Summer cleaning

This summer, my parents decided that it was time to replace the carpets in my sister's bedroom and my own. I was also instructed that my childhood furniture would be sold and the bedroom set that belonged to my grandmother would take my place. 

Of course, the opportunity to play with interior design is not one that I am to turn down. But I soon realized that new carpets and new furniture meant one thing: lots and lots of moving. 

College students are quick to associate with this pain; while we may love the lives that we live in those dingy first apartments and prison-like dorm rooms, the two most torturous days of the year are when we move in and out.

Packing up your entire life into boxes is strange enough--but in the case of packing up your childhood room, it's even stranger. You come across things that you have no idea why or how you ever came to possess it. More likely, you come across the smallest of things that trigger the strongest of memories. 

Unpacking was much more difficult than packing things up temporarily, as I was tasked with sorting through my things to decide what was worth keeping. Stuffed animals were bagged to be given away to younger family members, artwork from a class taken freshman year of high school was stashed into folders--yet one box remained that I struggled with. 

The box could not be lifted by one person. It had to be at least 30 pounds. And it contained my magazine collection that was established in early 2007. Six years of Vogue, Teen Vogue, Nylon and a smattering of others had added up without much notice. 

I've always had a love affair with magazines. My father introduced me to their magic at a young age, and I've never looked back. Yet as I looked at these magazines stacked up on my kitchen table like soldiers standing sentry, I wondered what purpose they still held. Yes, they are archives that can be treasured; they are tomes of style that may one day be considered rare and ancient. 

I live in New York for three-quarters of the year. These magazines sit in my childhood room during that time, doing nothing but collecting dust. So what should become of them? 

Eventually, I reached the decision that I would give them away. Subscribing to these magazines is what made me fall in love with fashion and writing, inspiring my desired career path. Yet they are no use to me if they sit untouched 3,000 miles away. It's hard to part with things that have extended meanings; it's hard to part with the pages that have set fire to an unending passion within me. 

But it's time. And now that I will soon be moving into my own apartment, perhaps it's time to start my own collection once more. 

I adore...

Kyle and I always talk about the places we'd like to travel to someday. Norway is quickly moving to the top of our lists, especially after I saw this photo. 

This vase that imitates a crinkled white paper bag from the MoMA store reminds me of fresh pastries from my local bakery and instantly makes me wish to fill it with peonies. 

Illustrator Joana Avillez has captured many icons like Iris Apfel and Bill Cunningham. My only regret is that I did not find her work sooner; I know what I'll be perusing for the remainder of the afternoon.

Samantha of Could I Have That? has quickly become one of my favorite fashion bloggers. Her casual yet tailored style reminds me of my California roots and inspires me to explore my bicoastal life as I hone my own style. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

Work in progress

One thing that I always find hard to come to terms with is the fact that I am a work in progress. Rather, it is not necessarily difficult to see that I am always changing and moving forward--but that it is difficult to make decisions knowing that fact. 

Yet those decisions, no matter how risky and uninformed they may be, are what ultimately shape our progress. 

I recently came across this little quip that inspired these thoughts: "You're a work in progress, but you have purpose!" 

At this point in my life, no phrase could describe my mindset any better. I may not have any idea where I'll end up, what career I will have or who will still be by my side, but I do know that I am determined to push on. 

Nothing is certain, which is why we need so much determination. I can spend hours laying in the grass dreaming of my future career and my dream apartment accompanied by a quirky black pug, yet there's no chance of that becoming a reality unless I press on with purpose. 

I've learned that the most difficult part is not finding a dream or a lofty goal, but the purpose that one needs to get there. Our goals are constantly changing, but if we maintain a certain amount of determination, there's no limit to the happiness that we can achieve. 

I'm easily one of the most anxious people I know. That anxiety, however, is not always a bad thing. It can be a voice in the back of my head asking if I have done enough, or if I can go above and beyond in a project or job. It's what drives me to take the extra step and reach out my hand to introduce myself to someone I admire. 

My anxiety can easily consume me or it can fuel me to persevere. It is a trait that I hate, but I've also come to accept and act on to further myself. I ask: Why am I overthinking this? And if I can reach an answer amongst that suffocating pile of random tangents, I can find something to tackle and act to change. 

I know that I will always be a work in progress. I don't think that there will ever come a point in my life where I will be able to come to a complete stop. As long as I have a purpose, I will press on. 

(She by Kobi Yamada)

Favorite find: LIFE Magazine archives

While this isn't a very new discovery, it is one of the most important ones I have ever made. My grandmother always had old issues of LIFE Magazine lying around her house. Every time I managed to stumble across another, I felt as though I could open it and enter the days of America's past in just a moment. 

It's certainly no revelation to see that LIFE Magazine captured aspects of American life in the twentieth century in a manner that no other publication came close to. The name LIFE is iconic, both for the icons and the most average of people that it featured. 

I could spend hours perusing the LIFE archives. Many of the photos featured on the website have long been lost, never even published in the pages of the print magazine. These are the photos that may not have seemed exciting at the time, but now provide invaluable insight into our ever-changing culture. 

