Mar 27, 2014

The Big Leap

Madeline Beard Other Adventures adventure, chances, graduation, lacoste, leap, life is a beautiful sport 0 Comments

Earlier this week, I tweeted about this new Lacoste advertisement:

Since first seeing the commercial, I’ve watched it about 30 times, shared it with all of my closest friends and downloaded the song featured (“You & Me (feat. Eliza Doolittle) (Flume Remix)” by Disclosure). Initially, I couldn’t explain why I was so captivated with this particular ad. Sure, it is powerful and beautifully composed, but there was something more to it than that; the romantic narrative was sweet, but also not the reason I couldn’t stop thinking about this video after watching.

I realized over time that this feeling of taking “the big leap” doesn’t just apply to relationships. It is an essential part of every crazy dream we have — the fear, the anticipation, the magnificent jump, the free fall, and the landing. Whatever the dream is (a first kiss, a move across the country, telling someone you love them, or accepting a new job) it’s an inexplicable fixation; we see it in our minds when no else can. And when the dream pulls at you hard enough, you know that the choice is clear: it is far better to take the leap than to live your life wondering what would have happened if you had jumped.

The end of the ad leaves us with the message “Life is a beautiful sport.” These conclusive words are what brought the idea full circle for me. Leaping is risky. You aren’t guaranteed a soft landing which is why most of us choose what is safe and what is certain. Why take the chance of getting hurt if we don’t have to? But through these experiences (even the ones where we end up getting hurt) there is beauty. It is what shapes us. We won’t win them all, but I am of the mind that our lives will be richer and our character stronger if we choose to chase the dreams that drive us.

For the first time in a long time, I felt inspired to write. As college draws to an end, I have found myself having to make the decision to leap. It is a scary one, but I am certain it will be worth it.

More to come in the next great adventure, stay tuned.

♥

Dec 1, 2013

Sink or Swim

Madeline Beard Music, Other Adventures alt-j, frank ocean cover, lord huron, music, real world, two door cinema club, yuna 0 Comments

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.

More adventures to come.

♥

Aug 23, 2013

One

Madeline Beard Other Adventures adventures, anniversary, milestone, one year 0 Comments

Tonight I will drink champagne with wonderful friends and toast to a year ago today, when all this began. It has been a wild ride and I am forever grateful for this beautiful creative outlet. A big thank you to my readers, family and friends for being the most positive supports I could ask for. Many more adventures to come and I couldn’t be more excited…

♥