Monthly Faves : May

• For any girl of the 1990's: What your American Girl Doll says about the rest of your life. I had both Addy {because she was pretty and even as a kid I wanted to embrace diversity} and Samantha {almost entirely because I knew I was a Molly and didn't want to be. And, not-so-shockingly, the description for Molly is spot on for me}.
• What could be better than the intersection of design and travel? How about a whole blog dedicated to it? {via Yes and Yes}
• Handy-dandy: What Should I read Next?
• A friend battled cancer over the past two years, so I was quite touched by this brave and beautiful photo series Hair Stories.
• Super useful post for designers and indie biz owners-- A guy ordered business cards from the top 5 online printers, and posted about the results.
• Best new blog I've discovered this month: The Veda House, Life as an Artistpreneur & Hannah Katy


• A beautifully shot and art-directed video showing the letterpress process.
• Tears: Google Chrome "It gets better" ad. I'm so glad these are airing.
• Stunning visuals: Breakfast Interrupted by Bruton Stroube Studios.
• I'll say it again -- I have so much love for Parks & Rec {especially in animated gif form}. I dare say it is lit-rally the best thing on TV right now, in my opinion. So many shows rely on cynicism and snark to be funny, but Parks & Rec is optimistic and positive while still being so genuinely hilarious and smart.
• Because you can never have enough cute animal videos: Playing with otters


• Those of you addicted to Angry Birds will probably enjoy Pamplamoose's cover of the theme song.
• Zoe Keating has to be one of the best musical discoveries I've made in quite some time. This Radiolab episode from 2008 gives a little background on her and details how she uses technology to record herself playing cello and then loops various segments over one another to make each song. Beautiful and haunting music.
• Kimberly's podcast with Elizabeth MacCrellish, founder of Squam Art Workshops, actually made me cry in my car on the way to work last week. There was just something that resonated with me when she spoke about needing to take time to honor your creativity and the importance of being in line with your soul. Plus it simply made me long to attend Squam again.


• Get busy in June with 30 Days of Creativity
• If you're an art journaler or a paper journaler looking for more reflective prompts, check out Stratejoy's Joy Juice.
• Three of my favorite things in the world: Portland, school and blogging. I'm officially jealous of anyone attending.
• Take inspiration from Nicole and pen your own personal manifesto.
• I've fallen out of love with dry cereal over the years, mainly due to the sugar/preservatives and trying to avoid boxed/packaged food. But I'm intrigued by the idea of making my own cereal, especially if I can buy the ingredients from the bulk aisle.
• How stinkin' cute are these little "hamburger" cupcakes and cookie fries? Or how about "Bacon and Eggs?" They'd make a great treat for Father's Day next month.
• Class up your summer fetes with these gorgeous Jello shots {seriously}.
• If anyone wants to throw a s'mores party and invite me, I'd be your best friend forever.

And just for kicks, here are two "anti-fave" links for the month:
• 20 Most Useless College Degrees. I have BOTH the #1 and #4 most useless degrees. Faaaaabulous. So glad I spent six years and thousands of dollars for that honor.
• And despite my Twitter feed's general excitement over this, I feel that Zooey had done a bad, bad thing: New Girl, coming to FOX this fall. No, I'm not going to love it just because Zooey is in it. This looks like one of those awful rom-com movies that I'd roll my eyes at.

Monthly Faves is a series featuring my favorite links and bits around the interwebs.

Goals & Determination Part II : Crowd-Sourcing Some Answers!

Goal Setting by angietorres

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the issue of goals, motivation and stick-to-it-ness since I wrote about it last week. I got some AWESOME perspectives from those of you who commented, and I also started digging around on some of my favorite business and creativity blogs for some other approaches.


Here are some articles on the topic that are helping me see through this a little more clearly:

How to Write a Book : Get Yourself a Calendar
A basic, yet effective, approach for time management that isn't much more complicated than checking boxes off. Yet I can imagine that this visual representation could be powerful if you have a project that can be broken down into pieces.


Steve Pavlina : Completing Projects
A really useful article perfect for those people who have trouble sticking it out {*waves*}. I really liked the discussion of accepting difficult work and stopping self-abuse.

