I never use my phone to post things. This sketch took about 5 minutes while waiting for the boy to get home. Sometimes, you just feel blue.
Mina... 22. Animation/Illustration Student at SJSU. Dabbler, creator, artist, model. aspiring polymath. Proper Introductions            |
It’s 2012, and I couldn’t be happier that 2011 is over. It’s been a long ride, and I’m still working on depression issues. I think the above picture sums up what I’ve been doing with myself: maintenance. Lots of maintenance. I do have some fun modeling from this past year. What about art? … Not particularly. Dark fashion? I can take loads of new pictures thanks to shopping! Nerdiness? That’s always here. I’ll be posting soon! I have some things to wrap up before my semester begins this next week, so I may not post again until Thursday or so. See you all soon! ~Mina
Hello again. I am sharing this with you because I hope it may help you. This isn’t a fun subject, nor may it be an easy post to read. I take it seriously, it is very personal. If anything I say can help someone else, though, I’m glad. If you have wondering where I’ve been, it isn’t just school. I have been spending the past two and a half weeks attempting to keep my head above water. My mindset shifted at the end of February and I’ve been fighting to keep myself in classes and from diving off the depression cliff ever since. Last week was the worst of it: I had to skip two days of school and ultimately assigned myself a new therapist at Kaiser by demanding I get in to see someone the same day. My anxiety has been at tolerable levels for the most part, otherwise. I can function, but I am exhausted at the end of the day. I am unable to put much time into homework outside of classes, but I am able push myself through a day and distract myself with friends. I still socialize. Socializing actually helps—it’s a huge distraction and keeps me smiling, running happy-chemicals through my body when it doesn’t think I should have any. I am naturally an extroverted person (with introverted tendencies—I love being at home), which means that while I may be feeling awful on the inside, I am still laughing and joking. I only push it aside—it doesn’t go away. But, it is better than crying in bed. I communicate with my teachers and explain what is going on, but unfortunately these are the times that really make my grades and school progress suffer (thereby perpetuating some of my personal issues). I have manageable depression and anxiety. This means that I do have my episodes, but I am well educated in how to handle them. This does not mean that I am at any point less volatile. When I have my hours-long anxiety attacks, I have trouble breathing and I shut down. I hyperventilate and curl into a ball, as all my muscles lock up. It is a very physical, troubling experience. The mental angle of it is no less enjoyable. When I have an anxiety attack, I also am feeling very negative emotions, generally about myself. Sometimes, I have lesser episodes, where my breathing becomes labored and I am simply unable to do much. Now, I am exercising. I do have a love of sugary foods, but I don’t eat them in total excess. I tend to eat them more when I feel that I deserve some sort of relief from the way I feel. I would also like to mention that this anxiety—if I think it over, I realize it is always there. It is no way to live. It is no way to function, especially with a busy lifestyle. I have said to my friends in the past year I would get medication, but for different reasons it never happened. I am determined now to make sure that this is properly treated. I am so tired of living without help. What I have to offer today to anyone who deals with depression is this: you are not alone. Do not feel that you are out of reach; beyond help. My Adaptive Methods These are ways to keep one’s head above water and stay somewhat productive. I believe heavily in mind-over-matter, and it has made my otherwise crippling issues something I’ve managed without medication for years, and with medication, should help me (and maybe you) move forward. THIS IS NOT A CURE, NOR A WAY TO COPE. Be careful, please. These are ways I have found to have kept me cognizant, moving, and somewhat functional, but look—I’m getting help and medication because I can’t live this way and it’s continuously interfering with my success. These are tools, not a lifestyle. And, depression