We Are Made of Space

This ambient song makes me smile.  

Listen to it here.

Wishing you all a beautiful week!

Breadth of Life

Have you ever spent some time looking at the world from a perspective not your own?  Last week, I did just that.  Took my trusty camera outdoors, and without seeing the image preview--with my arms at awkward angles--took a photo of a yellow daisy from the bottom up.

From a different perspective, I obtain an entirely new vantage point, one that would have remained obscured had it not been for a change in thought, a reworking of a life's narrative.  A minute detail noticed brings with it a sweet significance and a calming sense of peace.  I won't use the ocean analogy here--but I will say this: Images jog memories and foster a semi-fleeting sense of clarity when it all seems so murky, allowing the present to carry on.  And carry on, we do.

Update

 

(Stamps are from norahjane.)

I currently have nothing too exciting to divulge, except that I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs in nervous anxiety over this.  Not quite victory dance time yet, but over 120 pages later, I have completed the needed prerequisites...and am currently awaiting a yay or nay reply.  Then more editing.  Then hopefully done with what has turned out to be a very long and drawn out process of obtaining a higher degree.

In the meantime, I've been working on some new designs for my shop to get the creative part of my brain going again; finding my quiet, creative space again.  It's not easy sometimes, this creative process, but it is entirely worth it: especially when everything falls together even better than you could have ever imagined it to.

Native Son

I am really enjoying NOISETRADE--first Rachael Yamagata's acoustic mix tape (a precursor to her new EP, "Heavyweight," both of which I blogged about here) and now Kate Earl's musical sampler from her upcoming album, "Stronger."  How lucky can a girl be?  Below is by far my favorite song, "Native Son," from Kate Earl's new NOISETRADE sampler, which nostalgically reminds me of the sound of her first album, "Fate is the Hunter": folksy, quietly lyrical, and wildly, magically, influenced by her Alaskan upbringing.  It's been nearly a decade since "Fate," and Kate's voice has developed a soothing, melancholy depth; a haunting revelation of the soul, indeed.

Please bear with the video's simplicity--I think it adds to the mood of the song.  I created the video myself from the MP3 of "Native Son" and the album cover (I believe) of the soon-to-be-released "Stronger."  The song title was added onto the image by me.

  

Did I mention that NOISETRADE sessions are free downloads? 

Happy Friday!

The Bright Side

Welcome to the bright side of things.  I know that times have been tough for everyone, and that life sometimes breaks apart in fits and starts at its seams, bursting with anxiety and gloom in all its darkness.  Sometimes it's hard to just take in a deep breath--I know this.  But as in every dynamic, there is a probable upside, even if it is merely considered a silly learning experience or, conversely, a epiphany-like chance at introspection.  This post chronicles a few recently found up sides...

Have you heard of The Bright Side Project?  I stumbled across their website through vitrifiedstudio, who is having a giveaway (which is currently open through 9/18) there.  In addition to hosting giveaways, The Bright Side Project is a collection of DIYs, interviews with shop owners, and quotes--with a "when life gives you lemons...make lemonade" perspective.  Very optimistic and real without being overly sentimental or gushy.

(I tend to steer away from the gushy.) 

The Bright Side Project's mission statement is clear: no matter how bad you currently have it, there is optimism among the ruins.

On a more personal level, as you know, my shop's September sale (via a 30% off coupon code: HARVEST) is half over as of yesterday.  I recently received an order from a buyer who purchased a Pay it Forward item, which is exempt from the sale, with this coupon code.  Upon realizing its exemption, this buyer actually sent me back the money due.  How refreshingly honest is that?  Very much so.  For me, this integrity-laden act genuinely made my day, put a little skip in my step--not that someone read the fine print and adhered to "the rules," but that someone cared enough to be kind.  And to simply pay it forward, which is inspiration enough for me.

Support Small Businesses

From Curator SF

I feel like I don't say it enough, these simple words--

thank you. 

 ***

Your support over this past year and a half has been so phenomenal; humbling.  (Back then, I was hesitant to open a shop, mainly because I was fearful about how it would be received by others.)  Mere words do not, cannot, possess the expansive breadth and depth of my gratitude.  

Okay, enough of the outpouring of heart.  Just know this: I appreciate it all.

Pay it Forward | New Year

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday...

I know that not everyone is able to purchase a gift because of the current economic status in our country (and world, for that matter).  So I have greatly reduced in price a few items in my shop in an effort to "pay it forward."  Random acts of kindness are oftentimes hard to come by, and this is my teeny-tiny contribution to the world.

"Paying it forward" is associated with a random act of kindness, and for me, little distinction is made between the two.  Both terms are also synonymous with carrying out a good deed.  It is my hope that you "pay it forward" in some way or another, too--whether it be paying for the person behind you in line, giving a formidable tip to a worthy wait person, or even helping an elderly neighbor cross the street.  A little kindness (and mindfulness) goes a long way.

***

Truthfully, I, myself, could make a better note of the latter.  Mindfulness, that is.  Also, I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions.  I have a difficult time believing (or making believe in) something that warrants such goal-oriented thinking: a goal that must be made in a specific time of year, and completed in x amount of time.  Time isn't quite as linear as we believe it to be.

So cheers to not making New Year's resolutions.  Cheers to being mindful and creative: jotting down a to-do list rather than feeling the need to make a goal and keep it because, let's face it, there are too many variables in life to consider.  Goals are more like ideal road maps, anyways.  The most enriching experiences are found away from the hum-drum of the norm. 

Have a fun and safe new year!

Mad About Citrine

Citrine points, that is.  I started my Etsy shop a year ago with raw citrine and amethyst point pendants.  An amethyst point was the first item sold (to a lady in Japan!).  Citrine points have continued to be a bestseller for me, and I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of creating, photographing, and listing them for sale in my shop.  My favorite items to photograph are raw citrine points: the varied shades of yellow seem to glisten and bask in the sunlight; each angle of a raw citrine point is very unique, as well as its shape and color gradient, ranging from pale, minimalist yellow to an earthy, deep amber.

Optimistic.  The metaphysical properties of citrine include helping to foster creativity and gently lifting one out of depression.  To me, citrine looks like sunshine, embodied in stone form.  Here are the raw citrine points recently listed for sale...

Ode to August

Oh August,

As the heat of summer reaches its crescendo,

I whisper to you

Meaningful articulations of the self.

I raise my glass to you,

Hold you up to high esteem--

As I humbly raise my chin to the sky.

 

A Breath of Fresh Air

I love good news.  Surrounding myself with my "optimism" color--pale green--and Angie Stone's "Mahogany Soul," I am soaring high, floating on cloud nine.  I am enamored with my new chartreuse and white porcelain bowl from the minimalist, SuiteOneStudio, love my husband with all my contemplative heart, and am reaching for the stars.  Inspire me; humble me.

A few of my favorite green-colored things:

Bowl

Green Aventurine Necklace

Peridot Ring

Pencil Case

P.S. I'm keeping positive, with kind thoughts.  Unexpected turns, this life: all the more for us to learn and grow.  Wisdom is attained from our learning experiences; we grow from these experiences, however raw or enlightening they may be.  I am a firm believer in that life has a way of righting itself up when all seems to crumble around you.  There is hope in the ruins, continuity in the disjointed.