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.

LIFE & LETTERS / NO.4

D is for DATING

How has dating affected your creative life? I know this isn't necessarily a motivational post of any sorts, but as I was sitting here I started thinking to those outside influences that can begin to work their way into the creative spectrum. And maybe this was also sparked from some meanderings through Marie Claire—shh don't tell.

As a newly-single designer, the ways in which I work have changed drastically over the past couple of months. Of course, now I have more time to myself to get down to business and focus on my design career, but on the other hand I've been missing the feedback that having someone constantly around—especially someone else in the creative field—gave me. Are we supposed to be in the constant flux of creativity and creative-practice as we head in and out of relationships? How do we start to navigate our creative paths as we navigate our love lives? This series by blogger and graphic designer Amanda Jane Jones spotlights creatives and their significant others, and is a cute and interesting look into how some couples bridge this dichotomy.

While I don't have any of my own answers, and I'm surly in the midst of this wild journey, I'd love to start a conversation about this. Do you feel your relationships have helped or hindered your creative endeavors? How do you deal with following your creative passions and keep building relationships? I'm guessing it's a game of give and take, but I'd love to hear your side of the story.

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.

LIFE & LETTERS NO.3

C is for COPY

I believe that Jessica Hische, letterer extraordinaire, said it best in this article. While I don't condone plagiarism, there is definitely something to learning through the art of copy. When you're first out learning a new skill, one of the best ways to get better at it is to copy what the masters of the subject have done before, and learning through that practice.

I think this is a novel idea that I didn't pay attention to as much as I should have as a younger designer. I worried too much about creating original work, and I was suffering because I hadn't learned the basics behind what I was creating. It's going to stay short and sweet this week, but please, get out there, PRACTICE, and please, copy your heart out. As long as you source, and identify your work as practice, all should be good and you'll be much better off for it.

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.

LIFE & LETTERS NO.2

B is for BOLD

What really sparked this thought for me was this post by Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling. While she was asking a simple question about wearing lipstick, reading through the comments made me reflect on some of my own inhibitions. Throughout this post, she talks about how she loves that others can wear bright bold lipstick colors, but she feels a little shy when wearing it herself. Comments upon comments revealed that a lot of ladies out there do the very same thing. They put it on, like how it looks, but then take it off before leaving the house. Bizarre, but can any of you relate? I know I can.

While this seemingly inconsequential debate over wearing lipstick can continue to go on, I was most drawn to the fact that what many of us were afraid to do in this situation is to be bold. If you like your bright lipstick, take it outdoors. If you're almost 6 foot tall like myself but have a penchant for high heels, run out of the house and lock your doors with them on and drive to work before you can change your mind about wearing them. What people don't realize is how much better you might feel for taking these bold steps! I know these are pretty minute examples, but this summer, working my first professional gig, I came to realize how the height of my shoe or the color of my lips would increase my happiness exponentially (along with a short line at Starbucks and some Beach Boys on my Pandora station). All these little bold moves can really start to add up to make you feel like a more you you on a daily basis.

Appart from dressing, once you get a handle of taking these small bold moves you start to get used to going after what makes you happy. You start to figure out you. Once these small steps add up, who knows what you'll be bold enough to go after! Will you write up the CEO of a company you really want to work for? Will you open your own Etsy shop and start a business that you're passionate about? Will you enter that competition, or try out for a new venture? In life, you often don't get what you don't either go after or ask for. Being bold about going after what you want and what truly makes you happy is where its at.

So I conclude this with a challenge. I challenge you to do one thing this week that kind of scares you, but is something that you'd always wanted to do. Be bold, and see how it makes you feel after. Are there any stories you have about being bold and how they made you feel later on? We'd love to hear them! Also, I hope you do come back and tell us if you completed the challenge and how it went!

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.

lettering by kelsey

New Column: LIFE & LETTERS NO.1

Hi friends! Today is an exciting day for me, as I am starting a new collaboration with Kelsey Cronkhite of Pinegate Road. This new column, Life & Letters, will cover topics for creatives and bloggers going through the alphabet one letter at a time. I hope you like this new column and get inspired! We'll be posting on each other's blogs, so make sure to check out both of ours to see all of Life & Letters! Now take it away, Kelsey!
-Ciara


A is for AWE

Awe is one of my most favorite moods. I feel that as a designer it is so very important to experience and be able to translate awe into your work. Most of the times, it's almost forcing yourself to be in awe of the everyday items that you come in contact with. Recently I was working on a project in which I made fruit 'confetti.' I became immersed in this world of fruit, and found myself in awe over the colors, the textures, the ways in which I could slice and manipulate the fruit to create something recognizable yet new in its manipulation. I ended up loving what happened with this project, just because I ran with the feeling of awe that this subject matter gave me.

So, for today, I challenge you to get out there and become in awe of whats around you. You just never know what you might find. One of my favorite tricks—if you're stuck near a computer for the day—is to go on google earth vacations. I often times become so in awe with exploring tropical island paths in Hawaii or searching for polar bears in the Arctic (yeah, seriously — let me know if you find one!) It's all about experiencing life with an open mind and a shifted perspective that can put you smack-dab in the right place to experience awe. You never know where it might lead.

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!




Lettering by Kelsey, photo found here. Download Kelsey's letter here.