WINTER LAZINESS

It's been coat season but since I fly back and forth from Miami it's hard to keep up with the weather sometimes. The coat I'm wearing is faux fur, from F21 actually. Affordable, cute, and warm. I chose it for it's color, a subtle touch of nude pink for an all black outfit. Coat season is actually my favorite times of the year, not sure why I love layers more than beach wear. But of course with coat season comes the winter cold or for me the "winter laziness". I love to stay warm under the covers an extra hour in the morning or on the couch with a cup of tea, while the snow falls outside. Getting started in the morning is the hardest part on cold days, but once you've started, it’s all up from there. Like running at the gym, hard at first but once you’ve hit that momentum, it's almost like you could run that treadmill with your eyes closed. After struggling with the “couch potato" feels this morning, I decided to wake up and get out. 

I like to be efficient and feel motivated. Half the time I'm not, it's just because there’s too much going on. We’re only human. We can only do so much. So a few tips I thought of that have helped me: 

1. Pick your outfit the night before! Pre-choosing what to wear the night before, frees up that portion of my morning to focus on more important matters. Plus it helps me get up and out once I'm dressed. And if you can't think of anything to wear, easily throw on a cute coat.
2. Wake up early. Write down 3-5 things to get done that day. Ranked by priority.
3. Never panic, block out time for the most important tasks and let the rest of the urgent but less important stuff slide. Learn it is never worth the stress, it will still be there tomorrow.

In any case, I think everyone needs at least one furry faux coat in their closet. 

Wearing: F21 coat | Marc Jacobs bag | Rag & Bone jeans

Wearing: Zara coat | Topshop boots

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

Ever feel like you're doing something you never thought you would. Maybe I'm not the only one who isn't following life the way I planned? I, for one, never (ever) thought I'd actually start a website, much less be sharing these thoughts (or any thoughts publicly for that matter). I spent the last 20 years in school studying and working towards a plan - my plan - but as I've learned over the years: Life doesn't always go the way we plan. That's a difficult pill to swallow, in case you haven't noticed - I'm a planner. 

I may not be able to control what happens to me, but I can control my perspective of it. It takes a conscious effort to control how we process what life throws at us. So in the moments when we feel like life isn't going according to plan or it's too hard or too sad: readjust, be flexible and see the beauty in the little things. We can't control the outcome of our plans, but we can control how we respond to it.

 "you can decide not to be reduced by them" - Maya Angelou

Many of us have our lives mapped out and when something unexpected happens (the loss of a loved one, a bad break-up, struggling with finding a job, not graduating on time, not being married yet or just having a single bad day), it shakes us to be unsure of ourselves, unsure of what to do, and it's uncomfortable. Be brave, be honest and be open, because the sweetness of success only comes after tasting the bitterness of trials. For me, I'm processing it all through writing (may not be the best writing, but it's mine), traveling and rediscovering things I love and enjoy doing. It's not to say "to hell with planning I'm living carefree" (pretty sure that's impossible for me) because my dreams and goals are the same. It's learning how to readjust the plans to achieve those goals, looking at the big picture & moving forward, and more importantly knowing we have control over our own happiness. 

Can't fight the trend - welcome to the Aviator Club. My sister's first comment on my jacket was "you look like a pilot" (obviously, it's an aviator jacket) but I love it. First saw it at Acne Studios, which of course made it's way down to Zara where I bought this one. Can't ever go wrong with black on black (at least that's what I believe). Threw on the jacket with some studded boots and went out for a walk, in the brisk cold...where my thoughts began to wander. 

Wearing: H&M sweater | Abercrombie jeans | F21 boots

Winter Woes

I've always stuck to Instagram, I have fun posing for a quick photo and posting it to match my feed. Like I've said before, I never thought I'd be writing my thoughts or outfits, but here I am walking around Manhattan trying it out. There's something about this city that makes my heart beat faster, an excitement to find something new. Life has a way of draining a person out, after being in overdrive at school or work, even if we love what we do, it has a tendency to turn life stale. It's like eating your favorite food, enough of it over and over again, and it loses taste. It's fun to treat yourself; it can be a new restaurant, new movie, new haircut, walking outside on a sunny day, reading a book. 