affects different people different ways. 1: Keep your obligations your number one priority and you will be much stronger. These are larger goals, promises to people you care about, responsibilities at school or work (telling yourself: I will get my homework done on time, or I will meet my deadline; don’t accept anything less, and you will eventually meet those goals). Warning: You should NOT tie yourself to obligations in servitude: this brings about guilt and unneeded stress, which compound maladaptive thought patterns. What’s the difference? The healthy answer is letting go of the things you can’t do. Understand your limitations of the present and balance them. 2: Set small goals. Clean your personal space. Make something for yourself. Play a video game. Congratulate yourself when you are done and really grasp that sense of pride in your accomplishment. Tell yourself that it’s good to be happy about something you have done for yourself. Warning: Don’t allow yourself to get caught up into escapist thinking of your projects. The moment you finish a small personal goal, step away from that kind of project. Go do something else you have to do, or visit a friend. I, for one, think addictive thinking is easily exacerbated in these harder moments. 3: Keep hygienic. Bathe, brush your teeth, brush your hair. Shave. Wear clean clothes. Comfortable clothes are fine, but attempt to make yourself somewhat presentable, because you WILL go out in public. Keeping yourself at some standard helps keep negative personal image at bay. Warning: Don’t fall into spending too much time in hygiene to avoid leaving the house. Sounds silly, but I’ve looked for any reason to not deal with the world, and I’m sure others have too. 4: Go outside. Make plans with friends. Keep people around you as often as possible. Bring them into your home. Try to smile. Try to be social; minimal effort is all that’s needed and it should catch on. The less you are alone, the less you dive into those dark, lonely places. Warning 1: Don’t drink. Don’t do drugs. It will make it worse, I promise. Warning 2: Do your best to not be negative 100% of the time. It is *hard* to not think that way when you’re in this mode, but I know not everyone is blessed with close relationships with understanding people. Obviously, you want better friends if yours are not willing to work with you through these times, but work with what you got at present. 5: Talk about it. Find a therapist: there are free options available if you so need them (as a student, all colleges have emotional counseling centers and I used that system for a year). Tell your friends and your family. Telling someone about your inner struggles will help you reach others, and they will in turn reach out to you. The ones who love you (and trust me, you are well loved) want you to be happy, healthy, and functional. It troubles them when you stumble, and they will do what they can to support you, if they know you need it. Warning: Therapy is still considered a joke in some families, and among certain people in our population. It does not make your problems or feelings any less valid or real. Find people who will listen. 6: If you are feeling suicidal, tell someone. Your life is valuable. You are important, and have something to add to the world. Don’t give in to that scam of ending life—people will miss you, you will be mourned, and your presence and potential will be lost forever. 7: Exercise and eat well. Your symptoms can be regulated and may be much less intense if you take care of these two things. I do not think that exercising or eating well will completely cure many cases of depression—although in some cases, it may be. 8: Place yourself first. Stay away from or end unhealthy relationships and build that support network that you will need with people you trust who care about you. 9: Know yourself. I think this may be self explanatory. Know your limitations, know your strengths and weaknesses. You can push through great struggles if you know yourself. 10: Give yourself a break. Sometimes, you need “you” time. I think the warning here is self-explanatory; don’t lose yourself in your break time, and ignore your responsibilities. Responsibilities are always there; they are a part of life. How you choose to approach them is how you move forward. When the time comes, I’ll continue writing about this. Good night, lovelies.