Zen Habits : The Myth of Discipline
Touches on this issue: "What is discipline? How do you get more of it? If by practice, how do you practice if you don’t have any in the first place?"

Elise Blaha : On Running
I love her idea to print out a year calendar and mark everyday that you achieve your goal to help you get a "big picture" look at what you're moving towards. I might have to design a cute 1-page yearly calendar for this purpose... maybe I'll make it a future freebie on the blog :)

The 99 Percent : Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way
What could you achieve with a little less fear and more stubbornness, blind faith, and passion?

Steve Pavlina : 30 Days To Success
An oldie but goodie article that uses the idea of a 30-day trial period as a way to train yourself into a new habit.

 Zen Habits : Focus {e-book}
"It’s about finding the focus you need to create, to work on what’s important, to reflect, to find peace."

A few other ideas that have come up for me: 

- Have an accountability partner. I've found that it's far too easy for me to let my commitments to myself slip, but I'm much less likely to bail out on my word if I've involved someone else. Perhaps this could look like a work-out buddy, a writing partner whom you send weekly updates on your progress, or even just a friend who you check in with regularly. This could also take the form of signing up for a class {such as an exercise class or a small business seminar}, because if you're anything like me, you hate the thought of losing money and will be more likely to show up if you've paid for it.
- Have someone to turn to that can give you some tough love if necessary. My husband is 100% supportive of me, but after one too many instances of me waffling about the same damn thing, he recently laid on the tough love. He looked me in the face and told me the cycle I'm in has to stop. He wasn't saying, "Shut the eff up about it already," but rather "You {and we} deserve much better than this." That's the kind of tough love that we sometimes need to hear.
- Think about your reasoning between two choices. Sometimes I skip the gym because, well, I'm comfortable on the couch. But if I think about whether I'll feel better after a workout or better after another TV show, I pretty much clear up any doubt I have about what I should do. This trick also works really well when tempted by slice of greasy pizza since I know how crappy I feel after eating that kind of food. The momentary pleasure {or sloth or gluttony or any other deadly sins} is so rarely worth it.

Any tricks, articles or epiphanies about goal-setting that you'd like to share?

Creative Tithing : May

I went a slightly different route with my Creative Tithing project this month. Since intentions, goals and commitment have obviously been constantly on my mind, I thought it was the perfect time to purchase The Joy Equation from Molly at Stratejoy. It's billed as "A 30 Day Guide to Living Life on Purpose." Sounds just like what I've been looking for ;)

I've been working through the daily prompts on my lunch hour, taking 30-45 minutes to write in my journal. Then, once a week, I also receive a set of audio sessions from Molly to guide me through the Joy Equation Workbook. It has been really good food-for-thought for me and has even led to some great conversations with my mister when I posed some of the journal questions to him. I wouldn't say the content is drastically different than some of the books or programs out there, but I love that it's geared specifically towards 20-somethings in the midst of quarter-life crises, and the multi-media format is really fun.

Molly just released her newest program called Joy Juice, which is something I definitely want to purchase after I finish The Joy Equation so that I can continue to make journal writing a habit.

I'll probably go back to Etsy/handmade purchases next month, but it was fun to expand my tithing project a bit to support a different type of small business owner, especially one that I really admire :)

There's Something About that Midwestern Charm

Update: I'd like to add that my thoughts are with the people of Joplin, Missouri, as they deal with the aftermath of the horrible tornadoes that hit last night. I wrote this post earlier this weekend, thinking about all the things I love about the Midwest. The nasty tornadoes definitely do not make that list. Love and light to all those affected. 

___________________ 

When I was younger, I went through a phase where I really thought I was destined for New York City. Something about the hustle and bustle of the city seemed sophisticated and exciting to me. I imagined myself in heels and a power suit, working for a magazine or at an ad agency, dining at the finest restaurants and wining at the hottest clubs. Basically, I wanted my life to be Sex and the City long before I had ever seen Sex and the City. My Midwest upbringing seemed so pedestrian and boring and working class. New York was Friends. Illinois was Rosanne.