For me dressing up gives me that excitement. I believe an outfit is more than just throwing on clothes to leave the house, it's an expression of who we are and how we feel. It's that exciting "look good, feel good" connection and what looks good is our own choice. My mom used to always say the best way to start the day is to shower and get dressed. "I don't have time" isn't an excuse when it comes to self-love. Confining ourselves to the dull and boring equals a lack of inspiration. Sometimes we do lack the inspiration, there are days when I stare at my closet with the there's nothing to wear woes. And I remember how difficult it was to feel good when drained by schoolwork. 

There were days, like today, when a minimal oversized beige sweater, with plain grey jeans and beige booties was simple enough to give me the confidence I needed to go through my day. Look good, feel good: while a lot of it has to do with what we wear, it’s how we feel and the confidence we emit. Getting dressed gives me inspiration, adds excitement to my day, and hopefully sharing these outfits can give others inspiration on those "I have nothing to wear" days.

Flotsam + Jetsam — SHoP Architects

Art Basel 2016

Architecture Meets Art (Basel)

Flotsam & Jetsam — not sure what that is? Well it’s hard to miss if you attended Art Basel on Miami Beach this year. New York architects known for the 3D printed sculptural designs, SHoP, created a beautiful installation/ art piece, for the entrance of all places! Can’t think of a better way to kick off a day full of art than with an architectural pavilion. These large-scale pavilions form an immersive entry environment to the exhibition space. Much like conceptual art, architecture uses design concepts to create spaces. The intent for SHoP’s design was to draw inspiration from Miami's celebrated spirit of play, the dynamic beach morphology, and the city's emergent function as a center for creative visioning and technological discovery.

Now I can go on and on about art and architecture, but if neither is your profession, there are a couple of other reasons to attend Art Basel. The biggest one is that it’s fun! It’s different. It’s unique. Where else can you find an event hosting the top 250+ galleries of the world. Another is that this week literally has changed the world’s perception of Miami, which in turn has brought jobs, companies and real estate sales. And it is a truly remarkable opportunity to see first-rate art from all over the world without getting on a plane. The main event is Art Basel in Miami Beach which is held in the convention center. Art Miami on the other hand is Miami’s own art fairs, mixed with locals and galleries. These events include: Pulse, Spectrum, Scope, Design Miami: furniture, Untitled, and so on.

Aside from Flotsam & Jetsam, a few of my favorite pieces this year are listed below:

Art Basel (Miami Beach)

END by Doug Aitken

Object Nomades by Louis Vuitton

by Secundino Hernández

First of all, Louis Vuitton anything is everything — but what I love about fashion is its connection to art and design, Step back from a shoe, purse, or piece of clothing and in the end it is a combination of design concepts and artistic expression, mixed with some functionality, of course. Furniture and interior products are no different, so when fashion house Louis Vuitton displayed their Objects Nomades furniture — it was nothing short of perfect #HomeGoals

“My paintings grow spontaneously. Like tomatoes in a garden.”

When searching for painters who are making their mark at the moment it is almost impossible to overlook the Spanish artist Secundino Hernandez who splits his time between Berlin and Madrid. Over the last years, his direct approach to painting has made a strong impression on collectors. He is creating canvases with a powerful presence of physical immediacy making intuitive use of color and gestural form.

Physichromie by Carlos Cruz-Diez

At 92 years-old, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez continues to influence the kinetic and op art movement with his entire career focusing on color, line and perception. At Art Basel this year, Cruz-Diez’ work Physichromie 1631, again captured the attention of many. Represented by Galerie Denise René, the mixed media piece is a part of his long and popular Physichromie series.

Directive light, color change, and a particular composition of lines creates a sensation of motion, but relies on the movement of the viewer rather than the movement of the art object itself. Cruz-Diez refers to this changing effect and emergence of moiré patterns in the image as “vibrations”.