Sometimes I think trying to explain a thought or feeling makes it less profound. Interpretation will take you where it may…

That’s the fun in self-discovery after all.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

( design by me )

The alarming rate at which social media is growing — and, consequently, becoming an increasingly large part of our lives — has been a topic that’s been on my mind for the past couple of years.  My perspective on it has waffled from being gung-ho/all in, to wanting to shut it off completely. Lately, more than ever, the scale has been tipping towards the latter.

*Before I go any further on this subject, I just want to say that I’m not here to get on a soapbox. Everyone has his/her own view on how they want to approach social media and blogging, and this is what I’ve decided that I need to do for myself.  

Last week, when the new video platform, Vine, exploded out of nowhere and everyone jumped on the bandwagon, it made me take a giant step backwards and look at the whole social media situation. Before I’d even heard of this new app, I had been thinking how I need to put my phone down more, not look at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Generally feeling like I just need to unplug and get back to basics…like reading a book, making a nice meal and enjoying it (without having to Instagram it)…blogging a quality post without worrying if it’s pin-worthy — and feeling the need to link back to it via every.single.platform.

Seeing Vine catch on like wildfire just made me kind of sad for my generation. We are so absorbed into this digital world – myself included. I stopped to think about what I used to do with my free time pre-smartphone (it’s been about 3 years…so checking my phone is routine) — and I honestly don’t even remember what life was like before I documented everything!  I am tired of feeling the pull to comment on what I’m doing, or share photos of life as it happens, or worry about getting “likes”…or even worse, feeling like I haven’t made my friends feel worthy/validated by “liking” their posts, etc.

When I first started a blog, about three years ago, all these social media outlets weren’t so deeply integral to the routine (in fact, for me, not at all). Blogs were the main platform. I’ve been thinking about how the conversation has moved off of the blogs onto Twitter, Facebook, etc. — and with it, the quality of posts. When you’re spreading yourself so thinly between all these various platforms, can you really appreciate a blog post for what it is — and moreover, what if we put all that time we’re spending tweeting and instagraming into a post?  Of course, there are still blogs out there with amazing content. But I know that for me, a dip in quality (due to social networking) has been the case. I loathe feeling like I’m sucked into this ritual: blog the post, create a bit.ly link, tweet it, upload photo from post to Facebook and link it, pin it, instagram it, and then tweet it again in the afternoon for people who may have missed it earlier. That sounds pretty nuts when you write it out like that, doesn’t it? I guess for people who have made a business out of blogging, maybe that’s what it takes to keep a following and continued growth…but this is just my personal blog and I don’t know how I got sucked into all of it. Kinda scary.

The main point of me writing all this is to say: I need to back off of the social media. I can’t (and I don’t want to) do it anymore. I really just want to write my blog — and I want to spend all that time that I’ve been tweeting and whatnot actually creating. It’s a bittersweet decision for me, because I have made so many incredible connections with people via those outlets, but I feel that our friendships can definitely be continued through emails and hopefully, an ongoing and more engaging conversation on the blog. I don’t want to discontinue any relationships I’ve made (you lovely folks know who you are!), but I want to enrich my real life by being fully present in it, and not a slave to my iPhone. So long story short, I deactivated my personal Facebook account, and have no plans to update my blog FB account. I’m not going to be tweeting (so please don’t think I’m ignoring you if you’ve mentioned me – definitely not!) or Instagraming anymore. I think IG will be the hardest to give up, because I love taking photos. Instead of using that platform, I plan to share my personal photos on here. I’ve decided to keep Pinterest, because although it can be a time suck…I truly enjoy pinning, and haven’t felt negatively affected by spending time there.

I’m really looking forward to a new era for myself, hence the design I created above. I can’t wait to simplify my life, nurture my blog, create more quality things and engage with all of you right here. Thanks so much for reading this – and I hope you understand where I’m coming from. I look forward to chatting with you around these parts! :)

I’ve always liked this quote.  It’s funny how we tend to romanticize the past; memories are always richer and more profound than the moment we are living in.  Why do you think that is?  Maybe we need time to process things before they have that weight and meaning?  I feel like I’m always reminding myself to stay present — but no matter how much I am enjoying whatever I’m currently engaged in, it’s always more significant when I’m looking back on it days, weeks or years later.  An odd phenomenon, isn’t it?

