Month: March 2011

Oh Lula! You crack me up on a daily basis and I just love ya. Lula’s blog Lulapalooza is about life’s nonsense, art, style, and a little bit of everything else. She’s able to capture the personality of her life with snapshots of this and that. I’m always amused. I also envy the fact that she lives in DC and is constantly surrounded by greatness.

What better way to introduce you guys to Lula than to show you what she is dying to wear for the first day of spring.  Her and I have partnered up to show you our Spring Essentials. I know you’re curious, so let’s chit chat and “window shop”. I’m over at Lulapalooza today and she’s here. Dontcha love it. Blog Love!

Let’s get to know this chica just a smidge more…

What’s the day in the life of Lula like?
My days are pretty boring, nothing really exciting happenin’! I wish I could entertain you and say {with a pretencious hairflip and roll of the eyes}: “yes, dah-lings, I do stunts for a living. ‘Why’, you ask? Let’s just say I don’t mind being paid to have adrenaline rushes. -Oh, you wanna know about the time I had to jump off the Brooklyn bridge in a gorilla suit for King Kong 3? Okay fine, I’ll tell you –” BUT unfortunately that wouldn’t be true now would it? I made all that up, in case you hadn’t noticed.

So, a day in my life would kind of look like this: I have the world’s best schedule so I never have to wake up at 8 (jealous much?) and all my classes are during the afternoon. It’s pure bliss because I like to stay up late, for some reason I get more stuff done at night! When I get home for school I’m in shark mode and I go straight to my computer to read blogs and to play on Photoshop. My latest addiction. A word of advice: don’t buy Photoshop, if you’re like me, you will get sucked into the Photoshop vortex and you’ll waste countless hours of your life. Like The Sims. But then again, if you wanna be a graphic designer, this addiction could actually, potientally work for you! Apart from that, I study. Ocasionally. Oh wait, I can’t believe I forgot to mention Spot (my jack russell) in here! He’s my sunshine. Sunshine of the SPOTless mind, ha, get it? Like the movie? Whatevs. But yes, he’s my boy and every time I come home we do a little happy dance together, it’s realllllll cute. I’ll film him one day and share it with the world, if you want.

Are you curious to see what I’d wear for the first day of spring? Stop over to my dear friend’s blog and take a peek! (just click the image below to take you there)

As you may already know, I’m in a current position where I am working at an advertising agency during the day, blogging and freelancing in the evenings, and trying to find time for everything else. Story of everyone’s life, right? I feel like all I do is work, but I LOVE BLOGGING and I LOVE DESIGN. I’m currently reassessing my priorities and striving to create a better work/life balance.

*Image is one of Kelly’s favorite Flickr images. Original image is by Anna Amphigorously.

I had a chance to sit down with Kelly Ann over at The Flowerchild Dwelling and pick her brain about how she balances this and that. (you’ve got to check out her Music Mondays!) Everyone is responsible for creating their own sense of balance and I found it interesting to see how another blogger with a similar audience does just that. Hope you find this interview useful. Enjoy!

The Veda House: How did you get into blogging and how has it changed since you first launched The Flowerchild Dwelling?
The Flowerchild Dwelling: I’ve had some sort of online journal since I was 14, but I created my blog in 2008 when I was a senior in college. I feel like a lot of bloggers say this, but I seriously had no clue what this blog would turn into… I’ll be honest, I kind of started it out of procrastination. I really wanted a place where I could post/write about all of the things that inspired me, whether it be film or photography – and a few friends suggested I start a blog to share my favourite music. I started calling it The Flowerchild Dwelling last year (Flowerchild is a nickname), and it just seems to fit. To watch the readership go from a few college friends to hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the world has been mind boggling… I’m incredibly humbled and grateful!