As I leave to study for my Japanese midterm tonight, I’d like to say, think healthy, not skinny. Healthy lifestyles will get you to the weight you need to be, not the weight society expects you to be. Keep your heads high, lovelies. ~Mina makes you grumpy, unfocused, and sleep deprived. …Okay, I’m joking. However, I’m up early in the morning to work on homework and I think I function better without an alarm clock, honestly. I’m trying to instill a sense of discipline, though. Thanks to tea and my attempt to try and keep things less procrastinatory this semester, here I am. It’s 6:52 in the morning (my class is at 8:30) and I’m clinging to the idea of perhaps eating breakfast and getting my day started. Tomorrow, I plan on having two outfit photos up. I need to re-create one from earlier this week (I liked it too much not to), and put one together for tomorrow. Hooray, fashion. I turned in my portfolio sketchbook. I think I may have confused one of the requirements, and I hope that it doesn’t affect my standing as accepted into the major (portfolio + post-portfolio sketchbook approval = acceptance, essentially). My amazing, talented friend Annalisa of Snapshot Ninja Photography took some photos back in September/October for two small fashion shows I modeled for. She was able to get the photos to me a month ago, and I wanted to share with you a few from each show. Most are behind the scenes, but these were lots of fun (which explains so many silly shots). The first show was make-up oriented. The second show was meant to be hair, however, it ended up simply being a showcase of Cerina’s (my talented and lovely make-up artist) abilities. Because of the nature of these shows, the models brought their own wardrobe. September 9th, 2010
October 1st, 2010
References: The girl in red pants is my close friend, Rachel. She came out for the show to help when models flaked, and I think she did an amazing job. The model in the jeans is a friend of Cerina’s. Cerina, is of course, the make-up artist and the girl smiling wide in the second to last picture. The last photo, is of course, me and my supportive sweetie. Clothes: Because there’s a lot to cover, I’m rapid-firing this. September 9th: October 1st: I love hair and make-up shows because it gives models like me a chance to get runway experience. I’m short and I have curves—even as I work out and cut some of the squishy bits down, I will still be curvier than your average runway model, simply by how wide my hips are (read: very). Them’s the breaks, and I accept my limitations. I will still push forward with my modeling career, and alt modeling doesn’t have height restrictions (although most of the time they’re fetish jobs. Sigh). And, no one said you have to be 5’10’’ and stick-thin to be fashionable. More soon. Ciao, lovelies! **All of the photos are provided graciously by SnapShot Ninja Photography**
Before I dive into any other aspect of this topic, I want to put it out of your mind that there is some set indicator for healthy weight. Even NPR says BMI is bogus. BMI is an imperfect tool, and it’s not meant to rate every human on the same scale. On top of that, I will state right now as a disclaimer and to hopefully smooth over some sensitivities: I have never had real problems with weight. I have always been generally small (not always healthy), and I did not grow up drinking soda or eating french fries and pizza. I by no means pass judgment on those who have grown up with those eating habits, but I do caution (along with many notable dieticians and nutritionists) that weight problems we experience in late teens and adulthood often stem from our eating habits as children—or more accurately, our parents’ eating habits—all of these are sensitive subjects, I know. When I talk about weight and exercise, I talk about it from doing lots of reading, making decisions based off of what I’ve learned, and what I’ve observed when talking with others. I cannot truly understand the time and effort many out there put in to manage weight, and I’d rather push for body-positive, healthy living vs. skinny living. And, I am working hard, also. Keeping healthy isn’t awful, hate-filled monotony, but it is work. I don’t ever want to seem dismissive about that. Now that that’s cleared up. I’ve realized that after years of talking about it, planning on it, devising schemes around it, and finally floundering for a week just to give in to the cushy chair gods, there’s only one way for me, personally, to work out. I have to simply do it and do it in my own home at my own pace. I’m not a gym-goer (I can go, but it’s not my first choice), and while I’m a full supporter of buddy-system gym visits, I just don’t follow it. Especially when both my buddy and I are busy students—neither of us fault one another for skipping once, twice, or ten times simply because one or both of us “had work to do.” When I take classes, I listen to instructors but I often resent them when they push me. I’d rather not think angry thoughts about a dance or fitness instructor, and so, I’ve thought about other things to keep me strong. Starting this month I run every morning to warm up, then I stretch out, and do my belly dance practicing to keep my moves strong. I have finished out week two of this plan, and next week will be the real test—taking time to work out when I’m off in the wild blue yonder that is “out of town”. And by then, I’ll have completed the bare minimum for habit forming (three weeks to build a habit). From there, I hope to continue making it a part of my lifestyle. I’ll probably eventually make the workout stretch to 45 minutes as my runs get longer and my stretches and dance moves become more complex. That’s the nature of building strength and stamina, after all! And some day, I’ll even add weights! I’m feeling better than I have in a long while, and I’ve stopped to examine it all. However, this is as