geometric light | favorite things | statement earrings | painting | darker shades | wine design

I have this Monday and Tuesday off for fall break, so I'm currently at home visiting family. Last week was full of midterm project deadlines for me, so I've been enjoying having a little more free time now that all of that is over. I'm especially grateful that my senior capstone project is now complete and off my plate, so I've been allowing myself a little time to relax and catch up on simple things like laundry and decorating for Halloween. I still have 3 painting projects due next Thursday, but luckily painting is my jam and I learned how to churn out painting after painting during AP Art in high school.

As most of you probably know, the weather we've been getting in North Carolina has been nothing but rainy for about 2 weeks now. As much as I feel for those who are negatively(and in some places, tragically) affected by this hurricane season, I can't help but love these rainy days we've been getting. I feel totally in my element and have enjoyed spending time inside snuggled up with cups of coffee and my art. However, I know my productivity will be much higher once the sun starts shining again, and I look forward to days when it's a little easier to get out of bed.

10 things.

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.