What are your thoughts on this…do you feel this way?

My dad was probably the most patient person I’ve ever known, and I wish I had been able to have more time with him… maybe some of his easy-going approach to life would have rubbed off on me.  I have patience with other people, but not myself.  I’m forever trying to rush ahead, barreling through one thing to get to the next; nothing can happen quickly enough for my liking.  Perhaps because I expect too much from myself.  Sometimes I feel so far behind (usually when I’m comparing myself to others), and I am weighed down by enormous pressure (from myself) to catch up as quickly as I can.  I forget to remember that everyone has had different life experiences, they’re not operating on the same schedule as my life is, and that it has taken most people (of course there are always exceptions) time and hard work to get to where they are now.

Patience is a a learned quality.  I don’t think it’s one of those innate gifts that certain people are naturally and magically blessed with.  It’s something we have to work at.  Which is why I love this quote: it’s such a good reminder to allow yourself to move a little bit slower.  All of the beauty surrounding us didn’t get there overnight, there were millions of years worth of growth.

* This definitely won’t be the last Emerson quote you see on the blog – he had so many great insights on life.

( photo )

This quote could not be more true for me.  At times, I have felt so lost and unsure (who hasn’t?)  In the end, I come out with beautiful clarity – and each time, more so than the last.  Those doldrums are all part of the process to self-discovery.  Detours are necessary to reroute yourself and move in the direction you’re meant to go in;  sometimes the journey is bumpy, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  In this case, it’s self-illumination.

Don’t despair if you’re feeling adrift – use that time to explore all your options, and think of it as a chance to redefine yourself.

( photo )

I keep having to remind myself to stay the course lately.  Whether it be blogging, pursuing my passions, sticking to a healthy diet and exercise plan, or with relationships: everything takes work + time.  Results don’t happen overnight, and patience can be so hard to come by in this instant-satisfaction world we are used to living in.  But the fact of the matter is that every time you quit putting forth the effort, you’ll start to slide back to square one, ending up right where you started.  And then you usually start over, if it’s something you truly want.

So how in the world do we break that crazy cycle?!  Here are my thoughts on that.  Nothing earth shattering, but maybe it will help someone out there:

Exhibit A: I’ve started to work back into my old exercise regimen…let me tell you, it has NOT been easy.  I’m not used to running the distances I did when I was training for a half marathon, and it’s hard come home from my full-time job (knowing there is still freelance work to be done) and force myself to go out for a run.  I know that I can do thirty minutes a night though, and that I will feel so much better at the end of it.  So I have been making myself do it.  A couple years ago, only thirty minutes would have felt like I wasn’t even trying.  I tend to have a very extreme view on things, which typically backfires…it’s all or nothing for me, and I probably set the bar too high for myself.  DON’T do this – ANY time you spend working towards a goal is a success!

Same with art work.  I want so badly to get a new series of paintings done – I have for years, and I know they aren’t gonna paint themselves.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me posting pictures of quick paintings I’ve been doing.  Spare time is a luxury I don’t have, but right now I CAN commit just ten minutes to get those done, and you know what?  I want to find a way to spend more time painting already!

So really, I think it just comes down to setting a routine that YOU can stick with.  Everyone has different schedules and goals, but if you start small and stick with it, you can avoid throwing in the towel…thus, breaking that cycle.  Also, recognize your achievements along the way and be proud!

( design by me )

Musings will be a place where I share – you guessed it – musings on life through design. Sometimes they will be my own thoughts, other times I’ll be sharing favorite quotes that inspire me.  I have really been missing creating personal designs, so I thought this would be the perfect outlet for me to do just that – and hopefully inspire others along the way!

Today’s musing is something my boyfriend said to me the other day when we were talking about how it’s so rare to stumble upon fresh concepts these days.  Everything is a remix of previous ideas now, but being authentic always guarantees that whatever you put out there is YOU.

Enjoy!