Fast forward ten to fifteen years and add a whole lot of growing up, and I've got a totally different attitude. Now, New York seems absolutely claustrophobic and expensive, and seems to require residents to possess a certain swagger that I just don't quite have. 

As for the Midwest? Perhaps it's the recent balmy weather we've been having that evokes the summer days that are around the corner, but the Midwest has never been appealing to me more. The Midwest is summer days at the lake. Creaky screen doors slamming. Laying in the middle of a country road, feeling the still-hot-from-the-day asphalt on our backs while gazing up at the stars. State fairs and various edibles on a stick. It's road trips and gold and purple sunsets and cornfields that fade into the horizon. Old houses and peeling paint. It's bare feet and sparklers and watermelon. It's the kindness of neighbors and strangers who actually say hello when you pass them on the street.

I could probably find these charms no matter where I live, but they wouldn't feel as familiar as an old pair of slippers, worn and comfortable in all the right places. For several years now, I've been trying to throw those slippers away {and trying to trade them in for ones called "Portland" or "Seattle"}. But maybe it's time to hold on to what works. Maybe the place we will call home is a place we already know.

_______________

Here are a few links that have been inspiring a special kind of dreamy feeling and pure nostalgia about my homeland:

Midwestyle {men's fashion blog}
I never expected to think that plaid shirts and field jackets and leather boots and beards would be so sexy. But this blog embodies exactly the kind of style I would sport if I were a dude. Plus, one of the guys is a student at Mizzou {alma mater, what what!} whose posts about East Campus make me weepy with nostalgia.

Nutmegger Workshop {small business that creates fabulous vintage sign reproductions}
While these folks are located in Portland, their reproduction signs immediately evoke the small town vibe and worn industrial feel of many Midwestern locales. I love that they are taking something as humble and forgotten about as old signage and faded paint on buildings and honoring them by giving them new life.

A Little Time in The Country {photo series}
I'd love for my maybe/someday/possible/future children to have the freedom and space that a country setting can provide {even if it's just once a year on vacation}.

That's Just It Photo {photography blog}
The simplicity and stillness of Tim Robison's photos bring me right to all my favorite parts about our vacation cottage in northern Wisconsin.

Across America {Flickr slideshow by ck/ck}
Also not specifically Midwestern, but gorgeous nonetheless. I love that both the humble sites and nature's grandeur are equally breathtaking in their own regard.

I know I have a few Midwestern readers, so I'd love to hear: What's your favorite part about the Midwest? And to all my readers: Do you dream of moving away from where you live? Where do your dreams take you? Or, alternatively, what makes you stay where you are?

Snapped Snippet : Painting

Sometimes, you just need to stop telling yourself, "I am NOT a painter" and just pick up the damn paint brush already. That vast, pristine canvas can seem intimidating (especially when it's 24 x 36"!) but the only way to squelch those feelings is to stop thinking and get busy. Before long, those "eeek!" feelings turn into "weee!" feelings with the exhilaration of seeing a picture emerge.

For this painting exercise, I was inspired by the style and process of artist Flora Bowley. I intended to take her class at Squam last year before I had to cancel my registration. After reading many beautiful recaps of her classes at Squam and the "Bloom True" workshops she hosts around the world, I really wanted to give her intuitive painting methods a try while incorporating my own symbology. It was quite a challenge for a planner like me to create on the fly, but I'm pretty smitten with the results.

As fun as it was, I don't think I'll be trading in my art journals for blank canvases anytime soon, and I'll still be saving my pennies for a Flora original someday :)

Is there an art form or an activity that intimidates you? Last year I gave pottery a spin, and now I've conquered a giant canvas. Even if these things don't turn out to be new loves, it's always another story to tell.

Girl Seeks Determination & Stick-to-it-ness {Opinions Welcome!}

Finish/Start by I Like

The Idealist. The Dreamer. These are just a few of the descriptors assigned to my personality type of INFP. The first time I read the results of a Myers-Brigg test, I turned around and peered out my window, fully expecting to see a man peeping in, taking copious notes on my every move.

I mean, with statements like:
 "Their primary goal is to find out their meaning in life. What is their purpose?" 
"Being inward-turning, the natural attraction is away from world and toward essence and ideal"

and qualities such as:
 Introspective, private, empathetic, compassionate. 

