Last month, I made a trip down to Asbury Park with my dad to celebrate the opening night of Jersey Collective's first gallery show. I've lived in New Jersey all my life (with the exception of 4 years spent in NY for school), and it's kinda silly that I've never been to the town Bruce Springsteen named his 1973 debut album ("Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ") after. In other words, this trip was loooong overdue haha! Growing up, my family often made trips down to Point Pleasant -- and now, we typically head to Long Branch for our summer beach escape. I had no idea that Asbury Park was so close to those other two Jersey shore points... until I looked at a map (lol). For some reason I always thought that Asbury Park was farther south! Clearly my sense of geography is terrible..
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Real Talk: The Specialist vs. The Generalist
For awhile, I was convinced that I needed to limit my love to one thing - but I'm learning to accept the fact that I love a lot of things, and that it's okay. It's okay to be some sort of creative nomad, and it's okay that I'm not the ultimate master at any one particular thing. It's okay to explore and immerse myself in a number of things, and it's okay that I don't have it all figured out just yet.
"Love what you do and do what you love."
You hear it all the time, but what the hell are you supposed to do when you don't exactly know what that thing that you love is? We graduate from high school and are expected to narrow that thing we love down to a college major. When we graduate from college, we are expected to then turn that college major into a job. With this societal mindset, we're trained to believe that that thing we do for a living, that thing that sets our soul on fire, that thing that we love has to be one thing - one thing that we decide upon in those exact moments -- but what if we don't know what that thing is when those times come? And what happens when you can't quite pinpoint just one thing? What happens when you love a lot of things?
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Lorraine Loots #ANTSinNYC Exhibition
Yesterday, I wandered into Brooklyn with Kristyn Brady to see the #ANTSinNYC exhibition by South African artist Lorraine Loots on display at Three Kings Studio. We walked over from the lower east side via the Williamsburg bridge. It was my first time walking that bridge, so I was pretty stoked to be doing something completely new. We stopped in at a bunch of cute boutiques on our walk towards the gallery, and it was a super fulfilling (and super hot) day. It was totally worth the sweaty trek, though!
Today I decided to write up this quick blog post - in hopes that it inspires you to also stop on by to see Lorraine's incredible show. It is only open for a few more days (closing on July 15) - so if you are in NYC, I highly recommend going to see it before it's gone!
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Star Spangled Smoothie
One of the best parts about the 4th of July is the FOOD! I looooove making all sorts of red / white / and blue noms around this time of year, and this year I decided to concoct a "star spangled" RWB smoothie to go along with my DIY drink pinwheels! If you've been following along, you already know that I'm a liiiiiittle bit of a smoothie addict during summer. ;)
Originally, I intended for this guy to have 3 distinct layers... but when I tried pouring the layers, it gave me a bit more of a marbled look than a defined 3-layer drink. This probably has to do with the varying consistencies.. and the fact that I haven't perfected the consistency of each layer, but I actually don't mind the marbled look. I also forgot to freeze my fruit the night before, so granted my layers were probably a bit more watery / thin than preferable. Even though it didn't turn out looking quite as I had planned, it was still delicious!
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DIY Drink Pinwheels
Happy JULY! (I know. I shit my pants this morning too. How is it actually July already?!?!) This year is FLYING by! ANYWAYS, I am super stoked because this coming weekend is 4th of July weekend - one of my absolute favorite holidays. I mean, I love all the holidays - but I especially love the 4th! What's not to love about the ultimate summer celebration dedicated to America?! Food on the grill, cold drink in hand, beach / pool lounging, fireworks, sunshine, the list goes on... !
Lately I have been really into making pretty drinks / making my drinks look pretty! Everyone is probably familiar with the classic "drink umbrella." I love putting them in my drinks throughout summertime, but I wanted something a bit more *MERICA* (and less tropical vacay) for the 4th - so I decided to make drink pinwheels!
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Honey Basil Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Summer = smoothie season! And since summer started on Sunday... 'tis the season! ;) My blender and I are *besties* during summatime -- and there is nothing more refreshing than a cold fruit smoothie to cool you down on a hot and sunny day! Plus, they're a great way to get vitamins and nutrients into your body (giving you a healthy boost of energy) - so you can't go wrong!
Yesterday, I was in the experimentin' mood and decided to add a few things that I don't normally throw in to my Monday morning breakfast smoothie. The first of these things was basil. We recently bought a basil plant, so I have been adding it into all sorts of things - and let me tell ya - fresh herbs are a TOTAL game changer. They add this irresistible layer of freshness to just about anything - and did not disappoint in this smoothie combo! The second thing I added was honey - because I knew honey / pineapple and honey / banana were great pairs. I suspected that when the 3 combined together, it would be nothing short of mAgiCaL. I also added a little bit of vanilla extract because, well, who doesn't love vanilla extract?! The end result was diviiiiiiiiine to say the least!
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Kristyn Brady Photoshoot at Schooley's Mountain
Last month, I met up with Kristyn Brady at Schooley's Mountain Park to do a photoshoot for her new website. We planned to shoot outdoors, so we wanted to wait until it was warmer (and greener) outside. I discovered Schooley's Mountain about a year ago, and I knew that it would make a great location for a photoshoot if the occasion ever arose - so when Kristyn reached out to me and told me her vision for her start up company, I knew it would be the perfect place for her portrait session. I showed her some photos I had taken there before, and we mutually agreed that it would be the perfect spot!
I set up a Pinterest board where we pinned our pose / location / outfit inspiration for the weeks leading up to the day of the shoot. It was a great way to show each other what we each envisioned, and also helped us both organize these ideas in one place. I think it was especially helpful in Kristyn's case, since her brand is just starting out and doesn't yet have an established look / feel.
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Yayoi Kusama's Obliteration Room
A couple weekends back, I went to see Yayoi Kusama's Obliteration Room - which is part of her current exhibition "Give Me Love" at the David Zwirner Gallery! I've seen photos of her Obliteration Room when it was on display in other parts of the world, and have always been wanting to experience it for myself (hoping that it would some day make its way to NY). When I found out she was returning to the David Zwirner gallery this spring, I was SUPER stoked and got my butt over there ASAP.
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DIY Cement Pineapple Planter
As the weather is starting to (finally) get warmer, I find myself having a serious case of green thumb syndrome and wanting to hoard ALL the succulents. As a graphic designer, I feel like I'm a bit OCD when it comes to potting my plants. I look at each plant as a design prompt (LOL) - and always set out to find the perfect "home" for each. Salvation Army and Goodwill have been great for cheap $1-$2 finds, but sometimes I have something specific in mind and no matter how many different thrift stores I hit - I can't find what I'm looking for. I've really been wanting to plant my newest purchase (a little zebra haworthia succulent) in a geometric cement planter, but haven't really found one that I really love (at a price that I also love, lol). So when you can't find the right planter - what's a girl to do? Welp, make one - DUH!
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Elly Kim Daeun's SS14 Collection
Back in January, my friend Elly asked me if I could help her photograph her SS14 collection. I met Elly during my freshman year at Pratt, and I'm so glad that even years later after studying in different departments (fashion design vs. graphic design) - that we were able to come together post grad to do this fun shoot! Elly's collection is inspired by various different aspects of Korean culture, and I love her eye for color and pattern - as those are two things I am a mega fan of myself. ;) I absolutely couldn't wait to do a collab shoot with her!
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