much time as I’ll devote to working out in a day. Is there a right or wrong way to work out? We’ll see. I am reserving one day out of my week to rest my muscles. I have my morning routine five days out of the week, and then I rest. Lather, rinse, repeat. My routine is not very rigorous right now as I’m simply conditioning my body to do what I want to do. Soon enough, I’ll start dividing up which muscles I focus on. What I have learned is that any extraordinary aerobic movement—walking more places at a decent pace, running, jogging, dancing, cardio classes, martial arts, swimming—anything that gets your blood moving during the day helps burn calories and maintain health. Gas prices are going up and will continue to go up here in California, which only means that as it warms up, bike riding and walking are perfect money-saving ways to get around. And, they are active transportive methods that help keep you (and me) healthy. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, and it’s a new goal of yours, start off by walking. Ease into it and try to enjoy it—you’ll feel better, and it can help you enjoy the scenery of your neighborhood. If your neighborhood is seedy, proceed with the caution you feel is best—but otherwise, enjoy what you find in exploring. Make your experiences your own, and maybe find ways to be productive about them (delivering mail, getting groceries, going to work, etc.).
Eating Healthy Because I’m eating generally healthy (but balanced—I love my sweets, I just keep them cut down to a few times a week, or once a day after dinner), my general caloric intake is between 12-1600 calories a day. I don’t count every meal. I know my average, and it rarely changes. I have to eat a *lot* to get above 1600, and part of how I manage this is learning a very simple, beautiful strategy to combat weight loss: eat until you are satisfied—NOT full. (Please click that link, it’s great) There is a big difference, here. We have been taught to eat everything off our plates, to accept this over-eaten, slow and sleepy feeling as normal. And it isn’t. The feeling of satisfaction is completely different and in the beginning, it’s something you may have to check in with and attempt to ease your body into (especially if you’re used to huge meals—crash dieting and sudden proportion reduction doesn’t help anyone). Also, eating until satisfied helps reduce those with stretched stomachs back down to a more natural size. “What if I’m hungry an hour later,” you ask? Have some fruit. Or a salad. Something light, nutritious, and good to your body. You may realize that you don’t need another meal, or dessert. After you’ve had that piece of fruit (or some other low fat snack), you may discover that you feel just fine. Once I cross-examined my level of satisfaction vs. level of full, I realized how much less I ate, and how much less I really felt like eating. Suddenly, portion control became possible. “What about foods that I love to eat? What if they happen to be high in fat?” Reduce how frequent and how much you eat of those foods, but you don’t have to cut them out completely. Read that link about satisfactory eating—it will help. What kind of food constitutes a good, balanced diet? Fresh produce. Eat lean meat like poultry and seafood often, and red meat occasionally (it has its health benefits). If you are vegetarian or vegan, find ways to balance your protein intake—and it shouldn’t JUST BE SOY! Soy has plant chemicals that are similarly constructed to human estrogens, and can screw up your hormones if you have Too Much Soy. Some soy is wonderful for you, only having soy is not. Eggs daily (read up on them: essentially, their cholesterol scare is a myth and if you’re worried about salmonella, get pasteurized eggs. Eggs are amazing—they have many essential daily nutrients and the proteins in them promote healthy skin, hair, and nails. Better than taking any pill, in my opinion). Complex carbs and simple carbs—don’t balk, hear me out. Carbs are energy. Simple carbohydrates give you easy energy fast, because they break down into sugars in your system. Sugars aren’t good long-lasting energy and can turn into empty calories (and be stored as fat), and you want complex carbs, proteins, and produce to help keep you active and alert. Sweets matter, too. Don’t eat in excess, but the happiness that a pastry or chocolate gives me is never meant to be taken away, and working out daily ensures that the days that I splurge get smoothed over. If you have any thoughts on what I have to say, or have different input, let me know! I’m always learning, and I like to know I’m giving good, reliable information. I need a new routine for my new year. I have lots of dreams and goals, and unless I get something organized, I fear I’ll always fall short of reaching them. Gala Darling has posted a blog about her routine and things she’ll incorporate into her daily work so that she’ll feel fulfilled and happy, and I wanted to chime in with my own. My new routine is a modified version of my old, so it won’t be a shock. This is the best way to introduce changes, I’ve found. It will simply feel more fulfilled and complete. In the spirit of her blog, I will find photos I like to illustrate my points. Daily Routine (Each one of these photos below were not taken by me and are linked back to their respective accounts on Flickr) A Morning Jog I hate running, but I really can’t deny how good I feel after I exercise (save for the first couple of times where I’m coughing and winded). As I mention later on in this post, I’m toning up, losing weight, and gaining muscle as a goal this year. I’m already starting—this week is around my city block, next week around two, and so on. Gotta get the pudge to move and it’s always great to start slow. I wake up, I put my workout clothes on, I jog. I come home, I stretch, I rinse off or have a full shower if need be. Nice.
