I'd like to think I'm slowly getting my creative mojo back. I'm really grateful for these classes I'm taking because they're giving me a reason to be creative. (I'm telling you, if I wasn't enrolled, I would be sitting around all day watching tv shows on my computer trying to find the energy to unpack, all while job searching and feeling sorry for myself. Probably would feel the same as I did in Portland.)

Anyway, enough of the sad talk. For my basic graphic design class, with Valentine's day being a couple of days ago, our professor told us to take the shape of a heart and place it in some environment that represents love. It can be drawn, photographed, sculpted, etc. The basic idea has to be "Love is...". This was a three part project. My first part: Love is infinite.

I really wanted to find a way to use an embroidery hoop. Browsing the internet, I came across some embroidery art that inspired me to do a galaxy piece. I found cool embroidery art from this Etsy shop What. No Mints?

I realized they used french stitching but I wanted to use beads. I had recently organized my beads into new containers and I was excited to use them!

I started out by creating a heart with various sizes of beads. Then I just continued building around the heart to make it look galaxy like. I made some areas clustered and others spaced out (pun?). The tricky part was to just be able to make the heart stand out.

I always get confuzzled on how to handle the backing. I cut off the excess and decided to use PVA glue to glue down the excess to the inner hoop. I had my handy dandy clothespins to hold the fabric down as I glued.
(I also get a kick out of seeing the backs of embroidery pieces because it shows the process. It's just so jagged and raw as opposed to the front which is the clean finished product.)

So that's the finished product. Love is infinite.
And my love for galaxies is infinite.

I'll be posting my other two parts within the next two days!

This year was off to a rough start. To be truthful, I'm a little disappointed with how the past five months turned out. I was thrown empty promises which I think was the reason for my defeat, and I think it's getting me down even more these days than it did before. I've had a lot of time on my hands recently, so my mind has really been racing, wondering when things went wrong.
I do believe things happen for a reason though, and I believe that I don't think I was quite done with what I needed to do in my home state before leaving. I'm happy to be back, but things aren't quite back to normal. I'm unfortunately still in a rut, applying to jobs to no end. My night classes have been going smoothly though, and I've actually been enjoying school which I never saw coming.

Two weeks in and I'm still unpacking. My bedroom looks like an explosion, but I've definitely made progress (although I'm sure it's not too believable from the photo). Bought new storage containers to better organize all my fabric and art supplies.

I'm slowly getting back to normal, and I'm working on gaining back my creative mojo which has been absent for so many months. First things first, I need to clear up my things to create a positive, clutter free work space. And then I'm sure I'll be back in the crafty game, posting more, getting myself back to normal. I have a few things new I want to try this year, but I'm working on baby steps as of now.

In the meantime, can I comment on the biggest moment of the Grammys this year? I didn't watch it, but of course I've coming across videos, gifs, and articles concerning the Beck & Kanye moment. Beck deserved that award, being a veteran in the industry. He's a hell of a talented guy and has more "artistry" than most mainstream artists these days.
Kanye, go home, you're drunk.

One day late with this summary post.
It's been a pretty slow two weeks. Finishing up packing. Still working on selling my furniture. Taking advantage of my last week, going out and about, and relaxing.

01. Since I've sent out 80% of my stuff, I haven't had much to do besides browse the interweb. I remembered I had bought a Tibetan coloring book a while back, and I haven't sent out my colored pencils. So I had some coloring fun!
02. The other day I went out and about with neighbors and came across this cool shop with a terrarium bar. How cool is that? A whole drawer unit with drawers full of materials to make your own terrarium. Moss, sand, rocks, etc. If I wasn't moving, I totally would have gone to town. I plan on making one when I get back to New York. Gonna go on a search for terrarium bars in New York.
03. The same day, I bought a souvenir! A ring made of real gold and turquoise. I love it.
04. I have store credit at a local consignment shop, so I decided to take a look around to see if there was anything small to buy. Came across small crafty items to add to my crafty collection. Small clothespins, a pack of beads, a pack of buttons, and a package of sewing thread.

It seems a little surreal to me how I'll be moving back home permanently. I've been coming across a lot of articles lately about how 2015 is the year a lot of people are saying goodbye to New York because the cost of living is just ridonk. Examples: 01 + 02 + 03.

I just find it funny that I've been wanting to leave for the longest time, and now that I'm heading back home, I'm finding all these articles about how people are throwing in the towel and are leaving the city. Life is funny like that.
Anyway, the countdown is on. One week till I hop on that plane!

