings here on December 9th for round 3 with Tina Roth Eisenberg in attendance! Yay!

AIR PLANT CRAZE

Air plants are seriously the plants for me. Dip them in water every now and then, and that's it! Stick them where ever you want and you don't have to worry about pots or soil or any of that. Sounds like a dream, right? Now here's the thing. Lots of people are selling them on Etsy for half a fortune. I was looking up some wholesale sites and even ebay has them for a lot cheaper than Etsy sellers. Air Plant Supply Co. has a beautiful selection, great prices, and information. At least check out their site. And this is a cute place to put one of your air plants!

Also, as a side note, Fab.com has a special on air plants from Air Plant Supply Co. and hanging pods. Score!


+ isn't that bottle gorgeous? i bought that here!