See, Read, Listen. 001

See: The minimal, one of a kind, absolutely stunning make up art of Ruthie Barone on instagram. I love her photo collages of looks she has done with similar themes and colours (pictured).

Read: How to Turn Your Clients into Raving Fans, a post on Kitty and Buck that has some good reminders for people currently in creative gigs, or who are considering entering a creative field! We all know those few bloggers or creatives who somehow have 948275396734539 followers who basically pray at their metaphorical instagram feet and are adoring and truly look up to them. I don't mean this sarcastically - it's a really cool phenomenon and those creatives have really got "it", whatever "it" is. Maybe this post on Kitty and Buck can be a good starting point to helping us all figure out what "it" is!

Listen:

(Watch the little pup in the video too - it's watching the dancers, looking so concerned, like 'what the HECK is going on'! Oh the shenanigans that dogs put up with from us, ha!)


Happy Wednesday, everyone! See, Read, Listen, is a new series that I used to post on an old-old blog of mine, that I thought I would revive. What do you think?

Window Shopping || 19

(Jacket: Loose Goods | Horse Leg Necklace: Story Book Vintage | Sunflower Shirt: Pastel Fox | Plaid Linen Trouser: Morphew |  Snakeskin booties: Teybelo)

Yesterday, because the sun was out, I wandered to a few shops near my place. I went into my favourite thrift store here and bought some white plaid/grid cotton comfy pants, and though they are definitely not as structured or "nice" as the ones pictured here, I am really daydreaming about how I'd like to style them this summer! Perhaps for casual beach days or wandering around the city in the sun... ahhhh..

Also, how bizzare-o and awesome is the horse leg necklace? I am about THIS close to not just window-shopping it and actually snatching it up.... it's just too cool. Basically everything about this outfit is something I wish I could throw on TODAY! I've been aching to be rid of my winter boots and wear something cuter, like these snake skin booties. Or all-gold metallic booties. Something a little fun and wild!

As usual I am daydreaming about spring and summer. Can you tell? We got another heavy dose of snow this past weekend and I am trying so hard to be positive and not bitter about the weather, since it's inescapable, but DANG I am so done with the cold! What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Art Fart: A Celebration of Women

I made this collage on International Women's day. You may recognize it if you follow my personal instagram account! It was a lovely morning of meditation on women and all the beautiful things it means to be a woman, and a celebration of these things. Powerful. Present. Embracing our bodies. Causing ripples in the water, in the world we move through. Having impact. To me, this is what comes naturally to women, but is so often stifled - or rather, there are so many attempts to stifle these things - by the expectations placed upon us, the definitions fabricated to describe us, the double standards imposed on us, the misconceptions that surround us. I was really thrilled to see so much movement and action and discussion occurring on this day, and all other days, about what it means to be a woman in this day and age, and what it should mean to be a woman in the future.

I think of my grandmother (who is pictured in the background of this piece!) who wore jeans before women even really wore pants. Who got her Master's degree and worked and fostered children, on top caring for her own 4. My grandmother who learned how to build a house with her own two hands. Who was a passionate advocate for homeless youth, the environment, and more. My grandmother who made art and let an enthusiastic, young Katia cut some of her flowers from her garden to make bouquets when I would visit. Man, was she ever rad.

Who do you think of, when you think of amazing women in your life?

Fashion as Creative Outlet: Mixed Feelings

When I moved to a new city for school, I didn't bring my studio-worth of art supplies up with me. I knew I wouldn't have the space in my one room, nor the time, to store and use them. So I left them at home at my parents' house. I figured I'd make art on the weekends if I went home, or on school breaks. I had no idea how much I would miss making art on a near-daily basis!

My creative energy hasn't diminished, though. It's just surfacing in different ways. I've been really experimenting and having fun with my clothes since moving to school, and have increasingly been enjoying looking at fashion blogs, fashion posts on instagram, etc.

I'm still no fabulous fashionista that always looks done up and glam. I have a complex wall of feelings about the fashion industry, about makeup, about consumerism, about social media, etc. This wall basically keeps me from wanting to shop disposable, big-company fashion and spend all my money and time on my looks (hence the Year of Thrift challenge). But the truth of the matter is that I love fashion and I love clothes. I love wearing things that make me feel happy and like myself, and I love experimenting and being creative with my clothing choices. It's so fun!

Sometimes I wish I could just forget my worries about ~*the state of the world*~, so to speak, and shop without a care and just be merry and fabulous. It's especially easy for me, when the seasons change, to suddenly want a total wardrobe do-over. I also have my wardrobe currently split up, with some clothing at my place for school, and some of it at my parents' home for when I go back for work. So, I guess the whole point of this post is that I would really love to indulge in new clothing that make me feel fab but I also am really resisting for all the above reasons and it's causing me lots of FEELINGS! (I'm being dramatic, it's actually all good in the hood, just something that's been on my mind a lot, haha).

Do any of you love love fashion but also have mixed feelings about the industry and such? Share your thoughts with me!