Mood + Mantra

Oh hey!

Before I kick off this new series, talk a little housekeeping, and share what’s on deck for me this month, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who left feedback on my last post. In blogland, it can sometimes feel like you’re up on a stage, droning into a mic in front of a darkened, empty room. Or, perhaps worse, a bunch of randos smoking at the bar in the back, looking at you apathetically (in this version of blogland, I’m a lounge singer and it’s the opening scene of Sister Act). In any case, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you’re still around, and still interested. Thank you for the encouragement—it makes me extra excited to keep going here!

Housekeeping.

And boy will I ever! Over New Year’s weekend, I sat down and did something I haven’t done in YEARS. I mapped out an editorial calendar for the blog. My current plan is to post on Tuesday ever other week; on the weeks in between I’ll post on Tuesday AND Thursday. I know, I know, you’ve heard all about my well-intentioned blogging plans before, but I’ve already planned content through the end of February. And I’m stoked on it! So generally speaking, come here on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you’ll probably see something new.

The other thing I did is launch a newsletter sign up! If you haven’t seen it already from poking around, you can now sign up for my newsletter by going to “More” in the scrolling navigation up above, and clicking “Newsletter” in the dropdown. You can also sign up by clicking “Newsletter” in the top navigation, or going here and clicking Subscribe at the top.

Newsletter plans? Yes. Each month, I’ll send a Digest mid-month, which will include posts you might’ve missed from the blog, along with studio news, photographs I’ve taken, articles/inspiration I really love, that type of thing. At the end of the month, I’ll also send a newsletter with an original essay, just for subscribers. It’s possible some of those essays might end up on the blog later, but some won’t…so if you want in on the storytelling, be sure to sign up! The first original essay will go out at the end of this month.

While we’re on the topic of blog schtuff, if you’re so inclined, I’d love for you to comment below and let me know if there are particular types of posts you really enjoy around here. I’m planning on continuing with personal essays about relationships, work, living, personal growth and all that good stuff, along with beauty posts, roundups of things I really enjoy, playlists, and what I like to call “design homework” posts (the above is an example—more on that in a second). In other words, I like balancing the pretty with the personal. I know a lot of you have been around since the vmac days, so hit me up and let me know what you enjoy here the most.

#mood

Ok, last housekeeping thing—but pretty! You might remember late last year I did a couple of these #mood posts to kick off each month. I actually really love these. I am always finding imagery I love, via Instagram or on Pinterest, and this is such a great way to share my vibe for the month ahead. I also think of these as “design homework”—they’re a fun, easy way for me to create something just because, and share with all of you! This year, I decided to evolve the column into a new thing called Mood/Mantra. Each month, I’ll share my visual inspiration and feeling for the month ahead, along with a mantra—a word, phrase, or idea for the month, along with why I chose it.

#mantra

So, first up! This month, unsurprisingly, I felt drawn to a light, clean palette, filled with light and water. Well, I mean, water is kind of my forever inspiration, but this month, the tones are a little cooler and airer. It’s perfect for the start of something new, don’t you think? And, this month’s mantra: GO.

As you can probably tell, there’s been a lot of movement behind the scenes over here. Movement usually means transitions, and transitions means change. But I’m under no illusion that changes happen overnight—whether we’re talking about one’s work habits, dietary habits, or the way we think and perceive and move through the world. While I’m pushing myself in new, uncharted directions, I’m simultaneously finalizing pieces of last year’s work. This month, I chose the word GO, because I’m feeling extra motivated to power through and wrap up a few outstanding projects, while also laying groundwork for the new. Maybe this is what I meant about having one foot still in 2018, with one here in the new year. I just want to go—finish what I started, and start something that I finish. For me, this means focusing and prioritizing, staying clear-headed about my vision for the year, and setting boundaries as we kick off the next 12 months. Let’s go.