personal essays - Page 2 of 16

musings about creativity & my trip to Italy

June 25, 2018June 27, 2018By JoannaPosted in personal essays, travel

Here’s the thing about travel that we all know, yet often forget: it’s life changing. By that I mean that the simple act of traveling alters your perspective on so many things. Lifestyle… priorities… even the acceptability of eating cheese and cured meats for dinner instead of a planned-to-the-T meal. My trip to Italy brought inspiration in a two-fold fashion: creatively thanks to the workshop and personally thanks to a week and a half of exploring. I had a whole other blog post scheduled for today, but pulled it because writing this post felt more urgent and necessary. So let’s start with my creative takeaways…

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how to go on a shopping freeze without turning into a hermit

June 13, 2018June 13, 2018By JoannaPosted in personal essays, entertaining

Ok, today’s post is going to cover a question I’ve been getting lately regarding going on a shopping freeze. I think it’s a super legitimate concern and one I’ve had myself, so it deserves its own post.

The question: how do you go on a shopping freeze without completely turning into a hermit?

To be frank, I think every situation is what we make it, and it’s no different for a shopping freeze. For me, I try not to make it a big deal to myself or others. If I keep a more relaxed perspective, and not worry about things like becoming a hermit because I want to spend my money more wisely, then the pressure to avoid it kind of floats away. That’s not to say I never have those thoughts, though. So when I do find myself in certain situations, this is how I’ve been handling it:

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reflecting on the year after my accident

May 8, 2018May 8, 2018By JoannaPosted in personal essays

A year ago today I almost died. I actually don’t know if that’s true or not but in my brain it feels very true. You can read about the details of my accident here, but essentially breaking my leg kept me from pitching forward another 12’ head first. I think about that fact a lot. I don’t profess to be an expert in trauma or PTSD or even anything really, but the past year has brought some of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced and, as I share more and more with you guys about my personal life, I wanted to also share this.

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update #1 about my ‘no shopping’ challenge

April 26, 2018December 17, 2018By JoannaPosted in fashion, personal essays

When I decided on my no shopping challenge back in January, I had no idea what to expect. Would I feel a crazy impulse to buy buy buy? Would I unlock some magical, zen approach to getting dressed? Would I get so tired of the same pair of jeans that I’d go nuts and buy 15 new ones? When I initially wrote the post, it seemed like a lot of you felt the same way I did about shopping, that you were totally spent and needed a shift in attitude toward the entire idea of buying. I wanted to check in with you guys to not only update you, but also to share some anecdotes about these past 4 months of going without buying clothing, accessories, or jewelry.

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monthly moments | our engagement video!

March 29, 2018June 25, 2018By JoannaPosted in personal essays, video, our wedding

WHO’S CUTTING ONIONS IN HERE?? Just kidding, but seriously… I cried through the entire editing of this video because I am so happy and honored to be engaged to marry to such a kind-hearted, warm, funny, amazing man. Sean and I talked a lot about whether wanted to share our engagement video with the entire internet… it felt like a moment that we wanted to savor as long as possible. But after some time, we came to the realization that so many of you have been part of our love story — through renovations, van adventures, and everything in between.

I promise not to get all bridezilla on the blog and will definitely be keeping the wedding-themed posts to a minimum… but there will, of course, still be some posts about it! We’re both so honored that you guys have followed our love story and can’t wait to share more with you. And thank you so very much for the happy messages and congratulations — we are over the moon!

p.s. watch even more of our videos here!

the feeling of doing it all

February 19, 2018February 19, 2018By JoannaPosted in personal essays

Do you guys get trapped in this feeling having to do it all, all the time? I do… a lot. And lately it’s been really bad. There’s so much to be done, too and I just don’t know when I’ll ever get caught up. There are times when I cry about it and that actually helps a bit. But when the crying has stopped, I just sort of jump back into doing it all, all over again. Right now it feels like there is a ton on my plate: running my own business, navigating taxes, planning renovations, being the ‘breadwinner’ of our household, rehabbing my leg (still)… the list goes on and on. And then I have 23 unread text messages. There are times when I just want to crawl back into bed about it and I know I am not alone in that feeling. I guess what I’m wondering is how does everyone else manage it all? I’m a nerd when it comes to tools to make my life easier; I’m a sucker for a productivity hack. But when the laundry needs doing and we have no groceries and I have to edit a video for another post? That’s when I feel like it all has to happen right this minute and that’s when the panic sets in. Historically I’ve always prioritized work over everything else, but lately I’ve found peace in the mundane. I actually enjoy going to the grocery store or tidying up the house. Maybe it’s a feeling similar to nesting. Those two needs (getting shit done for work and being a homebody) feel very much at odds and I’m struggling to balance the two. I’m not alone in this, right?

Anyways, I just wanted to pop on and have an open dialogue with you guys. It’s been a while and I kind of hate that. I want to share more of what I’m feeling and what life’s been like lately.

xo
Joanna

my ‘no shopping’ challenge for 2018

February 13, 2018December 17, 2018By JoannaPosted in fashion, personal essays

When I recording my 2018 goals video, I totally forgot to mention a personal one that I’m working on: I’m not buying clothing for the entirety of 2018! Our DIY contributor, Hannah, did it in 2017 and, after witnessing her succeed, I decided to do it on my own. The final push was this NY Times article entitled My Year of No Shopping — after this came it, it solidified my decision. So now that I’m a month and a half in, I wanted to share it with you guys + set the rules for this grand experiment of mine.

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