Southern Nomad

This Is Not The End Of The Story

"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of the music in it." - Streams In the Desert

This morning as I was pulling clothes for Goodwill and prepping for tomorrow the line that kept running through my head is "This is not the end of the story". You know when you are watching a movie and the character is facing what seems to be an insurmountable challenge and you wonder how in the world he or she will manage to get themselves out of this predicament? Well that's a little of what I feel like these days except the problem is that I can't quite identify the challenge that I am facing and I have absolutely no clue as to what the next chapter of the story is going to look like.

I am one of those people who always has a plan, I always know how the story is supposed to play out. I knew for twelve years that I would move to New York one day, and the little snow globe I gazed dreamily into each day helped keep my dream in focus.

"People so often look with longing into a daydream future, while ignoring the importance of the present. we're all in danger of thinking, "Some day I shall be fulfilled. Some day I shall have the courae to start another life which will develop my talent" without ever considering the very practical use of that talent today in a way which will enrich other people's lives, develop the talent, and express the fact of being a creative creature." - What Is Hidden Art

After twelve wild years in Seattle finally came my post "New York City: Dreams Come True" followed by lists upon lists and a fantastic bon voyage party. In August 2012, I moved to the city of my dreams and scored a job "every girl would kill for" working as a Marketing Manager for a fashion stylist on Madison Avenue. During the past six months I have made some amazing friends, met eccentric artists and shop owners, hosted a tweed adventure in the West Village and spent weekends exploring Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and so many other magical neighborhoods in New York.

I have learned that I can survive in this non-stop city regardless of hurricanes, being stuck in the subway at West 4th at 3:30am, or living in a shoebox. Yet during this time I have also discovered that some of what I value most is at times in short supply in this city. When I returned home to Seattle at Christmas (after one of the most stressful months of my life) I found myself doing a lot of soul searching... I missed being with my family, friends, and countless little things which I had taken for granted (such as a decent cup of coffee). My thoughts over vacation inevitably turned to dread about returning to my job (which by this point had become a sort of Devil Wears Prada situation) and how I wasn't sure what the future held for me.

A couple of days after my return to New York, much to my relief I lost my job. It's weird I have never been "let go" before in my career and I can't begin to describe how humiliating it was.. yet I see that being "let go" was grace. I didn't have to spend any more time in a situation that was really rather unhealthy and provided no room for growth. After a month of submitting my resume to East and West Coast openings, discussions with my parents and friends, I have decided to take a step back to re-strategize. New York with all of it's constant activity is not exactly a quiet haven so I am moving back to Seattle on Friday. 

"If you're willing to do something that might not work, you're closer to being an artist." - Seth Godin

I am so incredibly thankful for this past season in New York where I have learned a lot about myself and my creative gifts.  As for my future I honestly have no clue where I will be in six months to a year. I do know that Abba has always guided my path, that even with all of its twists and turns, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

"Out of gross darkness, a light will shine.. For I will make my will known to you, and you will no longer move haltingly, you shall move swiftly and surely. You may not know what I am doing as yet, but you will know hereafter.." - Come Away My Beloved

"Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do." - My Utmost of His Highest

Photo By: Andrew Nielson

2013 New York International Gift Fair: Rows Upon Rows of Inspiration

Those of you who follow me on Instagram might have noticed that your feeds were blowing up with amazingness on Sunday. The source of this brilliance was the New York International Gift Fair. I felt like a kid in a candy shop of creativity and I was just running all over the place shoving my face with it all. There were rows upon rows of luxurious candles, greeting cards, books (Assouline had me drooling like a puppy), snowglobes, and even an area focused on global/fair trade goods.

I was invited to this inspiring event by my dear friend Erika Jacobsen and her Dad. Her Dad owns Madison Park Group (a greeting card company) which carries some brilliant lines including:

Shannon Martin: I had the opportunity to chat with Shannon and can I just say that she is just as sassy and wonderful as her cards (not to mention she has fantastic style)! It is rare blessing to meet someone like her who seems to be constantly propelling those around her to follow their dreams and live life to it's fullest.

