March 26, 2012
NYT Sandra Lee Interview

NYT: You’re 45. You look fantastic for your age. Evidently I look like hell. 
Sandra: You’re so full of it. Don’t work me. But I look great, don’t I? Please, God, tell me I do.

PLEASE read this ridiculous article HERE.

1:41pm
Filed under: Funny Business lol new york times sandra lee waste of space writing 
March 22, 2012
You can apply this advice to any field.

“You’re going to have to learn to accept criticism.I went to the largest MFA writing program in the country. We had something like 150 students. The bad writers were universally the ones who couldn’t take criticism, who would retreat into “well, I just wrote this story for myself” territory. Some people would get mad. Some people would cry when their story was critiqued.

Look. It’s writing. It’s not you. Your writing is not you; it’s a craft — that’s all writing is. Being the world’s greatest writer is no different — is qualitatively no better and no worse — than being the world’s greatest bridge-builder, or the world’s greatest dental hygienist, or the world’s greatest tier of knots in cherry stems with your tongue. All these things are crafts; and to be truly skillful at a craft, you need both training and some artistry. And so anyway, to sort of return to my original point, if you were trying to fix the engine of your car and someone said, “You’re doing that wrong,” and you weren’t actually a licensed mechanic, well, you wouldn’t get angry at them, would you? You wouldn’t cry. Right? No. You wouldn’t. So don’t cry when someone criticizes your writing.

Here’s something I learned in grad school. If a majority of people in a room say that your story is bad, or needs to be changed/ fixed, then it’s bad.They’re not trying to hurt your feelings. People are intrinsically shy. They don’t want to say awkward things. They don’t want to offend you. They’re saying it because they have to.

And you don’t like getting criticism? Guess what — neither do I. No one does. Suck it up and deal. Life is pain, princess. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”

— Oliver Miller

7:11pm
Filed under: writing oliver miller thought catalog life truth 
March 6, 2012
A Complete Idiot's Guide to The Pharmacy

“DO try some of the health services the pharmacy also offers like: testing your blood pressure, flu shots, and mental agility games like “Which f-cking window is the one where I pick-up prescriptions?” or “Are these three separate lines or just one big line?” and my favorite, “You say I’m in your system, yet you need to enter my address every time I fill a prescription?”

9:33am
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: writing thought catalog Funny Business pharmacy drugs prescription 
March 2, 2012
This year is about two things for me. The only way you can really live life to it’s full potential is on your own terms. One thing that’s important to always keep in mind, is that everyone travels at different paces and we are all on top of peaks or in the depths of valleys and life is the never ending ride.  1. In order to have fun and be successful, we must find peace within ourselves. With the day to day being chaotic and unpredictable, the only way to move through it gracefully is to understand what you can and cannot control. By accepting the responsibility of making the utmost effort every day and understanding it’s just part of the deal, its easier to see a little more clearly what it is we should be focusing on. 2. As we grow older, we must accept maturity above all. The hardest part of growing up, is growing up. We all have different points in our lives where it feels natural to let go of the unnecessary, but sometimes we have to make a conscious effort. There will be those days or that off week where nothing is accomplished except finding the best happy hour deals and splurging on a weekend vacation. But that’s not to say that we should spend a good dollar to neglect the things that scare us the most, either. I am a firm believer in escapism, however we need to really “take the bull by the horns”, no matter how difficult it may seem. No excuses. Because,  “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

This year is about two things for me. The only way you can really live life to it’s full potential is on your own terms. One thing that’s important to always keep in mind, is that everyone travels at different paces and we are all on top of peaks or in the depths of valleys and life is the never ending ride. 

1. In order to have fun and be successful, we must find peace within ourselves.

With the day to day being chaotic and unpredictable, the only way to move through it gracefully is to understand what you can and cannot control. By accepting the responsibility of making the utmost effort every day and understanding it’s just part of the deal, its easier to see a little more clearly what it is we should be focusing on.

2. As we grow older, we must accept maturity above all.

The hardest part of growing up, is growing up. We all have different points in our lives where it feels natural to let go of the unnecessary, but sometimes we have to make a conscious effort. There will be those days or that off week where nothing is accomplished except finding the best happy hour deals and splurging on a weekend vacation. But that’s not to say that we should spend a good dollar to neglect the things that scare us the most, either. I am a firm believer in escapism, however we need to really “take the bull by the horns”, no matter how difficult it may seem. No excuses. Because, 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

4:54pm
(Notes: 3)
  
Filed under: inspiration life live life colorfully motivational self writing quotes 
February 20, 2012
Just sold another SPJ poster on Etsy! Check it out and bookmark my shop, I keep adding more items.

Just sold another SPJ poster on Etsy! Check it out and bookmark my shop, I keep adding more items.

11:45am
(Notes: 6)
  
Filed under: design graphic design negative space poster self sjp society of professional journalists white and black writers writing journalism journalists typewriter 
February 10, 2012
Just a word of advice

Always get at least 3 opinions on everything you do.

