Desiderata

A while back I asked my closest friends to send me five words that come to mind when they think of me. I started out by writing down five of my own. Energetic, Eclectic, Gregarious, Considerate, Fun Here is what the others had to say. I put stars next to words that several people used. Passionate Energetic** Eclectic*** Embellished Yogi*** Enthusiastic** Outgoing Student Driven** Kind Creative** Playful Madewell Caring** Desiring harmony Optimistic Perceptive Imaginative Facilitator  Empowered Spirited Cultured Intelligent*** Thoughtful** Organize Uniter Bold Persistent Fabulous Love Beautiful Strong Glue Steadfast Anxious Art Real Bangs Generous Compassionate Empathetic Goofy as heck At this point, I am merely putting this list out in the universe in an attempt to manifest/manage these traits. I'd like to return to these qualities from time to time, especially if I'm feeling down or confused. They could be a good starting p...

Hi all, there's a new post on what is now called: Los Francisco San Austin . Sofia (based in SF), Nora (based in Austin) and I have decided to team up and write about what we do in our respective cities. We haven't solidified a rhyme or reason behind what we'll post, so it may seem scattered at first--bear with us. We also kept some older posts (from the pre-Nora era) and so you can browse through those if you like.

I was talking to Shane last night about what it's like working at Bergamot Station (the arts complex where my gallery is located) and the topic of potential new friends came up. There are about nine people I can think of off the top of my head that I would like to be friends with that work in the other galleries. I've been working at this location for almost 5 months and in that span I've started to say hello to these people by name, casually chat them up at the cafe, walk with them to get the mail or go to the bathroom and other common workplace niceties. It might sound silly, but I'm starting to seriously consider how we make friends as adults. It's definitely something worth pondering for a minute. Growing up, friends are handed to you on a silver platter in the form of neighborhoods, soccer teams, classmates, etc. Now, that silver platter is work; but when you work at a place where it's just you and one other person, you've gotta start looking for a b...

The headline of a recent Huffington Post article reads "The Questions That Will Save Your Relationships", which is fine, but I don't think they will save them, they will just make them better. Oh sensationalist journalistic headlining; I'll let it slide...this time. That being said, the article is worth reading, even if you just read the bolded questions. The writer offers some great jumping off points for reframing the generic"How was your day?"question into more specific, loaded and attentive questions for your significant other, family and friends. I like, it I like it, I like it. I'm already thinking about how I'll integrate this into my life. For Shane: What exciting thing happened at the studio today? What have you done to clean up your room? For Amanda: How did Forrest make you feel loved today? What moves have you made to get that business started? For my mom: What's something exciting that's happening in choir? Did...

One of my resolutions this year reads: Catch myself if I begin to complain and consciously make an effort to stop. I regularly find myself saying: I'm so tired, I just want to go home, I hate driving, Ugh there's so much traffic, I feel sick, I ate too much. ..the list goes on. With all the rushing around, manic scheduling, and bad lifestyle choices I've brought with me into this year, I haven't been able to follow through with my goal at all. Perhaps another reason I haven't been doing well with it is because it's too vague, making the end goal feel unattainable. So I've decided that starting today, Friday, January 17, 2014, I am not going to complain for 1 whole week. Please keep me accountable for this! It's is going to be such a difficult challenge for me. Humans commiserate together. We enjoy (in a sick, twisted way) sharing bad experiences with each other, because it means we're not alone. How many times do we chat about how we're ...

After really late nights I have noticed a trend in the following mornings. I sleep in to the last possible moment. We're talking 9:15, people (I start work at 10). I get ready in a flurry, run out the door, and barely make it to work on time. Once I'm at my desk, I've noticed that almost every single tab on my browser leads to an article about slowing down. Whether it's minimizing clutter, the psychology of choice, cleaning out closets, or "16 ways to organize your life", I am actively seeking ways to slow it all down. I want to raise my awareness to this habit. I do not feel organized, calm, or healthy and I desperately want to be. Last night was a whirlwind of fun. So was the night before. And so was the entire day and night before that, oh and the night before that, too. You get what I'm saying. But all of this fun comes at a real cost: my sanity and health. My mentors have told me that it's normal to have these wild stretches of craziness whe...