Posts

Heartbreak Jewelry - A Short Story

Unpacking spring and summer clothes always fills me with joy. Flowers are in bloom, the air has the right amount of chill, and my heart overflows with hope. There is an extra pep in my step as I am going through my clothes. One pile for donations and one pile for keeps. I feel my smile fade a little as I pick up what use to be my favorite pair of jeans. No, no! Don’t do it, I tell myself. But it’s no use because the tears start forming. My eyes are glassy as I try to stop the tears from falling. I reach into the pocket of the pants and I feel the cool metal on my fingertips. The tears are free-falling now when I pull the matching necklace and bracelet of out the pocket. I thought I threw these pants away but I guess not. I thought I was over this. My mind flashes back to the warm summer afternoon when he gently placed the necklace around my neck and the bracelet around my wrist. I can still feel the warmth of his hands and he held up his camera so I can see my reflection. It was the
Post a Comment
Read more

I got a new prescription for my lens on life

Image
 Somehow, I convinced myself that I couldn't be creative and business savvy. I would constantly seek out people who I thought were better and smarter than me to help me on my creative journey. Of course, this led to many problems for me because I put myself at a disadvantage. The need for validation and direction from others made it difficult for me to grow.  Real human connections were hard to maintain because I felt like we were all trying to gain something from each other. And we were trying to sell each other something. I signed up for small business classes and even enrolled in an academy because I thought it would lead to financial success. My jewelry business didn't produce a sustainable income and my day job barely covered my monthly expenses. Yet, I sacrificed my money to 'invest in myself and business.' That experience really opened my eyes to just how vulnerable I was to fall for anything. Also, it made me realize that people will always reveal who they are a
Post a Comment
Read more

Live from Blue Bottle Coffee

Image
It’s a cloudy Saturday afternoon and I am sitting in Blue Bottle Coffee writing this blog post. Honestly, this has always been a weird dream of mine. The writer’s aesthetic of writing their next masterpiece while sipping an endless brew of lukewarm coffee always intrigued me. And now, I am here in a coffee shop having that same experience minus the masterpiece. Wow. Life is truly a series of unexpected events.  My “Happy Hits” playlist is bumping the latest music in Pop. I purchased my coffee ticket, which is a caffé latte, to sit for an hour or two while I let all the thoughts flow out of my mind and onto this page. I choose a window seat of course, so I can have the right amount of distraction. Every so often, I’ll pick my head up to see who’s walking by.  This guy just rode by on his red and gold bike, with a speaker strapped to the front. I wonder what he is listening to. He is also wearing shorts that show off his crew-cut superman socks.  I like to watch the barista make coffee.
Post a Comment
Read more

Eureka! Reflections on a change of space

Image
A small amount of creativity can go a long way. I'm not sure what it was but I started getting antsy and distracted as I was working from home. So, I worked in the office today and you know what? Man, I checked so many items off my to do list! It felt great.  As I reflect on the effect the change of space had on me, it reminded me of a conversation I had earlier in the week. A friend shared that there is a theory or concept of having a third space. A space to work, a space for leisure or being at home, and a space for creativity. In the remote, hybrid world we are currently. in, it’s hard to separate home and work.  I’ve tried a number of things such as having a desk primary for work that I put away on the weekend. And, I am grateful that I have the option to work or not work at home. But there are days when I absolutely can’t focus in one setting and need to switch.  There are times when I had to do the opposite. When I couldn’t focus at work and went home and was able to work at
Post a Comment
Read more

Is it time for a change of space?

Image
Fifteen tabs are open and I can't seem to find what I am currently working on. I step away from my computer to go browse what's in the fridge. Nothing catches my eye, so I circle back to my computer, stare at the fifteen tabs trying to figure out what I was working on. Can't quite remember, so I pick up my phone to app hop. People are showing things off, I don't see anything interesting. I stand up and put my phone in the couch far away from me so I won't get distracted by it. Back at my computer, the screen saver has appeared. I log back in and the fifteen tabs are still waiting. I close all of them and start over.  This time I have about 10 tabs open. My phone chimes. I leave my computer to check on my phone. It's just a news alert. Nothing serious. But since I'm on my phone, I might as well do another sweep on social. I'm sure something interesting has happened in the last 15 minutes. Nope. I was wrong. I put the phone down and head to the kitchen. Ma
Post a Comment
Read more

The view looks different from here or does it look the same. I can't tell

Image
 My simple life took a drastic turn last year. For the first time in my twenty-nine years of existence, I packed up my life and moved across the country away from my family and friends. As I enjoy my first California winter of mostly clear skies paired with a light jacket, I can't help but think of my winter jacket. I left it back in New York at my parent's home.  I thought of my winter jacket as I put on my favorite Adidas sweatsuit to go for a hike with a friend from work. I thought about how I would layer up under my winter jacket to travel around NYC in search of adventure. I'd usually wind up at a museum or some cool pop-up show but I usually didn't need to plan it out. And if all failed, I'd resort to watching the Husdon River from Brooklyn Bridge Park or Brookfield Place while thinking about my life. As I searched for experiences and pondered on how I can make enough to survive on my own, I was neither sad nor happy. If I'm being honest I felt, and at tim
Post a Comment
Read more

Crank up the music, I am creating

Image
There are people who create in absolute silence. I cannot imagine how they do that. When I'm creating, I need to crank tunes. No set playlist, somedays, I need Jazz, other days Pop, Kpop, Afro-Cuban, or something new.  There are moments when I take a dance break while creating. Music is so intricately connected with whatever I make.  Does this mean I also need to credit the music artist I'm listening to while creating a piece?
Post a Comment
Read more