If you’re looking to spend money in general, you can always check at least 3 different resources to get the best deal possible. I never realized the value of this until I shopped around for books and hair cut costs and car loans. It can make a world of difference. Even for simple things like getting a really good cheap sandwich or the best gas price in your area. Do the research, reap the benefits.

If you’re looking for advice on how to deal with some issues, changes or choices in your life, make the effort to ask at least three people, hopefully of different professions, to give you an honest opinion. But remember to only take it as an opinion and nothing more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been diagnosed with something or I’ve been told to apply here or talk to this person and it wasn’t a good idea at all.

This also goes for seeking out positive reinforcement. For example, it’s common to make a drastic decision on your appearance because you heard some people say that you have bad eyebrows or are too fat. When in reality, all you needed was someone to tell you that you have a great complexion or that people would pay for your figure. Suddenly, that idea to bleach your hair is simply nonexistent, thank God. This is why I love going to the hair stylist, Sephora or the nail salon because I always get compliments on my natural hair color, my skin tone and my nails. These are little things from insignificant people, but they really make me feel great.

Just keep asking around until you hear something you’re happy with. The negative will never bring you anything but upset and anxiety, so why not seek out a positive reaction? We always have something to improve on, but its a huge confidence booster to hear something nice. 

9:12pm
Filed under: self writing positivity positive advice opinions positive reinforcement 
February 3, 2012
In something as simple as Starry Night, doesn’t Van Gogh teach us to see the sky — something we see everyday — again and anew, as if for the very first time? If all things are multiple, are nodes with different series, then to forge or discover these series is to breed life. So if then, we have people who are interested and talented, skilled and passionate about multiple things, to invest themselves into each skill or passion at one point in their lives is a way of inventing new perspective for themselves and others.   Is the jack of all trades paving a new way for future careers and investments? Is this Master of Some awakening society by selling rose colored glasses?

In something as simple as Starry Night, doesn’t Van Gogh teach us to see the sky — something we see everyday — again and anew, as if for the very first time?

If all things are multiple, are nodes with different series, then to forge or discover these series is to breed life.

So if then, we have people who are interested and talented, skilled and passionate about multiple things, to invest themselves into each skill or passion at one point in their lives is a way of inventing new perspective for themselves and others.  

Is the jack of all trades paving a new way for future careers and investments? Is this Master of Some awakening society by selling rose colored glasses?

11:04pm
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: writing quotes van gogh starry night art self 
February 3, 2012
"You lost it there for a little while; you gave into your emotions and let them rule you, but there’s no crime in that. There are worse ways to go through life than to feel things passionately."

— Stephanie Georgopulos

10:34pm
Filed under: Stephanie Georgopulos writing quotes 
January 21, 2012
My brutally honest Bio

or artist’s statement. Whatever you wanna call it.

3:50pm
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: self writing portfolio 
January 11, 2012
Self Love + Relationships. If someone hasn’t shed some light on this for you before, here you go:

“Here’s the thing that’s funny about self-love. People say that in order to have someone love you, you gotta love yourself and I think that’s BS. I know many people who are in relationships and full of self-loathing. In fact, it seems like the more damaged someone is, the more likely they are going to be in a relationship. It might not be a healthy one but they’ll be tethered to someone for sure. So listen, don’t go love yourself and think it’s going to complete the puzzle. Don’t think people are going to gravitate to you because when you love yourself, you delete 70% of your dating options because you’re looking for someone who’s equally as happy and well-adjusted, which is a rare thing to find. So love yourself just for the sake of doing it, for being able to look in the mirror without wincing and to take yourself out to the movies and lunch and think you’re great company. Do it in order to stay happy.”

8:49pm
(Notes: 9)
  
Filed under: ryan o'connell thought catalog writing quotes 
December 28, 2011

Every visitor is encouraged to mark their height on the wall and after several months a dark band encircles the gallery. Fantastic.

(Source: no-menclatu-re, via sweetdelisa)

5:45pm
(Notes: 31,679)
  
Filed under: art interactive art gallery writing 
November 29, 2011
by Charles Baudelaire

by Charles Baudelaire

11:39pm
(Notes: 11)
  
Filed under: Charles Baudelaire writing poetry drunk 
November 29, 2011
Choices + Decisions vs. Success

If a client tells you that you can do their design any way you choose, it is more difficult than having to do a design with constraints because your options are endless. We need constraints, limited choices, to be built into everything that we do. This makes decision making easier and the benefit of this is an easier design to use.

Check out THIS article to read more.

11:26pm
Filed under: design success writing true words 
October 11, 2011
This has been my favorite thing in the world for MONTHS

I am never bored, or short of laughter. These writers are so sassy and on-point, it keeps me entertained at all hours of the day!

11:05pm
Filed under: thought catalog writing