The Influence of Art in My Life

My set-up for the end of the semester design showings!

I've had such a strong desire to write about this, but I just haven't gotten around to it. This is a bit different than the posts I usually do, but I just had to share. The influence of art is so amazingly prominent in my life. Recently, I came to the realization that art really brings people together and cultivates interactions that may not have happened otherwise. On two different occasions, I was doing some drawing assignments for my drawing class in my favorite little coffee shop, and I had people come up to me and compliment my artwork. In my head, I was wondering how these people were so amazed with something that I was just doing as an assignment (probably last minute too), but these little compliments turned into full fledged conversations both times. I feel that I am a generally shy person who usually keeps to themself, especially in a coffee shop... but in these moments I felt completely free and open to talk!

My final drawing for my drawing class! In this picture, it was still in progress, but it's the most recent picture I have of it! It was a conversation starter when I was working on it in the coffee shop!

These experiences led me to think about how much of an impact art has had on my life. And when I say art, I mean everything from drawings to music, and sewing to dance. Art has given me an outlet to express my feelings and ideas in a way that cannot be expressed through words. Art has given me like minded friends, and friends who challenge me to go beyond my comfort zone and experiment with new techniques. Art has given me some of the most the most intriguing and deep conversations I've ever had. Art has given me relief from anxiety, stress, and tension. Art has given me many things, and no doubt, things I haven't even realized yet. 

One of the projects for my drawing class! A woman came up to me in the coffee shop and wanted to buy it!

With this realization of my passion for art, I started to think about how I can use this passion to positively impact the world and the people around me. Everyone wants to make a difference. Everyone has different passions, different interests, different stories. Maybe I want to start a company like Tom's shoes, where I donate an article of clothing for every garment sold! Maybe I want to make art to bring attention to important causes around the world! Even if I made something that just caused one person to smile, I would be happy. My beliefs are that if you have a passion, if you are truly talented or skilled in something, you shouldn't just keep such a gift to yourself. It's such a powerful thing to have, and with such power, you can impact so many lives! 

Anyways, that's all I have for now! Before I go though, I wanna leave you with three questions: How has art influenced your life? What is your passion? How can you use that to make a difference? Feel free to comment, or just think about it to yourself! Have a fabulous day lovelies and thank you for reading!

XO, Lauren

Concert Vlog | Echosmith, Bishop Briggs, Bad Suns

I am happy to say that I am almost finished with the spring 2017 semester! Only one exam stands in the way of summer vacation, and I'm studying as much as I can so I can finish with a bang! Of course, it can't be all work and no play... so I decided to put together a little vlog of a concert I recently went to! Honestly, the only band I knew was Echosmith. I had never heard of Bishop Briggs or Bad Suns, but as soon as they started playing, I totally fell in love with their music! They all have such different styles and it was cool to see how each of them affected the crowd. I am now a fan of all of the bands that performed that night!! Anyways, I hope you all are having a good school year! If you have finals coming up like me, then I wish you good luck!! Have a super fabulous and positive day!

XO, Lauren 

Costume Design Fashion Show

Lights, camera, Chinese dragon!... Wait what?? Chinese dragon?... That's how the saying goes right? 

At least that's how it went this time... I was recently in a fashion show with the design department that I am a part of in my college, and they literally had a Chinese dragon go through the halls of the hotel where the event was held! It. Was. SO. COOL! Alright, now that I got that out of my system I can tell you lovelies about how the actual show went! I've walked in a fashion show before for the Project Style competition in the Summer of 2012, but this was the first fashion show I've walked in since then! FIVE YEARS later!!! It was still small, but such an amazing and unique experience. The Project Style show was focused more on styling pieces from stores, while this show was featuring student designs and work! The look that I wore was an Asian inspired silk dress that was actually made up of three separate pieces: a bodice, a skirt, and an over-dress that gave it detail and a gorgeous train in the back! The other pieces included dresses from the Elizabethan era, Go Go dancer outfits, and other artistic pieces. 

If you guys want to see more from behind the scenes of the show, I made a vlog of my experience:

Hope you all have a fabulous day and I'll catch you in my next post!!

XO, Lauren

Thank you to Anthony Galvez Photography for these wonderful pictures! 

Update: March 14, 2017

Hello loves! I think it is obvious that I am still trying to figure out a good way to balance classes with my blog and YouTube channel. It has been a bit of a challenge time wise, but also content wise. By that, I mean that the content I want to create now is different than the content I used to create. My views are changing and my focus is shifting. It's an odd thing to experience, but I'm trying to figure out what exactly I want to accomplish and put out into the world. Ultimately, I want to create things that are unique, inspiring, and rich with creativity. Doing that, while keeping a consistent posting schedule can be tough. It is not impossible, but it is definitely not for those who are lazy. Creativity takes time. Anyways, my point in saying all of this is to sort of give you an update on where my mind has been. It may take me a few rounds of trial and error to finally figure out what I want to create, but I hope you'll stick around for the journey! It's certainly not a boring one! Oh, and in addition to this little blurb of words, you can also get a peek at my life through my most recent videos:

Thank you all for reading and watching, it means the world to me! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful and fabulous day! 

XO, Lauren

DIY Beaded Comb + How to Style It

I made about five of these beaded combs for the costumes I designed in the Fall Dance Concert last semester, and they were so fun to make! I decided to do a little tutorial for you guys because I was going to make one for myself anyways and I thought it might be helpful to share how I make it! It's actually a very simple process, and it doesn't require many materials at all! I hope you enjoy learning how to make this gorgeous hair accessory, and let me know how you guys style it if you try it out! Have a super fabulous day!!

XO, Lauren

Planning Tips + School Vlog

I would be a total mess without my planner... I have a very specific structure I follow when planning that I've come up with other the years of being in school, and it has no doubt helped me accomplish a great amount of goals in a timely manner! Since everyone is still in the mood for getting into a new routine of planning and organizing, I decided to share some of my tips and show how I plan my day! I also wanted to take you guys along with me while I went to class, so hopefully you'll enjoy a little sneak peek of what I do as a college student. Anyways, I'm always open to learning new planning and organization techniques, so feel free to let me know what you guys do to plan your day! Have a super productive and fabulous day!!

XO, Lauren

OOTD Boho Inspired Beach Look

I haven't actually really gone clothing shopping in a long time, so I've had to get creative with my outfit choices and work with what I already have. I've also been deep cleaning my room, so luckily I've been finding super cute shirts and accessories that I totally forgot about because they may or may not have been buried under my mountain of craft supplies... oops... But moving on, I found this ADORABLE printed scarf with tassels on it, and I decided at that moment that I absolutely MUST create an outfit using this scarf before the heat gets unbearable. I paired it with this loose open shoulder top and high waisted jeans, along with some fun bracelets and rings. How would you guys style the scarf? I'm sure it could fit into many different styles of fashion so I'm curious to know what you guys would do with it! Anyways, have a super fabulous, positive, and productive day!

XO, Lauren