Category: & such

Following a conversation with my mentor, I realized how important it is to show that we’re included in spaces where we’ve been denied from for many years.

Kahlana Barfield-Brown, Shiona Turini, and Elaine Welteroth are all black women who are taking over the fashion industry. Barfield-Brown serves as the fashion and beauty editor-at-large at InStyle. Turini is a freelance fashion editor, stylist, creative consultant, and contributor to The Cut. Welteroth is the first African American editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue.

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This post is especially for my creatives. I’m sure you guys can relate to my problem.

I recently revisited my journal, which I haven’t opened or wrote in for over a year. Here’s part of the last entry I wrote:

“Burnout is a rare, but common form of artistic expression. Never mind. It’s not rare. It’s hard. When you feel uninspired, tired or when you’re just over it–what do you do? Are you still an artist?

Are you still a “creative”?

Am I really as creative as I believe? We’ll see.”

It’s funny. I wrote this because I believed it was appropriate at the time. A year later, it still applies, but in a different way. I really haven’t been giving my site that much attention because there’s a certain direction I want to go in, but it’ll have my full attention again in due time.

I recently registered for Spring 2017 classes and I realized my time in college is running out. I only have (after Spring 2017) two more semesters until I graduate! Again, I’m only 19. It’s such a wild concept that I’m still trying to grasp. With graduation looming in the background, I still sometimes struggle to accept the major I picked. I truly love my major and minor. It perfectly aligns with my calling and I enjoy a majority of my classes.

Contrary to popular belief, being a liberal arts major isn’t easy. Being a journalism major isn’t easy. Being any type of creative major isn’t easy. It’s not “just writing”. Things that come naturally aren’t always easy. You have to have a strong background in grammar, editing, and syntax. As journalism changes, I have to adapt. My major doesn’t just teach me how to be a writer; I’m also gaining knowledge in audio and video as well.

Graduating scares me as a journalist, and especially as a fashion journalist. The market I plan to pursue is one of the most competitive. But here’s something that I’m trying to learn:

Everybody’s journey isn’t your journey.

Yes, even the person that you look up to. They may have completed six internships while in college, but you’ve only done two. That doesn’t make your journey less important. You can still be successful.

But it’s all up to you.

I try to tell myself that I’m doing enough. I’m only 19. I don’t allow others psychological projections to bother me. A woman at my school’s career fair told me that my dream of becoming a fashion journalist was too narrow. It bothered me that another Black woman tried to tell me that I should try and expand my dreams–I’m assuming it was based off of her own failures and insecurities. Her comment was not based off of genuine concern, but maliciousness.

Don’t feel discouraged when you see people doing similar things doing “better” than you. Take the plunge. Apply for that internship. Submit your work to a competition. Post your newest painting to twitter. The worst thing anybody can tell you is no. If they say no, dust yourself off and try again! It’ll be okay. You’ll find the place that’s the perfect fit for you.

To all my creatives: we will make it. The world needs us.

When I first started threads & such, I knew I may expound on ideas that weren’t just fashion-related; thus the “& such”. Although this is mostly a fashion-centered blog, I have a few posts that I think would benefit others. This is one of them. Although this a post dealing with my physical illness, it also speaks on burnout–something any student or writer can experience during their career.

I experienced my first symptoms of MS on August 9th, 2015. I went into detail on my first experience on this post.

At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal. My body will occasionally be tingling and numb. No big deal, just a tad bit annoying.

But then came November 2015. I experienced something that definitely tested my faith and confidence. I basically lost all control and function in my right arm. I would raise my arms in front of my chest and not even realize that they dropped all the way to my waist. I couldn’t feel it at all–it was almost like I had a prosthetic arm.

I spent about a month with limited function in my right arm. I couldn’t write, eat, drink, or perform various other activities with it. I realized I truly took my mobility for granted now that I had to rely on my left arm for everything.

In addition, I hit an emotional patch for a couple months and I didn’t want to do ANYTHING. School felt like a drag–I only had four classes and twelve credits. I had absolutely no drive to do anything. All I did was go to class, the cafeteria, and my room. I rarely went anywhere for fun. I didn’t even want to blog.

I looked at other people my age doing similar things and got jealous. I was feeling uninspired. I was feeling stagnant. I missed deadlines. I realized I had to work if I wanted to be anything because it wouldn’t just fall into my lap.

threads & such is the gateway to my career and I spent months ignoring it. It’s like I had a plant in my garden and spent months not watering it! My next post, the first one in my minimalism series, will go in-depth into decluttering your thinking space so you can get back on track and realize your full potential. It’s extremely important to have a clear space where your mind is free. I cannot stress this enough.

For anyone who feels stagnant, you’re definitely not alone. It’s not a fun place to be in. Visit my next post to find out how I got out of it!

There’s no doubt that the marble print theme is trending. I’ve definitely taken advantage of the trend–last year I bought the UNIQFIND Marble Skin for my laptop (featured in this post).

Items in featured image

UNIQFIND NOTEBOOK $24.99

AÃRK COLLECTIVE MARBLE WATCH $189

RICHMOND&FINCH CARRARA MARBLE WHITE CASE $46.77

These cases ($46.77) from Richmond & Finch are just too cute. The gold detailing caught my attention. With three color choices, it’s not hard to pick one that complements your iPhone’s color.

UNIQFIND is the mother of marble. They have both The Marble Collection and The Hyper Marble Collection (pictured above). Both designs come in white or black, which makes it hard to decide which one you want to spend all your money on! Each item retails for $24.99.

My favorite part of this post may be the DIY marble coasters I discovered on Pinterest. It’s easy, inexpensive, and customizable to your taste.

As always, thanks so much for visiting threads & such!

-Autumn