Thursday, January 31, 2013

january in review









What what what? January is already over with? This month has just flown by, and I'm sad to see it go. January is probably one of my favorite months, because not only is it my birthday month, but it represents new beginnings and new outlooks on a new year. Looking back on January, I can see it's been a great start to the year, and it's only going to get better!




Wednesday, January 30, 2013

a universe in my head



dress: mom's closet // skirt: borrowed // long socks: forever 21 // shoes: target




There are a lot of changes in the air. I can feel it every day when I wake up and go out into the chilling Oregon air and when I come back to my dorm to relax. It peeks its head into conversations over lunch and behind moss-covered trees when I'm walking on the gravel trails. Perhaps this is simply me "growing up," even though I hesitate to use those words because I don't ever really want to grow up. I guess I'm just coming to terms with the fact that I have a certain responsibility in life and I should actually take this life seriously--not in the sense that I become a serious person--but in the sense that I only have one chance to do things, and the sooner I realize that sometimes I have to buckle down and get things done, the sooner I can live the life I've always imagined.

The change is in the little things thus far. I'm keeping my room clean, I'm in tune with my school work, I'm planning things and taking care of things and just actively living and thriving instead of just surviving. I'm actually wanting to do homework and I'm excited to learn (especially in my photography class). I guess you could say I feel very adult right now (though I know even just a year from now I'll think current me was so young and immature!). At any rate, that shift into becoming a responsible adult has not gone unnoticed, though I do hope I won't lose particular childlike tendencies. There's that certain magic of childhood that I had spent years cultivating and now I'm at a point where I refuse to let go of those memories and shapings, and perhaps even create some more childish fantasies even as I enter into an adult life.




When I was little, I drew out maps of Fairyland and danced around in my backyard pretending that I was transported into that world. My very best fairy friend was a girl named Jopey and she and I fought alongside each other in the great Fairy battle. Those imaginings were fueled by stories like the Anne of Green Gables series, At the back of the North Wind, Harriet the Spy, and the Eragon Series, (books that I still read to this very today). I even wrote stories about my adventures and charted locations and made a special bracelet that allowed me to transport into that world. It was a huge part of my childhood, where everything was not as it seemed and adventure was around every corner.

Of course now I know that those things weren't reality, but that doesn't mean they weren't real. The stories from my childhood I'm turning into novels today, those little colored pencil maps have become a giant piece of artwork (one I'm still working on), and I'm still chasing the same light I did years ago.

I guess I just never want to look at anything like it's ordinary.





Well this post has taken a super personal turn (I'm sure no one's surprised by that at this point). Those things that I dreamed up have really shaped me into who I am today, and it's so interesting to look back and see what things have formed certain things in my life. Is there anything from your childhood that shaped you in some way? I would love to hear about it!

I hope you all have a really fantastic day.

Oh! And I forgot to mention some exciting news, actually. I'm now blogging for my university's new online website, where once a week I post about anything related to fashion and personal style. You can check out my first little introductory article here, and be sure to check back there every Wednesday to read a new article from yours truly!




Tuesday, January 29, 2013

now open: print shop!



I'm happy to announce that you can now purchase prints from me. Anything on my flickr is up for grabs, as well as never released images in my new print shop, so be sure to check it out! (details about shipping + pricing are on my print shop)



Monday, January 28, 2013

photo adventure with Grace and Sarah





A few days before I went back to Oregon, I had the honor of hanging out with two insanely talented photographers Grace and Sarah! We were all in town at the same time and decided it was finally time to meet in person, so we all went to a coffee shop to talk and figure out where we were going to shoot. Grace took us to a really cool greenhouse, which was perfect as it was freezing outside and no one particularly wanted to spend a couple hours in the dry Alaska snow, so with the birds chirping in their giant cage and the green plants growing all around, we spent our time taking pictures of each other and playing with each other's cameras and props.






When we first arrived, a moose decided to show up, so of course we had to instagram it. Only in Alaska.




One of my new years resolutions (more of a dream, since it was something I couldn't really work toward) was going to a photo gathering, so being able to meet photographers that I had admired on the internet was a dream in of itself. The fact that it was Grace and Sarah made it even more awesome, because they are two beautiful individuals inside and out and are incredibly talented. It's awesome to be around people who are passionate about the same thing I am passionate about, and we can play off of each other's ideas and learn things about what we love. Even in just the few hours hanging out with them, I learned so many new techniques I've been able to use in my own photography. If I can learn that much in just a few hours, I can't imagine what I would learn over a week, or an entire semester. (They also made me want to update all my equipment too, haha. Why do my hobbies have to be so expensive?)


