Flow

Time, energy, life, thoughts, inspiration. They all have their flow. Keep it uninterrupted.

Creator

Not everything yet has been created. Human creativity and need of self-expression is infinite.

Little too little

  Are you living your life to the fullest? And what this slogan actually mean? Did you  ever had the feeling of the fullness of life? I remember one sunny summer day, when I was going somewhere with the train, looking outside the window, and right in that moment I experienced a pure bliss. So unforgettable, that I'm writing about it after few years passed away. And there was nothing extraordinary about that moment. I traveled by train a lot. I'm used to a sunny and warm summers. Just a day like every other day. But so remarkable.

 There are meetings, movies or parties that make you wanna open your arms wide and grasp as much in this lifetime as possible. And yet, for most of our lifetimes, we focus on the things that are least important, we want too little from life, just to follow the path the others followed already. But you know what they say- love is for the lucky and the brave. Trust your luck, overcome your fear, want more from life- and you shall receive!

Slow

 Once I reach certain life speed, certain speed of crossing out points from To-Do list, it's hard for me to slow down, to relax and just be-to stop the efficiency machinery. Just stopping seems too violent, I have the constant urge of doing something useful. Hard life lesson- just being.

Mastering

 When I was in the moment of my life when I had to choose my high school, at one point I said resolutely to my mum: "I'll go to the trade school and learn to be a dressmaker." The plan didn't work, I graduated high school  and university. However when I look back now, have all my today's knowledge and experience, I'd choose the dressmaking classes. Don't get me wrong, uni times were fun, especially in the art department, but instead of all the knowledge, I'd prefer to have the skill.

 It takes skillful hands to make a dress, cut and style your hair, cook great meal, repair your car or shoe. It takes a lot of trying and a lot of mistakes on the way to the mastery, using your head to look for solutions, for the best solutions. 

Morning routine

 "You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day."

There is not enough morning for selecting both- clothes and thoughts ;)

Easy

 Everything is difficult until it becomes easy-we experienced it every day as babies, as children and then... then we started to doubt ourselves. Expectations rose and we lost carelessness. I believe it was Shakespeare who said "Expectations are the root of all evil" and he was so right! Up till now I thought it applies mainly to relationships but now I see expectations can seriously mess up with the whole life perception. They make us take the truly beautiful and valuable people and things for granted and cry and long for imprecise "more" and "better". They make us doubt ourselves in everything we do. How about instead of doubting ourselves we will support and encourage?

Shopping Options

I'm continuously amazed with possibilities of internet and technology. If not my boyfriend, who smuggles some hi-tech news into my old school world and translates them into understandable language, I'd stop my technological education long time ago and till today I wouldn't touch a smartphone. Yep... that would be enough about technology for today ;)

 I'm slowly discovering shopping on-line. Still a bit reluctant to it, I'm finding more and more pages to bookmark and to follow. I'm surfing trough cyberspace like I'd be cruising down the streets to discover boutiques hiding unique pieces. Internet has it all- your favorite brands, your favorite brands only cheaper, young designers from all over the world, massive amounts of vintage and hand-made, just name it, google it and it's yours!

Coffee Rush

 Sip of black coffee. Caffeine rush. Hurry, hurry, hurry, quick, quick, quick! Life doesn't wait for anyone.

Coated

 Dog days are over, no doubt about it! Time to dig out from the bottom of the closet sweaters and coats, jackets and scarves. Thank you Nature & Weather for giving me a little time  before freezing, because as every year, the cold came too fast and found me without a proper clothing. Being so euphoric about beauty of summer dresses, I completely forgot that I threw away my only coat that was so shabby and worn out. 

 To complicate my life even more, this year I decided to sew the coat myself- oh yes, I'm an expert at this! (complicating my life, not sewing) And now I feel the cold autumn's breath on my neck, while I'm on a quest to find the proper fabric and time + energy to actually sew the whole thing. Keep your fingers crossed! ;)

Evolution vs. Revolution

I live quite some time on this planet and I have the privilege of looking 2, 5, 10, 17 and more years back  (omg, I'm so old!). I witnessed government change, borders disappearing, fashion trends fading and having great come-backs, cities changing, etc. (again: I'm so old!). In what way all that is influencing me?

Changes are inevitable, especially from the personal growth point of view, but they can happen slowly (evolution) or they can happen suddenly (revolution). History, biology, fashion - every area of life is affected by these two categories of changes. On some things I can work my entire life (or those things are working on me), trying step by step to build better life, but some things come like a thunder. It can be one book, picture, one thought that gets stuck in your brain forever, radiating on everything you do.