I particularly love these three images for all sorts of reasons. The first of course is Liz Taylor and Richard Burton on the set of 'Cleopatra.' Their romance is so intriguing to me in that it was so wrought with scandal, that it almost reads as fictitious (yet it's entirely true). The look that they are exchanging in this photo says more than I ever could. 

The second photo is of Woody Allen at his Manhattan home in 1967, at just 31 years old. This gallery, and the article that accompany it, dive into his early neuroticism and complexities even as a young man. This photo portrays him as so completely normal, simply working in his office, and I think that is what I love most about it. 

The last photo is a part of one of my favorite galleries entitled 'The Invention of Teenagers: LIFE and the Triumph of Youth Culture.' It's always interesting to see how differently people of the same age as you lived throughout history. These teens told the photographer that they loved rides to football games in this car. Be still my heart. 

If you ever find yourself in a fit of boredom, I cannot recommend the LIFE archives enough. You'll soon find yourself engulfed in an undying curiosity for the rich history that lies in those unpublished images. 

Timing is everything.

The notion of time and the invention of the clock are among the most life-changing technologies that humans have developed throughout our short existence. The clock runs our lives. From the minute we are born, we submit ourselves to its fleeting nature. 

Time is both a soothing and anxiety-inducing concept. Humans are creatures of habit and cling to routine. Yet perhaps what we also fear more than anything is the passage of time; the years fly by and we continue to grow ever older. 

I always feel like I'm fighting a constant battle with time. As a student who goes to college 3,000 miles away from her hometown, significant other and her family, there are many late nights where I find myself staring at the countdown app on my iPhone. 

I spend so much time wishing it away, and then the day I return home (or whichever day I am most looking forward to) arrives in a flash. Breaks from school go by quicker and quicker with each passing year. 

I never want to wish my life away. My parents always told me not to rush growing up. Everyone has heard the countless cliches, but never believes them until some form of reality approaches. "It only gets worse from here." 

I suppose the only answer to this constant battle of looking forward to the future but dreading the speed at which time passes is another cliche: live in the present. It's a phrase that is repeated with ease, but is rarely enacted. Time presses us to constantly look forward or backwards. Even when we try to enjoy a moment fully for what it is, there always tends to be something in the back of our minds that distracts us from doing so. 

As I have been trying to live more in the moment this summer, I've realized that you can't escape the minor impending anxieties. You will always be thinking about your upcoming flight back to school, that major paper you have due in a week or a crucial job interview. Living in the present is less about forgetting about your worries or priorities, and more about acceptance of the passage of time. 

Once I accept that time is passing, and that it is passing quickly, I tend to ask myself: why can't I be happy right now? Deadlines will come and go, but there's nothing you can do about it. Why consume your life with thoughts of the future or the past when you could be happy at this very moment? You can decide to act; you can decide to be happy. 

It's hard to say that anyone can ever completely master the act of living in the present. Yet if we come to terms with the fact that time is passing, and that we can't do anything about it, we realize that we ought to take advantage of it.  

(photo by Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studio)

Monday musings

I just arrived home from a wonderful vacation in Santa Cruz. It reminded me of how beautiful it can be to live simply. Good company, salty air and the sea are all I need. Now I am easing back into the reality of the 100+ degree weather in my hometown with a little Pinterest scouting after being inspired by keeping things simple and classic. 

(via Matchbook Magazine's pinterest page and Liz Schneider's pinterest)

Stuck in a style rut

I've always been a devout follower of the fashion industry. For as long as I can remember I've gawked at the editorials in Vogue and I've been tracking the rise of fashion blogs since I received my first laptop in middle school. 

via Jak & Jil

Yet as a college student, I often find myself simply longing over clothes rather than incorporating them into my closet. As many others can relate, I find it difficult to justify buying yet another pair of jeans simply because they are in a different wash, or a particularly unique pair of earrings when that money should be going to textbooks or rent. 

However, even in the rare months that I am home and my parents are feeling more generous than usual, I find myself stuck in a style rut. I leave store after store empty-handed, and I'm not sure if this is because I feel guilty spending my parents' money or if I simply don't know my own style anymore. 

I certainly have no loss for inspiration--Pinterest, magazines and blogs are constantly becoming more refined. Whenever I go shopping, though, I seem to never find anything that I love. I try pieces on, and I think, "Well, this is okay." But when building my wardrobe, I don't want to fill it with pieces that are merely "okay." 

This time of year is always particularly difficult for me in terms of style, as I tire of wearing the same shorts and tank tops every day (yet Fresno's heat in the summer is unbearable, so this is rather unavoidable). Fall and winter are much more inspiring for me as I love to layer and experiment with mixing different pieces in my closet. 

Perhaps I am simply just thinking about my style too much. I need to stop trying to force myself to like pieces just so I can purchase something new, and I need to let myself fall in love with styles on a whim. Summer is winding down, and I'll be unpacking my sweaters in New York in no time. A new season may be just what I need to spruce up my style and achieve a more focused vision. 

What do you do when you're stuck in a style rut?