TVH: Congrats on the new job as a Freckled Nest Designer! I’m obviously jealous! How does your day play out on the days you work for Freckled Nest?
TFD: Thank you, dear! Honestly, everyday is different, as least for right now. I also work on photography projects part-time, and since I started working with Freckled Nest just recently, I’m still trying to find a schedule/routine that works for me in the most efficient, yet enjoyable, way. So far, I really love alternating between design work and photography everyday. it keeps things fun and the inspiration flowing consistently.

TVH: There seems to be a constant struggle to keep life balanced,(at least for me) how do you balance your day job, your hobbies, and anything else you deem important to your well-being?
TFD: I like having some sort of routine, but if I have a super strict schedule every single day, I get bored and burnt out. I think setting weekly goals is really great, and one should always invest in a day planner! I like to have a planner and a calendar on my computer, because I tend to forget things sometimes. I’m also a sucker for to-do lists… I make one every single day. (Sometimes I make two. In college, it became very apparent that I can be a HUGE workaholic. I was constantly on the go and I would double/triple book myself until I barely had enough time to eat and sleep. By the time I graduated, I was completely burnt out. And that’s so unhealthy! I’ve realized that I’m the type of person that MUST have down time/fun time set aside, or I will go crazy. Even if it’s just dinner with a friend, painting for a few hours, or catching up on my favourite television shows, I have to put the work away and just breathe for a while. It can be a challenge to create that “me-time”, but everyone should do it. It’s a process, and I’m not perfect at it, yet… but I’ve noticed how much happier I am when I’ve taken that time away from work. If you truly make it a priority, it will happen. I think having weekly goals helps tremendously. OH, and… learn. to. say. NO. That’s a big one!

TVH: Your Blog, The Flowerchild Dwelling is gorgeous! Do you have a design background and how do you decide what content you’re going to post?
TFD: I actually have a film production background! I took a basic photoshop class years ago, and I think that gave me a really good foundation to start with. Besides that, I’m self taught… aka I’m a huge nerd who loves to figures things out on my own.

As far as content, I really just post whatever inspires me. I have a list of musicians and playlists that I pull from for my Music Monday feature, and I spend a small amount of time every week researching music for future posts. I also have a “favourite things” folder on my computer that I add to throughout the week for my Tuesday feature. I also like to share my photography every so often, and I hope to do more of that in the future. I’ve been making it a habit to write down blog post ideas the second I think of them, which has been super helpful. There will be some content changes on The Flowerchld Dwelling in the near future, and I’m really excited about it! I have lots of ideas in the works, as well as a new blog design, and I’d like to get back to blogging almost everyday. That hasn’t been happening lately, and I miss it.

TVH: Lastly, What is your favorite thing about blogging? Are there any pros/cons?
TFD: For me, it’s the people. I love the friends I’ve made through this experience, I know so many of them will be friends of mine for life. I love that I’m able to connect with some really amazing individuals all over the world – I have dear friends in Seattle, Chicago, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, and Australia – just to name a few. I think this entire community is something very, very special, and I’m beyond grateful to be a part of it.

Sometimes being a blogger can take up a lot of time and energy out your life. While I so enjoy the time I spend in the blogging world each day, it can get really tiring at times. You lose focus and the whole thing can become really uninspiring. There have been a few instances where blogging felt like a chore, and that’s when I realized I had to take a break. You must take breaks!

TVH: Any last words?
TFD: When feeling blue, frustrated or uninspired… put on a vinyl record and have a spontaneous party. Works like a charm.

I really appreciate the time Kelly Ann spent with me at The Veda House and I hope all of you were able to take a little snippet or two away from the chit chat. Hearing how experienced bloggers run their day to day operations is beyond valuable to a new blogger.  Stop by her blog and send some “Get Better From The Flu” kind of vibes.

How do you balance life, day jobs, families, blog world, and everything else in between? I’m doing some serious soul searching and would love your help.

Post Update as of 2:40pm Tuesday
You must read this article. Quitting your day job? Is it right for you. (Thanks Etsy for this amazing little interview) GO TO INTERVIEW and the interview over at Mucho Bueno!