When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, wonderful world. -Patanjali
Here are a few of my favorite shots from Austin Fashion Week’s Shift Into Style kickoff event, held at the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History on August 10, 2012. I had the opportunity to practice my manual shooting skills at the end of the runway with the Circuit of the Americas (the evening’s underwriter) photographer and had a fantastic time.
Robert & Rachel Danes’ evening wear was an absolute hit! They’ve been in business and married to each other for over 20 years. All of their dresses are custom made couture pieces that begin life on a bone corset foundation, then draped with the finest delicate fabric sourced from Europe. These collector’s items are sold on an appointment-only basis through Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, several Sak’s Fifth Avenue locations nationwide and at locally-owned luxury boutiques such as Marissa Collections in Naples, Florida and Washington DC.
“We like to keep our collections dramatic, beautiful, feminine, and different,” Rachel explained to me after the show.
Indeed you have, Mrs. Danes! I’ll be sharing more on their collection here tomorrow.
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
[thanks for the inspiration, sweet friend
]
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
[thanks for the inspiration, sweet friend]
My passport + I want to go on an across-the-pond vacation so badly; somewhere between Europe and the South Pacific chunk of countries. I’ve considered throwing my top destinations in a hat and choosing one. For now [while logistics work themselves out] I’m daydreaming of white sandy beaches + listening to The Shins: AUSTRALIA + reading about a non-conformist blogger’s quest to visit every country in the world. He’s almost there! 
[VIA + MY INSTAGRAM]
[VIA]
When I am working at my desk for long periods of time, which is not all that often, I’m usually bopping around to some sort of background noise to help me stay on task. I like to listen to songs that I don’t know the words to. It’s less distracting this way.
I recently discovered Designers.MX, a site that shares playlists created by real life creative designers. Not just any yahoo walking down the street can throw their list of faves onto the site. The selection process establishes an expectation that all the playlists featured will have good music so I don’t have to spend my productivity hours clicking around to skip songs. See the screen shot up there? Those ten squares are the “album covers” each mixer gets to create.
Simple playlist by a Czech UI designer is a personal favorite. See, friends? Inspiration is everywhere.
I stood up from watching Masters replays to take this photograph. I’m glad I did! It’s another gorgeous night here in Austin. So very thankful.
accomplishments are important regardless of how small they are.
i want to start making a concentrated effort to celebrate my smaller achievements. do you know the ones i’m referring to? these are the ones that come along and yearn to be recognized, but sometimes i’m too tough on myself to stop and pat myself on the back. i am the type of person who is programmed to wait to celebrate the big wins — thus inadvertently refusing to acknowledge the little guys. truth be told, all achievements need recognition; these are the mini [+ many] milestones that my subconscious mind relies on for the confidence to keep up the good work.
[thanks for the inspiration: 1| inslee the fantastic fashion illustrator 2| as well as the kelly wearstler we all know and love either for her "entertaining" past and her colorful present interiors empire.]
