A Very Flapper Halloween

 

I have a confession to make. I have been having a love affair with the 1920s for a long time now. Even this blog is titled after a chapter in a Fitzgerald novel. My love knows no bounds. So of course, when I needed a casual Halloween outfit, I put together a daytime flapper look, modernizing it somewhat for all day wearablility.

Neutrality

If all skirts were maxi skirts with pockets, I'd be the most comfortable girl in the world.

Versatile

This skirt has become one of my new wardrobe staples for fall. Mostly, because it goes so nicely with almost every shirt in my closet. 

Seasonless

 

One of the wacky things about life in the south is the ability to wear shorts nearly all year round. 90 degrees in October is totally normal.

A Colorful Life

Pants in bright colors. I want them all.

The Importance of Keeping a Notebook

If there is one thing I have come to understand in my many years of art schooling, it's that notebooks are pretty important. Full of sketches, doodles, words, etc., they hold all your ideas and dreams in a nice little bound package. Which is both cute and good for helping you communicate and work through your ideas.

In all honesty, I struggled with notebooks for a long time. This struggle can be traced back to 2 things. 1.) Each class had so many requirements as to what had to be in the notebook that often times keeping a notebook felt like a chore. A chore that was really easy to get behind on and then slap something together right before the due date. 2.) The perfectionist in me was afraid of messing up, of not creating a book that flowed from one page to the next and told a beautiful story. It wasn't until my senior portfolio class that I really understood how I functioned in the realm of notebooks. Because in that year long class, we were only told to keep a notebook. No requirements. No guidelines. No rules. My notebook for that class actually ended up being mostly words. Which is very appropriate because at the time I was having a lot of conceptual ideas and trying to plan out my future... and also I am one of those people who makes lists.

The notebook I kept this summer during my internship at Lilly turned out almost completely opposite from my senior year notebook. Which is crazy interesting when I think about the type of work I was doing and my state of mind during those two different periods. And well... I'd like to share a few pages with you.

Lilly & I: The Tale of an Internship

Recapping an entire summer's worth of experiences in one post? Let's do this. Essentially, this summer I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with Lilly Pulitzer's print design team in King of Prussia, PA. I when I say wonderful, I am not exaggerating. Lilly is a relatively small, close knit company devoted to their brand, and that really shines through in the fun-loving, community-oriented atmosphere that permeates the Pink Palace. (Seriously. I worked in a pastel pink building. How cool is that?)

Immediately on the first day, I was thrown right into the mix, helping to finish up Summer 2012 artwork and send it out to vendors. From there we jumped right into concepting and designing for Fall 2012. The pace was fast, the work challenging, and I loved every minute of it. Whether we were hard at work or giggling around a table, there was not once a dull moment at Lilly. In between designing and cleaning prints, we took an inspiration trip to the local botanical gardens and sponsored a charity event with Oceana in the Hamptons. Okay... maaaaaybe those days spent cleaning prints for what seemed like forever were a little dull, but even those weren't too bad.

When I wasn't working on Summer and Fall artwork, the other interns and I were working on a collaborative project to design and market a proposed line of products for Spring 2013. With interns representing many different departments at Lilly, we had a lot of great minds from a variety of backgrounds each bringing a unique perspective. Large group projects are always challenge.... but we pulled it together and wowed our audience in our final presentation.One of the things I really appreciated was that in my 2 months there I was never just an intern. I was part of the team, working side by side with seasoned print designers. Because I got to work so closely with them, I really did learn a lot this summer. Now I understand better how products become reality. I know I can paint giant canvases with ease (one of mine even ended up in the Lilly store in Ardmore, PA!). Most importantly, I have learned to just do it, also known as confidence in your first attempt. I think that in coming out of art school many of us think too much about what we make. To the point where the focus is on whether or not what we are making is good/right/valuable/worthy of an A and not the actual product. I have learned the value of an idea and the importance of editing. Get your idea out there. Let people see it and give feedback. Adjust from there.

Oops.

I was experimenting with double exposures, and instead of a neat little roll of nice double exposures, I ended up getting some crazy exposure mash up! But I think it looks pretty interesting. It's like one of those Ispy books (remember those?!) in that the longer you look, the more you see.

Fibers Open Studio 2011

Well, hello there. The past 10 days sure have been crazy. Let me tell you why.

Every year the Fibers department puts on a big show in our building showcasing all the amazing work our students have produced. Usually, each room/studio corresponds to a class, and seniors get display priority throughout the building and all the responsibility that comes with it. So as a senior, this was kind of a big deal. The show was this past Friday, and I spent much of last week setting up the building alongside classmates and faculty. And, you know, it was stressful and time-consuming, but I secretly loved every minute it. Fibers Open Studio really unites our department in a unique way, and I love being a part of that. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to help set up not only my work but the work of others.

Alongside all the work, we had demos going on throughout the evening: weaving, spinning, indigo dyeing, screenprinting and more! What's nice about the demos is that people get the chance to interact with us and learn about the processes we've used to create our work.

I even volunteered to do a print demo on Olga during Open Studio because I really enjoy talking to people about what I do. Even though I'm not a public speaker by any means, there's just this satisfying thrum that happens when I can connect with people about the things I am passionate about.

At the end of the night we raffled off a quilt made by various members of the department. All in all, we had a great turn out, and it was a really fantastic event. I am so proud of everything we do!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is great because it's pretty much an excuse to celebrate pretty much everything cute. Cupcakes included. I made these Chocolate and Blood Orange cupcakes from Love and Olive Oil yesterday for a Valentine's Day party, and they were definitely a hit! Every last one was eaten by the end of the night, which sadly meant no leftovers to feed my insatiable sweet tooth.