This month's going to be a quiet one for me. I've been keeping on the D.L. packing and binge watching It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and other movies. My days also consist of constant trips to the post office to ship out boxes, and selling furniture on the oh so creepy Craigslist (so far I've experienced one uncomfortable creepy incident; cross your fingers that will be the only creepy uncomfortable incident).

I'm kinda bummed this is the way my year is starting off, but I have high hopes and expectations starting February in good ole New York. I never thought I would miss New York so much, as I have been dreaming of moving out of my home state for the longest time. I've concluded that I'm not finished with New York yet. I'm still young, and there's so much I want to accomplish before I can justify a move elsewhere.

I've been slowly setting up things for myself for when I'm back. I signed up for two night classes. Figured I should try to better myself with graphic design. I know enough to get by, and I know all the Adobe programs, but it doesn't hurt to try and better myself. I've also been looking into a few places to volunteer. I'm actually quite excited for that. And of course I've been applying to jobs. Starting February, I know I'll be back to feeling like myself, and I know I feel better about life when I'm busy.
I can't wait!

In the meantime, my life has been all about selling my IKEA furniture. I woke up to a text from my brother this morning which consisted of this newish IKEA video poking fun at Apple. I wanted to share because this company has been so relevant to my life lately (especially since I play on buying some new furniture when I get back home).

Happy new year!

Can't believe how fast this year came and gone, but I'm excited for the new year.
For me, 2014 was the year to get things done. To recap, I graduated school, got a full time job, some freelance jobs along the way, and left it all to move to Portland.
I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, and "got things done", so I'd say it was a successful year.

With my plans changing up a bit and my mind wandering everywhere, I want to name 2015 as the year to not settle and see where the wind takes me.
I've decided on three options: go back to school, job search back home and intern/find a full time job, or take advantage of this free moment in my life and travel. From what it looks like, I may end up doing all three this year and I'm totally fine with that. I don't have a weight on my shoulders anymore and I want to take advantage of this confusing time.

Everything I shared from my Portland goal post I want to apply to everywhere and no longer limit it to my Portland life, or soon to be lack thereof. I want to take advantage of the world outside of my little bubble, and that's what I want my 2015 to be - an introduction to the world.

This one post I found on Tumblr basically sums up everything for me currently:

"Nothing will ruin your 20s more than thinking you should have your life together already."

And because of this weird mindset I've been in lately, I've been curious to know how that will affect this blog in the future, but I guess time will tell. It's cool seeing transitions of blogs because of important life experiences that affect daily life. That's what makes life cool. Evolution, and not necessarily Darwin's version.

I couldn't think of a better way of spending new years day than a trip to the Oregon coast (see photos above). Yesterday was fantastic and I'm hoping to make every day even better.

I feel like it's not very often you come across a blogger that shares failures - or more like setbacks (a less harsh term than 'failure'). If you think about it, most blogs these days showcase the positive that people want to share. Not the negatives. Not that I'm looking to single myself out, but I've come across a recent setback that is making me question every move I make and I'm feeling comfortable enough to share.

My dream was to move across country to a unique city where I can feel like myself, and Portland sounded like that kind of city for me. Or so I thought. I've come to realize I was chasing a dream and I thought a big move would help me get a better grasp of the life I wanted. I had big hopes and promised myself I would make it work.

Turns out I couldn't actually make it work. I fixated on a place thinking it would change my life, and as much as it helped me figure out what I really want, it doesn't seem that Portland is the place to make it happen. This all occurred to me during a long personal thinking session I had with myself since I have so much time to myself these days.

I guess I find it kind of perfect this occurred to me right in time for the new year. There's nothing like that fresh feeling a new year can bring. I'm grateful I made this move as there's nothing worse than that dreaded "what if". I tested myself and I know now that I can handle living out of my comfort zone, and I'm excited to test myself again in the future as I do plan on bringing life to a new level and try out new things for 2015. I don't feel limited anymore and I want see what I can do with my life and how to make it so much better without fixating on things.

With that said, January will be my last month living in Portland in which I plan on heading back home to good ole New York to start fresh and go through that experience of "finding myself". I've seemed to join the mid-20s-straight-out-of-college-feeling-lost club. And I am no longer afraid to admit to myself that I really have no idea what I'm doing and I'm still trying to figure it out. Isn't that the first step to be able to get past something, recognizing what the problem is?

Every so often, I come across fortune cookies that tells me reassuring fortunes. I like this fortune and it's relevant to how I've been feeling lately. The future will hold great things, or at least I hope so. We'll see! And for sure I do plan on sharing it. Life is a fun quest that should be shared, especially both ups and downs.

I don't think I'm even close to being qualified to be sharing business tips as I'm fresh into the industry, but I've learned enough from personal experience and from watching friends and coworkers to know what to do and what not to do at this point in my life. And I wanted to pass it onto all y'all that are in a similar position.

