A New Year

 A favorite inspiration of mine is Tom Ford on his New Years resolution, he said "I don't have one. I believe in living life the way that you want to live it every day, and if you do that you don't really need to have a New Year's resolutions."  Therefore, it is best not to expect some long laundry list of promises from me, instead I have daily goals.  I believe in constantly improving.  The unrealistic idea of a butterfly rebirth appeals to me as much as the next girl, however years of never being quite thin enough have taught me that it is hard work being the version of myself that I am happiest with.  Progress happens over night, every time a change is made.  Results take time,  do not be discouraged in whatever your goals are.  That said, I always appreciate a good party.  Have some champagne, share a midnight kiss, and never miss the magic of today by focusing on the promises of tomorrow. 

Run away with me?

All images property of Ana Cabaleiro.  Finals week... Sometimes I just need to escape.  Highly recommend her website.  (On homepage: Make sure to click on the post to see the rest of the images!) 

Inspired: Dianna Argon

I tend to hate things that generate a certain level of obsession  like Team Edward/Team Jacob and the entire werewolf vampire phenomenon.  Do I like Twilight? Duh, guilty pleasure.  Do I hate people who automatically fawn over anything involving a werewolf? Yes.  They ruin it for everyone else.  I felt the same way towards Glee for a long time, but its impossible to ignore for very long. The cast alone is pretty stunning.  The images above are from a Nylon interview with Dianna Agron.  The Princess Dianna angle is endearing, which can be seen from the images (they speak for themselves).  The thing is Dianna is stunning.  Yes, she pulls off retro clothes, but its more than that.  Check out her tumblr to see what I mean.  I'll be floored if you do not pick up on elements of whimsy, kindness or playfulness that all come off entirely heartfelt. <3 This post is not just about a recent inspiration, but me sharing someone with you who I feel is truly inspired.  Click on this post for more!

Miu Miu Fall Winter 2011

Highly recommend looking at Miu Miu's campaign. I cannot believe I have not seen it! The images are stunning, and the video components make you feel like you are watching a film. No, not a modern fashion documentary but a classic.  Hailee Steinfeld's youth is not corrupted like that of most young models portraying something much older than themselves.  Her beauty is appreciated and her youth embraced. I completely adore the campaign.  As for the clothes themselves, I enjoy the color choices, and color blocking without intrusive patterns.  The glitter, and sequin details of the clothes do not feel over done but the perfect accents.  As if any girl could turn down those glitter covered heels!

Francisco Lachowski

  Male fashion has been huge for me lately, but these pics are more than just fashion pieces... they are a tiny peek at Francisco Lachowski. Doesn't his name even sound intriguing? Check out the brazilian fashion model on his twitter.

Polaroid

Summertime <3

Dev Is Hot

Christmas Wishlist: Dev's Cd, The Night The Sun Came Up

Chicago International Film Festival

This film completely satisfied my urge for something to interest my psychological curiosity, as well as the edginess of an international film. I saw it at the Chicago International Film Festival, so as you can see I am very behind in my posts.  Supposedly being released in December to the states! :)

Only For A Moment...

Film is a process.  Digital is incredibly instanteous.  In the latter there is no room to appreciate error.  Film on the other hand is all about the imperfection, the moment captured and not the forced smile.  When I use film cameras I never know what to expect and I adore it.  I  am the person scared to make any mistakes ever, so this is my way of pushing myself.  I fret over whether any will be in focus but I never try to remember what I photographed.  My photographs are always random and mismatched to surprise me everytime.  Sometimes I just need to let go and let life lead me.  Photography is one of those outlets.

My latest purchase is a diana mini plus flash (wonderland edition) and I constantly am wondering whether I actually took the picture, if I tore the film, or what will be in focus!  I know the final surprise in what I actually end up developing will be completely worth it.  I just wish I knew that I wasn't breaking anything in the process.  The cameras are all plastic, and the film has to be advanced by hand- needless to say its alittle worrisome for me.  To break in my first roll of film in the camera I went to The Art Institute of Chicago today, so hopefully those turn out ok!

Above are pictures taken on my film cannon slr at the end of the summer in Chicago.

Art Therapy: Lesson on Color

Art therapy can be incredibly powerful, but first one needs to realize the most important lesson: everything is subjective.  I would not say I'm an artist yet I enjoy making art.  Both the process and the end product motivate me to express myself creatively.  Being a psychology student underlies my interest in the meaning behind the art- the symbolism.  I am therefore sharing two of my pieces from an art therapy lesson (a class I am taking this year) focusing on color.  Our medium was paper because it allowed for a wide range of colors but did not force us to focus on the mixing of paints.  I learned that pink is often upsetting after more than 15 minutes, and small organized shapes can be indicative of someone who has a very organized task type of job.  My images are simple and abstract.  Both images represnt emotions that I had felt that same day.  The top is irritation and the bottom is tired.  You may see something totally different but I see the brightness, the pink and the sharp angled corners of a lingering irritation.  The bottom image is on an earthy brown, and full of fluid lines, calm hovering pastels, sun, and moon.  The beauty of it is in what it means to the artist, how the artist chooses to represent what they feel, and how psychologists can use these symbols to alleviate problems as well as help patients communicate them. 

