Ninty: the number of songs posted to See. Like. Blog. since its inception last August. It is odd to think about time relative to number of posts published, words written or songs discovered. Compiling this Spotify playlist was both cathartic and a little eerie; there are still memories closely tied to these melodies and replaying them in succession was like sorting through a stowed-away box of old photographs. The moments are a bit faded now, but nonetheless preserved, snapshots that, when assembled, provide the progression of my life. This feels like a good, almost serendipitous, way to start out the new year — looking at the past, living in the present and imagining the future.
Here’s to another year and another ninty songs to add to the list. More adventures and sweet music to come.
A little less than a week from now, we will kiss 2013 goodbye and usher in 2014 amidst clinking glasses, confetti and fireworks. It is around this time that we often hear phrases like “clean slate” and “blank canvas” used. While in the past I have welcomed the fresh start that a new year offers, I’ve opted to change my frame of mind for 2014.
This past year has been a dazzling, exciting, at points terrifying, crazy awesome, beautiful adventure. The lessons learned were some of my hardest yet; the highs were higher, the lows a bit lower, and the in between moments were meaningful and memorable. Adhering to one of my resolutions (more on that in a hot second), I tried to think about what my year would look like in a doodle. Here’s what I came up with:
Colorful, a little chaotic and filled with big themes and big dreams.
The idea of trying to wipe away any parts of 2013 to prep for my “clean slate” doesn’t make much sense to me. I’ve always believed in resolutions, but we shouldn’t just crumple up our old year and toss it away every time our calendars mark January 1st. This cycle is exhausting and doesn’t allow us to reflect on what we are doing right. We’ve all got changes that need to be made, things we want to do differently, goals, and aspirations. But all of these hopes and dreams don’t just follow the cut-and-dry 365 days per year pattern. We are constantly learning, growing and evolving; the things we discover and experience each passing year always carry over, whether we like it or not.
So, in the spirit of this new frame of mind, I’ve come up with a few of my own resolutions, based on what 2013 has taught me. Some are fun, some a bit more serious, but undoubtedly all will inspire positive change.
1. Add a pair of colorful frames to my accessories collection.
While this might seem like a pretty silly and minor resolution for most, it stems from and embodies a bigger goal. This year I chopped off my hair, wore some pretty outlandish outfits and made sure I had fun getting dressed every morning. I want to maintain this joy in my wardrobe in 2014 by pushing the sartorial envelope even further. These frames from Warby Parker are at the top of my list of must haves, along with more hats and crazy hippie jewelry. Since this year will be my least predictable yet (anything after May is a big, bold question mark), why not roll with the theme and start dressing like a vagabond consistently lost in a field of wildflowers?
2. Master a handstand (and other crazy balance poses) in yoga.
As mentioned before, yoga has become one of my favorite things. Once I’m back in the district, buying a month long unlimited membership to my neighborhood yoga studio will be the first thing at the top of my to do list. Namaste ya’ll.
3. Learn to budget.
As I stand at the brink of adulthood, I’ve realized I should probably start to actually manage my money, rather than just cast my fates (and bank balance) to the winds every time I pull out my debit card. Better to start now to save myself from one less rude awakening on my road to fiscal independence.
4. Kickstart spring cleaning.
It was recently brought to my attention that some of my nearest and dearest feel that I am a bit of a pack rat. Now, in my opinion the word pack rat is just north of hoarder and harbors a pretty negative connotation. I like to think of myself more as a collector of things that I really like: sweaters, shoes, costumes, candles, art, yarn, coins… you get the gist. However, considering I am going to be packing up and moving somewhere fairly soon (and hopefully won’t need a super sized UHaul to do it), it might be time that I start to curate my various collections with a more discerning eye. Just like budgeting, this will no doubt save me from a lot of additional work and dust bunnies in the months ahead.
5. Add a bit of design (and other cool things) to SLB.
As mentioned above and shown in my 2013 doodle, I want to actively work to include more design related things on SLB. This might be just a documentation of my current projects (some of which you can see here) or simply sharing something from the interwebz that catches my fancy. Considering it has become such a huge part of my life, it doesn’t make sense not to include it. I also want to start rolling out little mini upgrades for you all (perhaps a SLB Spotify playlist anyone?) so get excited.
6. See more shows.
If you guys hadn’t noticed from the frequent music heavy posts, I really love discovering new artists. I love going to concerts. Even if I’m not familiar with the band playing, there is something so magical about joining a bunch of people for this collective experience. If I do know the artist, that feeling is that much more powerful and resonant. I’ve been fortunate enough to see some pretty cool shows in 2013, and I want to keep that trend going and growing. The pie in the sky concert dream? Coachella 2014 would be a pretty sick grad gift. Just saying in case you’re reading this mom and dad.
It’s the day after Christmas and I am vacationing with my parents in southern California. For the first time in a long time I am relaxed, well fed and have fully caught up on sleep. It’s moments like these when the world stops spinning quite so fast and I get a chance to just exhale. It is a blessing in disguise to not know where exactly I am going to be a year from now; it allows my imagination to wander even further, trying on all sorts of possibilities to fill in the “what” and “where” blanks. January 1st will mark the start of my next great adventure (otherwise known as facing the imminent “real world”), and I can’t wait to share that crazy ride with you all.
Hope everyone has had a fantastic holiday season filled with laughter, love and well wishes.
Many more adventures to come in 2014, but none forgotten.
A big hi hello everyone! It has been three long months since my last update on SLB, and during that time I didn’t go more than a day without thinking about the blog in some fashion. There would be moments where a burst of inspiration would hit me, or I would see or hear something that I was just itching to share with you all. So you might be wondering what’s the deal with my absence?
This semester I floated to the deep end of the pool, leaving behind my water wings and life vest. Comparing my life at school to swimming may sound a little odd at first, but it’s a metaphor that has stuck in my mind for some time now. I feel like growing up it was common for swimming to be a simplistic analogy for life; “just keep swimming”, “you’re gonna sink or swim”, “you can either choose to tread water or to float”, “jumping into the deep end”, etc. In my second to last semester in school, these sayings are becoming more and more relevant. The wall between my current life and the “real world” is slowly starting to crumble; I am getting small glimpses of what lies ahead, but I am unable to start moving forward. Right now it’s all about choices, state of mind and circumstances.
So what’s the difference between the deep end and everywhere else? The deep end is when shit starts getting real. For a graphic designer, the deep end is when it’s you, your work, and the awaiting judgment of prospective employers. For every senior in college, the deep end is a holding pattern, a time when we can either frantically tread water or float. As for me, I’ve been treading, hoping that eventually I will catch my breath again.
I know this post is laced with nerves and anxiety (not to mention quite the lengthy metaphor); I can assure you, the fun stuff is coming down the pike and I couldn’t be more excited.
While giving a full play-by-play of my last three months would be time-consuming (both to write and to read), I can fast forward to the good bits and provide a musical “synopsis”, if you will:
Think of this audible goodness as a bit of a consolation prize for tolerating my wild musings about the current state of my life and its controlled chaos. Pretty soon, I’ll be back in the kiddie pool, splashing around, umbrella drink in hand, getting my tan on. Right now, I’ve just gotta keep breathing, head faced skyward and arms outstretched.