Sarah

Grace


I'm so so glad I was able to meet Sarah and Grace, and I hope, not only that we'll be able to shoot together in the future, but also that getting to meet up with photographers so early in the year is a good indication of how the rest of my year will go!

p.s. I still have photos to edit from this day.

p.s.s. You should check out the post that Sarah did!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

my week in instagram #32 + weekly roundup



my last day of being eighteen // looking over a beautiful city // going to the chocolatefest! // waking up to snow on the ground // finally shooting photos for my photography class // getting pretty prints in the mail // missing Matt // going to art shows // looking at books in the coffee shop

You can follow my adventures on instagram @impulsings

And in an effort to actually follow through with new years resolutions, every week along with my instagram post, I'll do a bit of a weekly roundup so that you guys can track my progress with my resolutions and so that I can keep myself accountable.

1. I didn't write a page in my novel this week, but then again, I wrote about fifteen pages total for various classes and newspaper stuff, so at least I was writing.

2. I've got more than two photos under my belt for this month.

3. I thus far haven't done a diy project, but I have purchased/found the tools for three. It's all an effort of actually doing something, which I may or may not get to by the time this month ends.

4. Two outfit posts? Check!

5. I successfully took an outfit photo this week. :)

6. Haven't read in my book this week, but I still have a few more days before the end of the month.

7. If you count doodles as sketching, then yes. But I have been doing creative things in the arena of photo props, so yay.

8. Considering I spent no money this week, I'm good.

It's been a pretty successful week, even amongst all the stress. But now it's behind me and next week should be pretty relaxing.

Hope your week is good as well!


Friday, January 25, 2013

partner with introvert's introduction!



Exciting things are happening on on Introvert's Introduction!
I'm now offering a partnership between companies and creative people and bloggers to advertise right here on Introvert's Introduction! The prices are super affordable for anyone, so if you're interested, head on over to my sponsor page to learn more!



Thursday, January 24, 2013

monochrome



white dress: c/o sugarlips // white cardigan/leggings: forever 21 // black cardigan: gift // skirt: thrifted // boots: target




Long time no see! A lot of crazy things have happened since the last time we spoke. First of all, I finally became an art major! Well, still not officially yet, all I have to do is get a signature from my adviser who is currently on maternity leave ... but other than that I am ready to jump right in! I've already gotten to talk to a couple art majors and those conversations made me incredibly excited to get my work out there and join the community of artists and learn as much as possible. As for the English side of my double major, I was promoted on my university's newspaper and now I am an official writer and photographer (whereas before I was a copy editor), and our newspaper is about to launch a new website, of which I'm one of the bloggers. It's already been a lot of work on top of all my classes but it's been a blast and I'm so excited to share the finished product of the website with you guys!




As for the outfit, I usually am not one to wear something so monochromatic, but I really loved all the classic and elegant elements in this ensemble. The flared skirt, the lace cardigan, the frilly dress ... I felt like I was from the renaissance. It would have been easy for me to add more color to this. For example, I could have switched out the skirts or added a big statement necklace or put on a different pair of tights. When the outfit is mostly neutral it's incredibly easy to throw in a little pop of color. So if you wanted to become more daring with colors and prints, wearing a monochromatic and then adding one bold color would be the first step!





Have a great day everyone!


Monday, January 21, 2013

birthday celebration

+ chocolate festival


sweater/dress: borrowed // shirt: garage sale // tights: thrifted // shoes: target





Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday! On top of a million facebook messages, dorm decorations, and hugs, Ivy and Amy took me to the chocolate festival in Portland! It was super fun to be able to hang out with them in such a beautiful city, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was sunny and not too cold, which made walking around downtown that much more enjoyable, especially when we wanted to burn off all the chocolate we ate.



Ivy; she took the pictures of me.




Amy!



I don't think I've ever tasted such delicious chocolate. My favorites were the dark chocolate with bacon, actually. It was such an interesting and awesome flavor--just enough crispiness and bitter chocolatyness to make me want to eat it all! The salted chocolates were also fantastic, as well as the fudge and chocolate covered almonds. Mmm! So many of the companies were organic and fair trade and advertised healthier chocolates, which was also fantastic. I love learning about companies that are passionate about things like that, especially when those companies hand out free samples!







By the end of the day, we were all so stuffed from free samples that we could hardly move. I never knew there could be so many different flavors and combinations of chocolates. On top of the bacon filled ones, there were also jalapenos, dried blueberries and other fruits, alcohol (too bad we couldn't taste those, haha), and so many other things. By the end of the festival we all had chocolate hangovers, but it was totally worth it. Towards the end, vendors were trying to get rid of their last bit of goods, so we even got a couple free chocolate bars! I know what I'll be eating tomorrow.






All in all, my birthday was definitely a blast. It's crazy to think that I'm now in my last year of being a teenager and basically a fourth of my life is over with. I'm old! ;) I can't wait to see what this year holds and what memories are about to be made.






Hope you all have a super awesome day.