Here are some pictures I took of my room while I was still living in my old house in the suburbs. I can't believe they made it through the multiple computer transfers and house/apartment moves until now. I'm so happy they did!
The corner above my bed.
I clearly made myself at home in my old bedroom, more than I have at any of the bedrooms into which I've moved since. Upon those old walls of mine, I scrawled Imogen Heap and Corrine Bailey Ray lyrics; I tacked up pictures of my baby cousin, my dad and I embracing before my trip to Peru, and my friends and I hanging out on the beach; I hung posters of Imogen Heap and a Mexican folk dancer, and sketches of a ballerina and a hornet; lastly, I hung up some of my own art.
These walls represented so much of what used to mean a lot to me. And some of it still does. While I no longer listen to Imogen Heap regularly, I still cherish those same photographs; although now, they hang in frames on my walls : )
My walls of beloved treasures.
I kept many things as treasures when I was in high school, and I still do. It's not that I was a burgeoning klepto headed straight for an episode of "Hoarders," it was/is just that I cherish so many events/ideas that I want to keep their physical momentos. I've since realized that the longer you live the more the momentos begin to pile up in an unpleasant way; resultantly, I've had to throw out some of the things you see here. However, I still have that painting; it hangs in my room in Milwaukee. I still have that statue of Mary; it is also located in my room in Milwaukee. Lastly, I still have that green statue of an Asian figure that my Auntie Jayne gave me a while back; it stands about five feet away from me on my kitchen counter : )
Art and fashion are my passions.
The caption says it all here.
Taste doesn't always have to change.
I loved red and turquoise then, and I love red and turquoise together now. I still wear the turquoise necklace pictured on the left in the middle, and I've kept the red and green scarf. The only thing that's changed here are the braces my teeth are wearing in the old photo (that's a photo of me at my lake house on the lower right)!
The MTV show My Life as Liz is one of my favorites. Yes, it is obviously scripted. Yes, it may try too hard to be "hipster," and Liz Lee, the show's protagonist, may try too hard to be lame. However, there's this undeniable spirit of individuality that courses through the show. All the characters have their own thing going on, but especially Liz.
Why do I think she's so cool?
The girl's got spunk. She is who she is. She's weird, she's crazy, she's colorful, she's original. She embraces her angle on life. She jumps over spilled trash cans instead of walking around them. She gets up and performs her music instead of singing it in the shower. She goes to New York for college instead of staying near her hometown of Burleson, TX.
That's another thing- Liz has struggled with fitting in everywhere she has gone, and I can relate to that. When going to high school in Burleson, Liz thought no one got her but her "nerd herd," a group of Star Wars-loving goofballs. The culture at her school was very small town Abercrombie and Fitch, while Liz would have been better classified as "indie." While the majority of her classmates was meeting up at the local mall, Liz was ambling around in dusty old thrift shops, looking for her next statement piece.
So, in an attempt to find more people like her, she decided to go to college in New York City. There, she expected to find oodles of art nerds and Star Wars fans. However, what she found was another place she didn't fit in. This time, instead of being ostracized by the mall rats, she was ostracized by the same people she thought would embrace her, the art nerds.
When I watch her show, I can't help but think, "Welcome to my life."
I grew up in Milwaukee, WI, a small, liberal, largely middle-class city located along the coast of Lake Michigan. Most of my friends outfitted themselves in thrift shop finds and borrowed items. However, I was all about the runways. I craved sophistication and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. So, I left what I knew in Milwaukee and headed for Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
When I got here, I was so excited to find more people "like" me; however, all I found was more people I was not like. Instead of finally feeling accepted, moving away made me feel even more confused. Since I wasn't sure I liked what I had found in Dallas, and I wasn't sure the culture of Milwaukee was for me... Where do I fit in?
Of course, I've found some amazing friends at SMU now, friends I know I will keep for life. However, a week does not pass without my feeling insecure about fitting in here.
Then I realized, that's life. No matter where I move or who I choose to hang out with, I will struggle with "fitting in." It's not that I have special weirdo problems, it's that everyone, no matter how "cool" they are, struggles with fitting in. Interesting thought. Even President Obama feels awkward sometimes around foreign leaders sharing an inside joke he doesn't understand.
So, thank you, Liz Lee, for showing me that I'm not an anomaly. I am me.
I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is usually surprising to people; whether the shock is caused by its distance from Dallas or its supposed lack of cultural importance, I do not know. I love that I am from Milwaukee. It is an artistic, liberal, and diverse city, filled with people to learn from, and talk to. Though I currently reside in Dallas, it is comforting to me to know that I can escape the city's hustle and return to my humble little Milwaukee, all covered in snow.
Jasper and I road tripping to Door County, WI.
I have a little five-pound shit of a dog. His name is Jasper. Jasper Johnson. He lives with me in Dallas, and travels with me wherever I go. He's been on more planes than the average person has by the time he/she is 10.
Jasper is a lot like me...
He is happiest when he is surrounded by people he loves
Though he loves all the "aunts" and "uncles" he has gained through my assortment of friends and family, his most loveable and natural side only comes out when he is with those he considers closest.
Though I sometimes enjoy keeping acquaintances, like Jasper, I much prefer inseparable, close relationships. I've always had about 5-6 BEST best friends, and I cherish them all.