 I love the changes of personal style in fashion-recreating yourself every time you feel like it, every time the fashion impulse strikes. Completely new haircut is an evolution, while working on your unique way of dressing comes with your inner evolution.

Life is ok!

 Isn't it? ;)

Dresses with history

 I like my dresses to have a history behind them, so I will be reminded about it when I wear them. One dress is a gift from a friend, the other one overpriced souvenir from delightful trip, another one was bought to bring luck in new job. I have also countless "pearls" from second-hands : unknown companies or designers, original shapes, etc. and few (so far) that are like a badge received for a sewing struggle. 

 I forgot how it is to shop because you actually need something! For me it's more of treasure hunt or love at first sight kind of thing <3

Modern Obsessions

 We live in obsessive world, full of maniacs fooled by their manias. Seems like all of a sudden everyone is running to the gym while sipping what's left in their paper coffee cup and desperately trying to photograph it, share it and hope for others to like it.  Coffee can be a life-savior, keeping fit is healthy and photography can be a great hobby and even passion (aha, passion!  Another very fashion word.), but enough is enough! Soon all that passion, coffee, fashion, cupcakes, fitness, selfies & foodies will make me nauseous! Don't show me photos of your breakfast-tell me how are you? Describe me the most ordinary, non-glamour parts of your day, of your life. Show me things that wouldn't deserve a like. Let me into your modest, simple, real life; tell me the truth about yourself. 

Sitting, waiting

 

   Waiting for what? That's a good question.  For what am I/ are we waiting? Sometimes for a train, bus, movie, next episode of favorite tv show. Maybe for salvation? Maybe for a disaster? War? Revolution? Sign that never comes when desperately needed?

  Huge part of my life I spent on sitting. Sitting, walking, sleeping. Sitting, waiting. Such an ignorance of other ways I could use my muscles-dancing, running, jumping, crawling, squatting, swirling, skipping, marching, etc. Time to move it, move it!

In-Dependent

 Is independence possible? Can a person be completely independent? I'm finding myself entangled in such a complex net of dependencies, from obvious ones to very subtle and perfidious. The more developed society is, the bigger dependence. Imagine huge white board with a dot in the center as you, and net of your dependencies filling all the board's space. Probably it's a pretty complicated net. Now imagine a sponge, wiping all the connections, rules,obligations, dependencies... Just you and carte blanche. Doesn't that sound tempting?

In the heat of the summer day

 Summer in the city. That's a season itself. Melting asphalt, concrete absorbing the heat and radiating it back, cars - mobile factories of fumes and noise, every bench in the shadow occupied, hot heaving air bringing smell of decomposing garbage.  It will sound weird from a person who dreams of a countryside house and barely stands 27 Celsius grade temperatures, but I missed it. I missed this horrible, hallucinogenic, hard to bear time of a year, when your skin and bones are absorbing steaming city.

Formal, Informal

 Will I risk a lot by saying that we are all two-faced? Two-faced at least! We slightly modify our behavior, voice tone, gestures and words depending on the place, situation and company.

 We are the most consistent as kids, then going trough a long phase of changes, adaptations and adjustments just to end up as fossilized old person, with their habits and hardly changeable character. 

  But being ourselves should be freaking easy, shouldn't it? You just wake up in the morning, you are yourself and go to sleep. And then again, you wake up, you're being your fabulous self, you go to sleep, etc.

  One of my FB friends shared something true:

"You are so used to your features, you don't know how beautiful you look to a stranger" 

Breathe in, breathe out

  Breathe in, breathe out. Our unnoticeable daily routine. It's not even a habit, it's something deeper and greater in us, human creatures. Nobody has to teach a bud how to open a beautiful flower, nobody taught a cat enjoy sleeping in a gleam, nobody taught us how to breathe.

  When things go rough, just focus on this basic- breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breath out. You are here, you are alive; you have heart that pumps your blood, legs that can take you wherever you want and hands that can make whatever you want.

Retail therapy?

 We all know the Hollywood picture of a  girl with a broken heart, having a bad day or simply  being a New Yorker - clicking on a sidewalk with her high heels, carrying colorful paper bags filled with clothes. Yep, so called "retail therapy". There's a little detail in this retail thing- it doesn't ease  the aching woman's soul for long (especially if your common sense has perfect memory for prices). And btw, isn't it better to try on a dress when you feel good and at peace with yourself, not when you're an emotional mess?