Planner Upkeep My planner habits are coming along, albeit slowly. Last year I kept my planner weekly, but I didn’t check it throughout the day, or even week. I’d write everything down and promptly forget it. This is better than previous years, folks. In my daily routine, I need to go through my planner when I’m done with my appointments/classes and sort out what I need to do for the evening.
Eating More Fresh, More Raw, More Often I never eat salads. I want to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into my diet daily because they taste awesome and aren’t as hard to prepare as I pretend they are. And since I get snackish, having mid-morning fruits and afternoon salads (or something) sounds amazing. On top of that, quality, fresh ingredients in any cooked dish make it that much tastier and better for you.
Drink Water I’ve been good about this recently–water filters are one way to get past water taste, lovelies. Drinking water is essential to our lives. And I’m lucky that I rarely ever drink soda or coffee. This makes water’s job even easier, and we get along just fine in our daily correspondance. I personally don’t toss in any extras into my jug, but cucumber, lemon or lime does great things for the flavor and health. I bring a canteen of water around with me when I’m working or at classes, and it energizes me. I just feel better hydrated–and really, it’s common sense.
Daily Vitamins I have one daily vitamin right now that I often forget to take (getting better about it now that it’s winter), and I may incorporate one more. I don’t like taking pills daily, but a basic multivitamin goes a long way, as long as I’m consistent.
Homework Did I just say that? Well… yes, yes I did. I need to incorporate daily homework time. College students have lots of homework, after all. It will cut down my stress level immensely and open more time for me to work on projects for my job, and for projects for myself. My biggest problem for the past, oh, ten years, has been procrastination, and that leads to lots of no-good feelings. In order to combat depression, I need to combat some of the tendencies that act as triggers for it. I want to feel confident, professional, and balanced. Keeping on top of my assignments will only work to my advantage.
Sketch With my portfolio sketchbook due in about a month, this is an easy habit to start daily. However, it’s just as easy to fall out of. Artists draw, and artists who draw daily keep their craft honed.
Naps Naps aren’t just for little kids, friends. If you have a busy life where you are constantly learning and may not always get 8 hours of sleep, naps are your friend. Don’t let one surpass 1.5 hours, or you’ll lose your day (like I do). I aim to have a 30-60 minute nap at the end of my school or work day—it energizes me for what I need to do in the evenings, it gives my brain time to process all the crud it had to go through for the day. Naps are amazing.
