Brand Spankin' New!

Eeeeek! Exciting news! I've FINALLY taken the time to re-brand myself and the logo is now up :) More branding throughout the blog and website to follow. I don't know about you, but as a designer, I constantly feel overwhelmed by all the design inspiration out there. One day I feel like I want my brand to be modern and then the next I'll see a really inspiring retro logo. Umph! Can't we just have this idea pop into our heads and yell at us "I'M THE ONE!" ? So with the seemingly endless amount of inspiration out there, I've finally created what I feel really represents me and my style. I'm a beachy gal. Literally. If I could spend every waking moment there I would. Therefore, my logo is a little modern with a lot of beach thrown in. I love it! I've never been fully satisfied with any branding I've done for myself. This time, I actually got some outside feedback and it did a world of good! Never underestimate the power of a good critique, even if it's mostly bad. Every piece of advice builds you up and makes you a better more aware designer whether you realize it or not. Even if all you have is a close friend or co-worker, another pair of eyes on something you've been looking at for hours is a life-saver.

Be true. 

Be free.

Be inspired.

Music Love: Daniela Andrade

I've been you-tubing a lot these days and I've managed to stumble upon a lot of great and inspiring artists on there. One of which is Daniela Andrade. She has a beautiful tone and some pretty kick-ass covers. I'm digging this one at the moment. A lot of different music catches my eye, but my design music taste has definitely taken a turn for the chill lately and this fits the bill perfectly. Enjoy!

Get off your butt!...but do it stylishly

In the spirit of getting my butt off the couch and actually sticking to a workout regimen, there's nothing more motivating than great workout gear ( or that occasional glimpse of yourself walking by a reflective surface). So here's a few things that made my wish list. In case you can't tell already...I have a bit of an obsession with mint, teal and the like -  but whatever, these are SO awesome. Links are below of course, so check out some of this stuff. Honestly, if you're looking for unique workout stuff or just unique stuff in general, I find Wanelo to be a more than fab resource. So get shopping + join me in the "get my butt off the couch" movement. 

Be true. 

Be free. 

Be inspired.

one // two // three // four // five // six

Time: Where does it go when you're doing....well, everything

I don't know about any of you, but time management is a bit of a pitfall for me at times. I recently started freelancing for an actual company on top of having a full time job + looking to do more freelancing for another company. Needless to say, my life has felt a little bit more than hectic recently. Finding time to just chill has been more difficult and turning off my brain for a second or two has proven even harder. So enough about my problems. How do I solve them? Well, I'm no pro to be sure, but these are a few tips + tricks I have for time management. Even if you're just a student, these can be helpful as well. 

1. Teux Deux: This is a great way to visually see your days and set "to-do" lists. I need to explore this more but the graphic designer in me loves this.

2. Google Calendar: I've found that this is really convienient not only because you can color code the crap out of your stuff, but also because (if you use gmail) your email + schedule is all in one spot. Easy!

3. Writing Lists: Now, I've been doing this my whole life and this seems to actually get me off my butt and doing the things I need to do. Physically writing something down triggers something in my brain to remember it more or maybe just feel like it's real + important as opposed to being lost in digital land.

These are just a few, but they get the ball rolling for me. Trial + error really is the best way to find what your time management style is whether your a full-timer, freelancer, or student. Life seems to be chaotic at the worst times and more often than not, I'm day-dreaming about the beach. So see what works for your style and build on that! Happy Tuesday!

Be true. 

Be free.

Be inspired.

Atop the Mountain: A New Perspective

Apologies for my absence! The past couple weeks have been pretty insane. I've gone on vacation, landed a freelancing job and been constantly tinkering with updating my portfolio + creating new projects. In regards to my time out of the city, I went to a beautiful little cabin in the mountains near Gatlinburg, TN. When I say that I was atop the mountain...I literally was ATOP THE MOUNTAIN. Our cabin was so high, I may have cried a little when lugging our van up to the top the first time...just a little... But the scare was SO worth it. I got great pictures ( like the one above) as well as some much needed computer free time and Galaga playing time. I have to be honest, I completely nerded out and managed to get four of the five high scores on the console in our cabin... (secretly I'm super stoked!) Anyways, besides great pictures, there was much (maybe too much) great food + fabulous company!

Overall, it was a fantastic trip. I feel really relaxed and ready to rev up the blog again. I've been really struggling with a solid topic to focus on since I'm really into a lot of different stuff. Originally, I wanted this blog to be a way for me to get my design inspiration, work, and opinions out there to not only be expressive but also as a way to network. I've found that I'm interested in telling you guys about a lot more than just my opinions on design. I'm thinking (as you can see from a few previous posts) that this blog is going to included a lot of health and fitness stuff as I get back on the workout train + a little bit of fashion and of course just random articles etc. that strike me. I look forward to getting all this up and out here for you to see, so stay tuned for a more steady flow of posts!

Be true. Be free. Be inspired.