Lifestyle & Aesthetic

I'm constantly editing my playlists with new, old songs — especially ones from artists that I may have overlooked. Like most people, I'm aware of Sixpence None the Richer's hit songs. But, I've never listened to any of their albums before. Starting at the beginning, I was surprised to find a consistent, pleasant sound for over a decade. The Fatherless and the Widow (1994) This album has a pure 90s vibe like it could be the soundtrack for any grainy TV show where a manic pixie dream girl plunges headfirst into a dreamy, hopeful adventure. I was actually surprised at [...]

I tend to read with a notebook nearby. It's a habit I formed as a pre-teen. I always had notebooks as gifts from people who weren't sure what to get an artsy, bookish kid. I didn't journal consistently but, I loved saving up ideas. If I found a good quote, I would jot it down. Soon, I had notebooks full of my favorite quotes. I still do this, although now I just mark them in the pages between my daily activities. You'll see a quote from Kafka in the margin beside my grocery run. Such is life. Here are 52 [...]

I find myself wishing for something old and something blue as I research fall 2023 color trends. Our visual world (OK. The Instagram world.) seems fixated on two colorways: desert sunsets and rainbow explosions. Obviously, there are color moments that dominate for a season like the pink-on-pink surrounding the Barbie Movie. Yet, I'm always seeking out inspiration with nuance. The inky Blue Iris Pantone chip is the color moment I want to see this fall. Building a Better Blue In 2008, Pantone declared Blue Iris color of the year. At the time, these releases were a niche event. Few people [...]

If I ever go back to my birth month flower project, I want to do the other flowers listed for each month. In my research, I found two options and picked my favorite to sketch. I was disappointed when I realized I picked the Daffodil for March and the Narcissus for December because they're actually members of the same family. So the narcissus flower meaning is similar to that of a daffodil. About Narcissus Flowers Part of the amaryllis plant family, these blooms have six petals with a trumpet-shaped corona. They grow from a flat stem with flat leaves. They're [...]

I've written about red before and how I painted one wall of my room red as a teenager. Red is roses and lipstick. It's rich velvet dresses and patent leather pumps. It's wine and pomegranates. If red is anything, it's lust and salivating. From a color theory perspective, red exudes confidence. We all know about that mythological study where men rated women in red as the most attractive. Red is the tone of a mid-life hair dye to rejuvenate your senses and bring you back to that color of teen rebellion. Its patches are stitched onto the back of a [...]

Always on the hunt for not-orange autumn colors, I pulled these hues from my camera roll. Over the past few years, the pampas grass resurgence brought back those soft, fade-to-beige tones of the 70s alongside complex textures and natural shapes. That aesthetic trend— plus desert-inspired motifs— leaves room for pastel shades in the fall color palette. I expect desaturated coral tones to continue their rise up the fall-color ranks — think fairy pumpkins, hand-made sweets, and vintage costumes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFycMaHpYi/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CGavkVEndvX/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Byno_PYCYzd/ I've been pairing those soft oranges with dusty browns and minty greens. Together, they create a quirky, yet calm [...]

Search for Dark Academia on Pinterest and you'll find limitless inspiration similar to these pulpy brown shades. They're dusty and rich, with the buzzing warmth of things well-made and long-used. It's fashion, it's aesthetic, it's a lifestyle. I've been slowly gathering props and backgrounds inspired by this aesthetic — in preparation for my client's fall shoots. They're mixing really well with warm metallics too. In color theory, brands usually use brown to signal the outdoors and rugged masculinity. Think that lumberjack, raw edge wood aesthetic. You'll see it on logos for beard products or mixed with plaid flannel patterns. But [...]

A popular, easy-to-use design tool, Canva is always growing its list of available fonts. In fact, if you have a subscription, there aren't many popular fonts you won’t be able to access. Below are some ideas to combine Canva fonts to inspire your next design. 25 Ideas to Combine Canva Fonts I challenge myself to create new font pairings from time to time. Sometimes, I simply jot them down in my notebook during a project. In this case, I wanted a visual record of the headline, subhead, and body copy fonts together — so I could easily grab them for [...]

In a world of stylized, dramatic makeovers, this black-and-white home office makeover appears underwhelming. It's meant to be. I wanted a space that focused me back on my work and left a little room for inspiration. So, last December, I took the holiday break to tear the room apart. We tarped, painted, decluttered, and put it back together. Parts of it are still in progress but, I've enjoyed the process so far.       Black and White Home Office Makeover I love color but, I have a hard time committing to color. There are themes in the tones I [...]