Love My Cats Yeah, I’m a cat lady. I love my cats and I want to make sure I give them daily attention. I also am including litter box and feeding in this, as taking care of my pets is loving them. I have two cats now and I need to make sure they have food and water twice daily (one cat was easy–full bowl of water and food once a day was enough), and that their litter box is emptied at least every other day. Plus, taking a moment out of my day to play with, snuggle, annoy and love my pets makes me a happier person. They love the attention, I love the stress relief. Weekly Routine
Blogging At least twice a week, this blog will be updated with something. I’ve kept my word on that (save for during finals time). I’d like to make it daily, but I’m striving to make promises I can keep. This directly influences you, dear readers! And once I think it over, I really only have one thing I can incorporate into my weekly routine that’s already there and feasible. Goals for 2011 These are my goals for 2011. Some are lofty, some are feasible. They are all personal, but I feel the need to put it somewhere public; perhaps it will keep me honest and accountable about them. Probables: Things I want that will probably happen -lose 15 pounds of fat. Any weight I gain past that will be muscle. If I am to feel better about my modeling, I should keep my fat lower. If I am to be responsible about my heart condition, I need to keep my fat content lower. And my plan is healthy. I’ve been talking about it for two years—this plan is finally going into action Wishfuls: Things I want but may not get -get my first tattoo That’s all for now. I’d like to hear from all of you. What are your goals for this new year? Your new routine? …and a secret santa gift. Yeah. It’s been a while, guys. I’ve been taking my much needed vacation from things since my semester ended. To recap, two weekends ago I participated in a secret santa gift exchange. I received this:
Tea! in a tea cup! With a citrusy tea cake! The small paper is a set of illustrated instructions on how to make said tea cake, and it was presented to me as “Sunshine Cake”. It was amazing. I was given two bags of vanilla cinnamon tea. I need to find out what the brand is, because it was *delicious* and dipping the cake in the tea was a great snack. I will have to make this cake!
This is my new set-up. I received a refund from a plane ticket and was able to purchase some much needed supplies. Namely, I’ve been really needing a new computer and a monitor. I’ve been working on a laptop for the past three and a half years and it’s showing its age. The DVD Rom drive lost its screws a while ago so it falls out occasionally, the rubber bumpers are falling off, etc. Keeping it in a case when I move around is the only way I’ve managed to keep it looking halfway decent. But… it’s just not up to snuff anymore, and I bought one of Newegg’s build packages. I’m still using my laptop, but I can put it away now (such a wonderful feeling!). For some reason, a lot of my daily outfit photos have been coming out yellow. I’ll investigate it soon, but for now, have some rushed yellowy outfit photos! Let’s talk versatile footwear. I looked high and low for the perfect pair of granny boots, and my latest dive into murky waters found me a pair for a decent price at that wonderful (and awful) place to shop, Forever 21. Yes, ladies. Having an amazing shoe closet with all sorts of insane boots, heels, and other kinds of shoes is a secret desire many of us share, but honestly? I know it’s not very practical. I try to shop for shoes that I can wear in multiple settings with multiple outfits. Unfortunately, this also means I rarely stray from black shoes, but that is a topic for another day. Look for a pair of shoes that have a defining detail that make them unique–something that will tie your outfits together. But, don’t go too extravagant. For example, to find an essential staple for your shoe collection, I think it’s necessary to have something similar to these lovely granny boots. Why? They’re dressy (if you so choose) without losing an interesting industrial quality, they can be completely casual, but they could also be worked down into bohemian perfection. They are timeless–you see this same kind of shoe crop up over a spread of 150 years in multiple eras of fashion. If you can find a pair of comfortable granny boots that are affordable, get them. I’d even go as far as saying, if you can find an awesome pair of these for anything less than $150, get them. I know for a fact that these little beauties from the WalMart of boutiques (Forever 21 if you weren’t paying attention–and trust me, I do love what I find there) will probably not last. However, my Doc Martens 1942s will last me decades (Those, by the way, are not granny boots, but they are one of the few pairs of expensives shoes in my collection that I can us as a comparison). Here are three outfits, three completely different looks, all with the same shoes. Yeah, yeah. I’ve only been able to take three photos in two weeks. Sorry, been braindead.