01. Take criticism. Everyone has opinions and many people are not afraid to express their opinions. Putting yourself out there (especially on the internet), you're going to get critiqued, be it good or bad. No matter what, you can learn from what people say, and you should never take it personally. Criticism is everywhere you go. Try to look at it as a way to grow; that mindset will take you far.

02. Communication is key. When you take on a job, communicate. Be it freelance or even full time, make sure everything is discussed fully up front. If you're confused, don't be afraid to ask questions and make everything clear. You'll feel more dumb producing a wrong end result than asking too many questions too avoid that wrong end result. Talk it out.

03. Don't be afraid to contact anyone. Write down who you know or who you'd like to know. Even if you have big dreams, go for it. It's amazing that we live in a time where we can contact people from across the world. People share their emails for a reason - to set up contact. Take advantage of that! It never hurts to reach out and ask questions.

04. Best time to send out that e-mail? This is one of those weird things that I'm still testing out, but apparently the best time to send out emails for job opportunities or general inquiries is Tuesday through Thursday. Sending an email over the weekend can lead you to get lost in the middle of the crowd as soon as people check their messages first thing Monday morning. Towards the end of the week, your email may not even be checked until the week after. The best time to send something is in the middle of the week. It's something to keep in mind taking into consideration business days.

05. What do you have to lose? This has been becoming my motto. It helped me move across country. Then again, everyone is in a different position, so I understand not everyone can up and move. But it's the little things that count too. Going back to a previous point, if there's someone you want to contact about a question, new job opportunities, etc., send that email. You have to start looking at the world as a place with endless opportunities. So much is accessible, you just have to reach for it. Seek out those opportunities. What's the worst that can happen, you're denied or ignored? I think life can be much worse. Do as NIKE says.

06. Don't burn bridges. Something didn't turn out the way you planned? Disagree with someone? Job experience went sour? Don't lash out! I personally believe you should move on and keep your mouth closed. You never know when you're going to run into someone you don't like - sometimes avoiding is not as easy. The really crummy people also seem to have the best contacts, and you never know if you'll need to contact said crummy person to ask for help. Even a reference letter may be something you need. You never know. The world works in funny ways and it's never a good idea to burn bridges.

07. Don't always rely on others. Oh, I could go on for days about this one topic. Just the past few months alone I can tell you how horrible it can be relying on others. Keep in mind that everyone has their own life they're taking care of first. But at the end of the day, everything is always a waiting game because you're always interacting with other people; it's unavoidable. Have you been waiting on someone else to help you out with something? Don't wait. Find a way to make something work for yourself. If you held your breath waiting on others, you'd be dead. Take action yourself.

08. Don't be afraid to dive in, but be prepared with a backup plan. I don't think being impulsive is a bad things. Sometimes you just have to go for something whether you're prepared or not. But I have learned the hard way that a backup plan may be good to have. Things don't always work out the way you want and it's not so bad to have something to fall back on.

09. Underselling yourself can sometimes do more damage than good. If you take on a freelance job, charging too little may make you come off as a person who doesn't know what they're doing, or the work you produce isn't great. It can be uncomfortable talking numbers. Just remember, aim high because you can always work your way down. Most of the time there are negotiations, and it's better you worked together to reach a reasonable number than something you can't go back on from the beginning.
But there are exceptions, like in the next point...

10. Don't be afraid to compromise and satisfy others. Sometimes you have to work within peoples budgets, and small businesses have small budgets. If you're doing work for local companies, it's okay to work under your price range every so often to help the locals. In this cut throat world full of competition, small businesses are putting up such a fight to make it out alive. Every so often, it doesn't hurt to help out.

11. Follow your gut. I like to think of your gut as your sixth sense. It's an internal feeling that can help guide you when you're feeling indifferent. Following my gut helped me take on a lot and I feel comfortable saying it hasn't failed me yet. Who knows how many horrible decisions you've dodged by following your internal feelings. It's important to listen to yourself.

12. Always thank people for their time. To ask for someone to stop and put their attention on you, it's always respectful to thank them. It's just as easy stand out as a polite person as it is to stand out as a rude person. Between the two, I think we can all agree, be the polite person.

And one more bonus: a tweet from Tina Roth Eisenberg from Swiss Miss.

These are all points I have learned over the past year alone. With the new year coming, it's good to keep these in mind to apply them to future scenarios you find yourself in. I know I'm excited for the new year to start fresh and dive more into the business aspect of the freelance industry.
I'm sure this list will change and for sure grow, but I'll just have to wait and see!