Love Fern

I bought my own eggling!  My roommate calls it our love fern :) You can already smell the basil-- I'm so proud it actually sprouted!

Early Morning Musings

I am absolutely stunned by the work of Vivian Maier (a nanny by trade) who did most of her photography in Chicago.  There are stories in her work that make the viewer wonder.  The formal aspects alone are intriguing with her use of space and forms.  Her work dates from the 1950s into the late 1990s.  Check out Vivian Maier.  Wish I had time to write more but I'm attempting to study!

Tribalism

Artist: Rosanna Webster

 I'm very excited about the idea of tribal Native American prints for Fall.  The entire nature trend has been a growing force. This style with its slight ruggedness is definitely one interpretation of it.  I say rock it.  Natural stones and feathers are also huge and make great accents.  There's a lot being done in terms of sweaters, backpacks and knits that can be purchased semi-affordably at stores like H&M and Urban Outfitters.  

Artist: Marita Contreras

Stunning. Check out her artist statement on website.

Film

The images were scanned at my school which may have affected some of the quality unfortunately.

I'm feeling...

Eat, Learn, Move

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

This gave me a hopelessly terrible case of wanderlust.  How amazing would it be to travel the world, to see and do even half of the things in this video?  I may very well be a broke college student but I am planning on exploring the world!  This video is one of three that can be found on Vimeo.  Each has a theme: eat, learn, move.  It was a tough choice choosing between Eat and Learn for posting, because I love the music and impressive food in Eat.  I also have been a foodie phase lately, particularly Italian cusinine.  I'm fearless when it comes to cooking new things, and making up half of the recipe along the way.   Anyway, I chose Learn because has the same spirit of adventure with a little more action.  Definitely watch all the films though!

Wild Flowers

I'm following two new blogs Souvenirs of A Girl and The Stylish Wanderer.  I adore the whimsical images they post.  Definitely check them out- above are a few of the summer lovin' pictures from their pages I wanted to share :)

Also, now that I finally looked into the problem, my blog can now be followed on Bloglovin' (the best way to stay up to date on all the blogs you follow)!

A Single Man

Tom Ford is a creative genius.  Watch the video to get his insight, as well as the actors, into the film.  Highly recommended.  This film was so artistically stunning that it is no surprise how many nominations and awards it received.  The story was taken from Christopher Isherwoord's book A Single Man.  It wasn't a plot to me so much as everyday life viewed with a "vibrancy" as Tom Ford called it.  There is no rush to what will happen next, but an appreciation of every moment.  The day is a progression of breathtaking moments as seen by the main character -George- because he is living with the knowledge that this is his last day on earth.  The music that accompanied these scenes was devastatingly perfect in heightening the experience. 

There were certain things that stuck out to me and I've decided to include them for everyone to think about. In particular I could not get past the very opening lines of, "It takes time in the morning for me to become George.  I have to adjust to what is expected of George, how he is to behave.  By the time I have dressed and put the final layer of polish on the now slightly stiff but quite perfect George I know fully what part I am supposed to play."  It is depressing taken in the sense that we are all pretending to be someone, but the statement is nonetheless true. Could there be a more perfect reference to Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage; and all the men and women merely players..." How we present ourselves very much influences and is influenced in turn by who we feel we should be.  The ending with the layer of polish and the slightly stiff reference is the perfect reinforcement of the idea of being quite artificial or superficial.  Artificial because he is creating a front for himself.  George is superficial in that when encountering him you are getting only the layer of him is allowing you to see not beneath it.  

One last quote: "A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be. "

Jazzin' at the Shedd

Tonight was one of the last nights to visit the Shedd Aquarium for fireworks, jazz music, and special exhibits.  I was dying to see a whale after I heard that their tongues weigh more than an elephant!  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any whale tongues, but I did see the Jellies.  They have no blood, brains, or bones... cool or creepy? You decide. 

Be Your Own Hero

I love girls who aren't afraid to be bold.  Whip It is an absolute favorite of mine for that exact reason.  The movie has been out for awhile so this isn't a review.  Recently found these images, thought they were outrageously cool -like the movie- and wanted to share.  The photographs (all of them except for the last one I believe) are by Ellen Von Unwerth. 

Check out more of them here: http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/evu/Ellen_von_Unwerth_Hot_Skates.htm