10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. the start of fall
2. a rainy weekend at work, which gave me a slow break from a super  fast week
3. wearing boots again (with cozy socks!)
4. pumpkin donuts
5. getting back into drinking red wine on chilly nights
6. hearing two different artists speak in two of my classes (it was so refreshing to sit back, relax, and learn in class instead of just getting more deadlines thrown at me)
7. getting back into the gym after taking a week off
8. hearing Lonnie say "Do you want Chick-fil-a?"
9. wearing simple shirts with a statement necklace, jeans, and cute shoes for easy, chic outfits (this time of year is the best for getting dressed!)
10. hint of lime chips with guacamole

moodboard monday.

coral eyeshadow | good energy | california cacti | tassel wall hanging | bell-sleeve dress | shiny curtain

My senior capstone project deadline is swiftly approaching, so this week is going to be a crazy one. I'm still recovering from the crazy week I had last week, so I'm trying really hard to avoid inevitable burnout this week. Luckily, after this project is over, my load should lighten quite a bit, so I'm trying to just push through all of the stress and tackle everything head on. I've found a lot of success through simply doing the work and hustling instead of worrying, and this is a tactic I'd like to keep implementing.

I've also found that creativity only fuels more creativity. Maya Angelou had it right, "the more you use, the more you have." I've definitely been feeling my creative side flourish the more time I spend feeding it. The work I'm doing in new media inspires my painting projects, and my photography projects are only enhancing my new media skills. And with as little free time as I have, I'm feeling super blessed that the majority of the time I do have is being spent doing what I love, which is creating. I'm trying to maintain that perspective and soak up this time spent on projects that I get to choose and have fun with, instead of focusing on all the Netflix I'm not watching or all of the relaxing I'm not doing.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. spending Monday morning in bed drinking coffee with my love; we had this daily ritual going last year when it was cold out and we were both drinking hot coffee at home, and now that the weather has cooled down a bit, we're starting to pick it back up and it is my FAVORITE thing
2. seeing my group's senior capstone project come together and getting positive feedback from the professor on our prototype; IT'S ALL HAPPENING
3. adventuring out onto location for this said project and running across a beautiful place on campus with views of downtown
4. fashion week snapchat stories and instagram posts
5. giving myself the week off from workouts to rest and relax after catching a cold
6. chicken noodle soup and Club crackers
7. KILLIN IT on my mass communications exam/having one class out of the 4 I'm taking that I don't have to stress too hard about since it's a 101 course
8. my wonderful assistant manager at work let me leave early Tuesday since I was sick, bought me pizza today since she wanted me to split it with her, and helped me get time off so I could film capstone tomorrow! I've had such a tough week, and she's made it way easier in so many ways.
9. hanging out with my roommate Laura and bonding with her by watching Labyrinth together, which is her favorite movie, and I've been meaning to see anyway since I never have before
10. my little sister, for being born on this day 19 years ago. Happy Birthday, Sarah!

moodboard monday.

white palms | so far | cacti sculptures | pop bowl | black and white stripes | black palms

Waking up first thing on a Monday morning with a terrible cold led to a day that was not nearly as productive as it should've been. I skipped my morning class to take pictures for photo and made a few collages for an upcoming painting assignment. I made it to my afternoon class because it was super important, but after that, I gave up and landed on the couch where I've been pretty much all night. 

I'm facing a pretty busy week ahead, so I'm trying not to let the poor timing of this cold get the better of me. Instead, I'm trying to take it as a sign to slow down, eat some soup, and drink some tea. I've been working extremely hard between work and school, so I'm not going to argue with my body's plea to take some time out of my busy schedule to take care of myself.

10 things.

10 things in thankful for this week:

1. having Labor Day off for the first time since starting college!
2. spending the Sunday before Labor Day outside on a patio eating Jamaican barbecue for brunch
3. turning in one painting and then painting a quick gestural self-portrait in class the same day. It's been so much work, but I'm remembering what it's like to make physical art you can hold in your hands afterward and it is AWESOME.
4. taking the Bulldog Nation meeting to a Japanese hibachi restaurant
5. going into the photo critique thinking my print wasn't good at all, but getting awesome feedback on it
6. having to go to Michael's for art supplies and spending more time looking at the Halloween decorations
7. finding cute, cheap office supplies in Target's dollar section
8. Nicki Minaj
9. forgetting to eat breakfast and picking up an everything bagel topped with avocado at Rosetta's on campus
10. sunflowers

moodboard monday.

roller skates | what the heart wants | colors of pearls | watercolor napkins | sea sparkle | cactus embroidery

Today is the first day I've had off from school for Labor Day since I've been at college. Not only that, but it's also the first day I've had off from both work and school since Senior Year has started. With that being said, I had a massive list of things to get done today and accomplished maybe half of them, at best. I have plenty of time to buckle down and get shit done tomorrow (and every other day this week), so I'm trying not to beat myself up about it and instead just enjoy the official last day of summer.

I went out to dinner with friends for a Bulldog Nation meeting, and now I'm about to curl on the couch with the last little bit of rosé I have in the fridge as I gather photo references, color schemes, and inspiration for a few upcoming projects I have going on in the hopes that I can accomplish more from my to-do list. Creative work is really so time consuming from the planning process to the end result, and even though I didn't get a ton of actual work done today, I want to at least go to bed feeling good and inspired by the work week ahead instead of dreading it.

10 things.

10 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. OPI polish in You Don't Know Jacques, the perfect into to fall color
2. seeing the sun set over the mountains on my way home from the gym
3. quality time with Lonnie, who started a new serving job at Altamont Brewery  in West Asheville
4. a super sale at my work, and buying a cute maxi dress for only $10!
5. Hit Record with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Netflix (it's so freaking inspiring to a creative like me, especially since most of the work is New Media type of stuff. I highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet to check out an episode.)
6. getting back into painting projects, even if I am so rusty it makes me sad
7. DEVELOPING MY FIRST PHOTOS EVER BY MYSELF YAY
8. the dude at Moe's put an extra side of queso in the bag
9. catching up with my little sister over the phone, it feels so good to be friends now instead of just siblings 
10. September weather is seriously THE BEST and I've been wearing dresses pretty much every single day