Holy heck. That's me to a T.

But, in my own experience, I've found that there are a handful negative aspects of my personality that stem from being a consummate dreamer. These adjectives are much less fun to talk about-- Wishy-washy. Unfocused. Indecisive. Head in the clouds. A quitter. {Please don't misunderstand-- I'm certainly not saying that this is the case for all INFP types; it's just something I've noticed for myself.}

These qualities have shown up at various times in my life, especially lately, and I've been thinking a lot about how they affect the things I want to achieve. At various times, I've talked about doing the Couch-to-5k program or getting up at 5:30 in the morning to work out before work. I've started a dozens of projects only to abandon them when my interest wanes. I'm an expert at coming up with ideas, but not so great at making them a reality {and the things I *do* achieve tend to pass without much recognition from me; I'm definitely not one to celebrate accomplishments}. I often get stuck in the research phase, never feeling like I have enough information to move forward. Obviously, this is no way to get anywhere in life. Dreamland is a wonderful place to hang out, but in my heart, I know I will want to be able to look back on my life at the things I've done, not the ideas I've had.

So I have decided to open up to you, my blog friends, in hopes that you can give me a fresh perspective. I find it embarrassing to talk about, but in an effort to better myself, I need to open up about this, right?


You need not share my ever-present dreamer tendencies, but I'd love to have your input. Let's talk goals and follow-through! How do you motivate yourself? What pushes you through that middle-phase of a project or activity--that phase where the exciting newness has worn off but the finish line is far from sight? What do you do when you're afraid of something? How do you recognize your own accomplishments? Thanks for your input, friends :)

Well Said : Charles Mingus

Simplicity is Hard by Will Lion

Foodie Friday : Indoor Gardening

Despite not having a house or a yard or even an outdoor patio, I'm determined get creative and find my own way to exercise my green thumb. Container gardening seemed like a perfect option for our current living situation. If you've got a windowsill, you've got the potential for a garden!

Want to give it a try with me?

Instructions: Save a plastic container from lettuce greens and poke a few holes in the bottom with a screw driver for drainage. {Definitely save the lid; it acts as a perfect lipped base to catch the water when you're all done!} Fill the container with potting soil, dig little "ditches" in the soil and pour in the seeds. Cover the seeds with more soil, add water, put it in a sunbeam and cross your fingers! For our first experiment, we tried out basil and microgreens.  And how did it go?  Well, let's see...








It's so much fun to watch something grow from nothing into something. More than once, I found myself bent over my little container saying, "Grow, little sprouts, grow!" The basil also transformed into a beautiful little plant, although the leaves aren't quite as vibrant as an outdoor plant. One clear downside, however: It seems like my little indoor garden is making me itch for a real plot of land even more!

Has anyone else tried indoor gardening? I'd love to learn what other kinds of edible plants are good for growing indoors without resorting to buying an AeroGarden or a TopsyTurvy!

Snapped Snippet : Art Journal Pages

I have a hefty backlog of art journal pages that I have forgotten to share from the past few months. Actually, I'm pretty sure that if your eyesight is good enough you might see a date of "August 2010" on a few of these. Scratch that-- make it July, for shame.

I tried branching out from my smudgy, acrylic paint routine by attempting a more paper-collage style on a few pages {as seen in the yellow "light within" page}. I wasn't quite satisfied with how it came out for me, so I'm returning to what works and sticking my fingers back in the paint. Apparently, my inner artist has not progressed much past kindergarten finger-painting.

Full pages can be seen in my Flickr photo set here, but please don't judge how overly emo some of the pages are. Last year was far from the greatest for me. But that's what journals are for, right? :)










Snapped Snippets is a blog series in which I share bits and pieces of my creative life that I capture on camera.

Happy Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to the most loving, supportive, understanding, patient, beautiful mother a girl could ask for. I love you!

And to the aunts, grandmothers, friends and anyone who has ever supported me, mentored me, cheered me on, offered me guidance and love--whether you have birthed a child or not--happy Mother's Day to you as well.

PS - A humorous and appropriate read from my idol Tina Fey: A Mother's Prayer for Her Child