Make-Up: No-Make-Up, Finals Week Edition
Make-Up: No-Make-Up Finals Week Edition
Make-Up: MAC foundation, Palladio eyeliner, black Clinique eye shadow, Palladio mascara Some days, I get out of the shower and think to myself, “Wow, that would look great in a photoshoot,” but I never remember to take a picture for reference. Today, I really, really liked the results of my hair post-shower. And, I remembered.
Now, on to the outfits! I haven’t posted an outfit in over a week. To make up for it, I have three documented for you. Without further ado:
Make-Up: None today Went to work like this:
Make-Up: MAC RubyWoo Lipstick, MAC Studiofix foundation, Clinique eye shadow and eyeliner, Palladio mascara I didn’t have much time in the morning, so I used the mirror. I feel like it didn’t get all the detail, so at the end of the day, I laid out the outfit and took a picture of it that way, as well.
I received a new package from Forever21 in the mail today. I got these leggings, belt and sweater in that order. This picture doesn’t really do these leggings justice, honestly:
So, you may be wondering about the below picture. I wanted it to be black and white. But the stockings? They are also black and white. Black and white tie-dye. Please give me some advice on what I could wear these things on. Any ideas? Suggestions? They look too awesome to not wear them, but I’ve been trying to incorporate them into my wardrobe for weeks now and I haven’t figured out an outfit yet.
Help! I am fortunate that I currently work at a place where it really does not matter what I come into work wearing. Still, I try to make myself look somewhat professional. I won’t touch on this subject very often, as I think other people talk about it better. Click that link, if you can. Trystan is an awesome, amazing woman who has been in subculture a long time. She touches on topics that are informative and helpful for everyone, especially those who are just entering the work force and need to adhere to dress codes/business wear policies. However, where you work matters more than your subculture (No, seriously. If you’re not working because you’re keeping your gothy or artistic principles, I think we need to have a talk). It sounds harsh, and it sounds mean, and why oh why can’t we wear our New Rocks and Lip Service PVC bondage club gear or bustle skirts, bodices and spikes to our jobs? Because the world is different on the outside, and we still have to interact there. We do not have to assimilate completely, but in order to make a system work to our advantage (such as corporate policies in America), we have to learn it and adhere to it, somewhat. There are people like my friend Drea, who is gorgeous and works her amazing look to her advantage. She will probably always be successful in her industries, however: her industries play up to her strengths. She does what she loves. But, what are her industries? She dances with fire as a performer, she’s an alternative model (with a fierce look), she’s an artist. She also has had to work to get where she currently is, and she’s still pushing forward. Not everyone can do what they love to do right out of the gate—everyone has had to work crap jobs or jobs that don’t fit their dream standards. Everyone has times where they must suck it up and keep their personal lives We are lucky to work and live in an era where we do not have a very specific dress code for what we wear. Corporate or work wear needs to feel dressy or non-casual, and if you fit your outfit under that umbrella, you will probably hit your mark. But, read your situation. You have to work with other people. You have to be approachable. To take a page out of The Lady of the Manners’ book, you need to be polite and friendly. Now, I do understand that not everyone is people-oriented. That’s okay—smiling even while wearing black lipstick and chains does disarm people more than you’d think. At work or at school, the more I smile, the more people simply accept what they see and move on. It’s better to just thank people for their comments. And yes, sometimes someone calls what you are wearing a costume. I’ve politely tried to correct people that it isn’t a costume, that those who wear these clothes look at them as their fashion and expression. I haven’t found the right way to say it yet—I still feel like I come off arrogant and snippy. In essence, through my experiences I can tell you that your mileage may vary. Just try and continue to try to be polite about it. This is what I wore to work this week (Only one outfit. Tuesday, I couldn’t really move much. Hurt my back. I’m an old woman :[)
Make-Up: Hot Topic eyeshadow, Clinique eyeshadow, MAC fluidline blacktrack eyeliner, MAC Ruby Woo lip stick, MAC studiofix
This is just the lobby at my work. I’m playing around with my camera more. That’s it for now. |
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