Jasper loves almost all people, and doesn't mind sharing with anyone.
Despite my preference for a few close friendships to many acquaintances, I am a very open person. I love all people automatically. It takes quite a lot for me to dislike someone. I am a very welcoming person.
Also, if you can't tell by the amount of personal disclosure I've included in this post, I am a very open person. I see very few reasons to not let others into my life, other than for reasons of protection. I am who I am, and I like to let people know what they're in for. Plus, I trust humanity. That is important.
Jasper has a genuine interest in human behavior.
Jasper is quite the people watcher. He will sit stoically for over an hour, just watching someone do something. He seems to be fascinated by humans and the things they do. It's like he's always learning.
I am also quite the people watcher. I could watch people for days. I am fascinated by the things they do, and the many different ways they do them. I wonder what inspires people to act, or to not act. I wonder what makes people tick, or "tip." I genuinely enjoy studying people. How they communicate, how they think, how they feel. Which actions inspire which emotions? Why do people do what they do? From the sound of it, I should have double-majored in sociology. Oh, the things I would do if I only had the time.
My interest in human behavior is actually one of the things that sparked my interest in advertising. I have always found it fascinating that the human mind is so manipulatable... That if one understands another's thinking habits/patterns, one can enter into another's mind, and lodge specific concepts there. This is what I believe is done with successful advertising- minds are entered, and thoughts are cultivated. Of course, the mind must be entered in a specific way. In order for an advertiser's idea to feel natural to consumers, advertisers have to tailor their ideas to the minds that will be receiving them. If ideas are not in line with consumers' expectations, dissonance is created, and consumers are less likely to accept the idea. Therefore, advertisers must frame all ideas in a way that will make them more readily accepted by their target markets. So, if advertisers understand human behavior, they can understand how to plant a thought that will eventually grow into a sale.
Jasper is funny and has a BIG personality.
If anyone can make a crowd laugh or a sad person smile, it's Jasper. I wish the same could be said for myself, but the little booger's got me on this one.
I like to think that I can be funny, and I KNOW I have a big personality. I love to make people smile, and I love to hear people laugh. I hold my opinions passionately.
Jasper loves to make other people happy.
More than anything, I want to make other people happy. That is why I try to be funny, and try to be a good friend.
On a grander scale, I care about the rights of humanity. I am a human rights minor, and have always dreamed of working for a non-profit charitable organization. When I was around 9 years of age, I told my mom that I wanted to start my own charitable advertising agency. My goal was to provide advertising services at low to no cost to charitable organizations who could use the help. Although my 9-year-old mind was admittedly a tad idealistic, I still hope to work for a charity-minded agency, and perhaps open up one of my own in the future. Well, actually, if we're being honest here, what I really want to do is travel the world, emerse myself in new cultures, help a group of people at each place I go, and then come back to the States periodically to see my family and write about the adventures. That would be the loveliest.
Jasper is passionate, and committed.
Jasper gives his all to everything in his life. He will play fetch with you until you can't go on any longer. He will walk with you until you are out of breath. He will sleep with you until you have bed sores. He's a great little buddy.
I give my all to everything in my life too. I don't let much get past me that isn't up to my standards. I hold my beliefs passionately, and I do not quit.
Jasper is fearless, and he roles with the punches.
Despite Jasper's five-pound stature, I've never seen a dog more confident in his own ability to KICK ASS. Vacuums, loud noises, weird smells, big animals, big people... NONE OF THAT SCARES HIM. I love it.
Not too much scares me either. I've been through a lot, I've lived around a lot, and, resultantly, I am prepared for anything. Rather than get my hopes up for certain things, I try to live steadily. In my mind, living steadily is achieved by never expecting a thing. That way, when something good happens, you can be grateful, but when something bad happens, you can be unfazed. This may sound like an precaution that will prevent me from enjoying the world, but trust me, I REALLY ENJOY THE WORLD : ) I think the world is a BEAUTIFUL place, filled with beautiful people and fascinating things. I have a GREAT amount of hope in others, and I am an optimistic person... WHEN IT COMES TO OTHERS. When it comes to myself though, I prepare for the worst. This is not good. I need to work on having the same belief in myself as I do others.
Jasper is appreciative.
Not a day goes by that Jasper does not make his love and appreciation for me show. He snuggles with me, we play together, he makes me laugh, I make him smile... it's a pretty good thing we've got goin' on. After a bad day, no one's better to come home to than Jasper.
I am fortunate. Not a day goes by that I don't recognize this, and take time to consider the people in my life who gotten me to where I am today.
One thing Jasper is that I wish I was more is humble.
Jasper is more humble than anyone else I've met before in my life. He is as down to earth as his six-inch height.
I do not believe there is any such thing as too humble. Every day, I try to focus on being grateful for everything upon which I come across, and nice to everyone I meet. I try to see meaning in all things, and I enjoy connecting life to advertising concepts.
One thing I am that Jasper is not is an English nerd.
I hate that I have a million hanging prepositions in this post. However, I wish to write this blog in a style as similar to the way in which I think as possible. So, expect some grammatical mistakes. It is likely that I know they are there too.
Jasper in Door County! We made it!
Thank you for taking time to get to know me. If you blog as well, leave your blog address in a comment below. I'd love to learn about you too.