 Picture from yesterday: I was coming back from the city, feeling so-so with more of negative taste. Sun was hidden behind thick clouds, suddenly it got  windy and cold. "Mhhm, maybe some shopping will make me feel better and bring back good mood?" I went into one store, then window-shopped in few others, but it didn't give the thrill or sense that I was seeking. Then I stopped in front of an art gallery. Poster looked appealing and I decided to step in. There was an exhibition of abstract, subtly-colored pieces that reminded me Japanese calligraphy works. My mind had a chance to detach from all the everyday thoughts that run trough it, in a silent and ascetic interior of the gallery. 

 That's what we need more than another dress- space and moments for our thoughts to take new directions.  

And....ACTION!

 Plans and dreams are great, but as long as they'll stay un-materialized, you'll never know the real value and beauty of them and you'll never know the full potential of yourself. Taking action, making a step towards realization of set goals- that's the trick to unlock great inner powers, satisfaction and energy. 

  Don't get the false impression- I can probably count myself as one of the biggest procrastinators I know- I'm finding out all the "good" reasons why not to do what I promised to do and I know also the fantastic feeling after the things are done. And I guess this is the key- to chose action despite little discomfort in the beginning, but leading to satisfaction, instead of comfort in the beginning, but leading in the end to disappointment.

Amaze me

 Go ahead, please amaze me! It's getting harder with every year, more and more often I can say or think "I've been there, I've done that". Is this the moment when people loose the enthusiasm they had as kids? 

 Though, there are two things that can still amaze me, leave me in the state of awe: stupidity and beauty.  I won't focus on stupidity, it's way too visible even without paying attention. But beauty, sweet beauty! Beauty of a landscape, a flower, a photo, a thought captured in words, a person, a relationship,  a face, a gesture, a body posture, an outfit, an art piece, a place, a color, ... 

 What would be life without rapture?

Coffee Rush

 Hurry, hurrry, hurrry, quick, quick, quick! But first...

Coffee! This modern (or maybe not only modern?) obsession with dark aromatic liquid. Devilish espresso, always suitable latte, cappuccino, machiatto, doppio... Day by day we rush our blood by mixing it with caffeine, just like we fill up the tank of the car with gas.

 Coffee... The most popular drink on the web, with millions of photos on instagram or pinterest. Medicine without prescription for morning sleepwalking and afternoon melancholy. Ingredient of  plan-making, gossiping, letters-writing, secrets-sharing, inspiration-catching. Little roasted beans raised to the rank of divine nectar. 

Diversity

 Is diversity a mark only of our times? History segregated centuries and decades, giving each period tags. So under "Middle Ages" we can find people fearing god, under "Renaissance" we can find people praising human being, under "Interwar" we can find parties and nihilism. Hmm... Hard to imagine that everyone back then had exactly the same thoughts, that all the artists painted in the exact same manner, philosophers had the same thoughts, writers wanted to write similar novels. 

If not diversity, then what differs our times from the times that passed and times that will come?

Universal religion

 Traveling around the world and meeting people from different cultural backgrounds, believing in differently named gods or no god at all directs me to the conclusion:

Love is a universal religion

Late Bloom

 There's a flowers stall right next to the entrance of a metro station I exit and enter everyday when I go and come back from work. Stall popped up with the beginning of first sunny and warmer day and till then it offers variety of flowers. The merchandise is changing almost every week- whatever nature produces at given time, stall offers. From tiny snowdrops announcing Spring, to deep blue cornflowers that remind me of fields of gold from middle of the Summer. I love the variety of colors, shapes and scents and it makes me think about people.

 We bloom in different ways and times. Queen of your prom can be now quite an ordinary girl, while the guy that always stayed in the shadow, is a great successful person. I think that people start blooming when they discover they are their own gardeners. When they understand that they are the ones to water, cultivate, seed, take care.

Rags & Silks

 

   Rags & Silks is a name of cool Polish on-line store with vintage clothes. But it also perfectly describes state of my wardrobe. I have in there both Rags (clothes that are too old, too big, too worn out) and Silks (special occasion dresses and avant-garde accessories, clothes heavy from the amount of sequins or beads), but what I don't have is the Middle. The Casual for everyday of work and everyday of life. 

  Hmm.. I'm looking for a solution to the everyday problem "What to wear?" or critical situation "I don't have ANYTHING to wear!". Perhaps quitting office job and wearing only sequins all day (and night) long? Maybe simpler- investing more in basics, at the same time avoiding the temptation of purchasing extraordinary pieces?