Roger La Borde: I have admired the intricate cards of Roger La Borde for quite some time and I was utterly smitten when I met Jenni who helped to launch this incredible line?! We connected immediately discussing the laser cut cards, her fine art background and how sometimes a step back to evaluate is a good thing when it comes to pursuing your dreams. She is such a sweet soul and I can see why they produce the beautiful cards that they do.

A couple of other companies that I would like to highlight and this blog is sure to continue to showcase are:

Creative Women: As we walked into the Global section of this event the products of Creative Women immediately caught my eye, there was something unique about them the linens reminded me of photos I had seen of French country cottages. I made a comment to a woman about how rare it is to see such wonderful and on-trend products being sold by fair trade/global companies... The woman I just so happened to be speaking with was Ellen Dorsch the founder of Creative Women. We had a fascinating conversation about what it is like to work with producers in places such as Ethiopia and the challenge of having them create for Western consumers. I would encourage you to visit her website to learn more about the company as I know you will be inspired and I believe that it is extremely important for us to support companies like Creative Women who are not only working to improve women's lives but doing it in a way that is strategic with a high level of excellence (not to mention on trend!).

Two's Company: Their booth caught my eye across the convention hall, who wouldn't be tempted to investigate a "Curiosity Shop"? My inquisitiveness was quite rewarded when I discovered their booth was packed full with some of my favorite things: phrenology heads, apothecary jars and shadow boxes.

East of India: This UK based company had a booth which you just could not pass up. It was setup like an old General Store and the aesthetic perfectly matched the products they sell. 

Cody Foster: If I had to choose just one word to describe their products it would be "wonder". I kept turning round and round hoping to soak all of the magic in. There were tiny little sail boats (that seemed to have sailed right out of someone's dreams), glittery polar bears and so much more..

Well I believe that brings this post to an end.. I hope you are as inspired as I am. If you ever have the opportunity to check out the New York International Gift Fair I would say go for it!

A Curator's Dream

The little shop "DARR" whispers to the passerby.. more often than not stopping the curious dead in their tracks.. countless mysteries are sure to be found within...

Feet cross polished but creaky hardwood floors..

Rather large and magnificent paintings look down upon the wanderer from their lofty positions on the deep midnight walls...

Gilded frames...various taxidermy.. medicinal bottles from an age long past..

Such beauty, savor each moment, even if one leaves with nothing in hand, they will leave with a fingerprint of inspiration upon them.

Darr

369 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

(718) 797-9733 ‎ · shopdarr.com

ps- this shop reminded me a little of my favorite curiosity shop in san francisco, paxton gate.

photo source: flickr, habitually chic

New York: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

"Live it all through, every inch of it - out of it something valuable will come." - Henry James

Recently, I visited Hillsong NYC at Gramercy Theater. The sermon was a challenge for the audience to step out of their comfort zones... I kept thinking to myself "He sure is speaking to the choir" we live in New York for crying out loud?! But then what came to mind was a conversation I had with my mom a couple of days prior about some of my new friends here in New York. You know many of us upon moving to a new job, city, etc. start looking for our "community" or "tribe" as Godin says. We want to find those people we will be "comfortable" around. Now that I am a little over a month into my stay here in New York I can say I have definitely started to discover some of my "community". If you follow me on Facebook you may have glimpsed them in photos, but let me take this opportunity to introduce you to two of them:

When I first met Victoria I kept thinking to myself "Gosh! She sure does look like someone.." it took me a little while to figure it out and then I realized "Amber Tamblyn". If you are around Victoria for long you will get to know a couple of very important things about her: she is deathly allergic to eggs (upon hearing this, I immediately asked where she keeps her EpiPen - a good friend needs to know this), she is super passionate about social justice and ethical supply chains (We recently discovered that we both attended The Justice Conference in Portland earlier this year) and Victoria is ALWAYS up for an adventure whether it's snapping photos of subway fashion, exploring coffee shops, taking in Fashion's Night Out, and facing the most intense Trader Joes ever in Brooklyn Heights (27 cash registers, hardly any food left on the shelves, packed full of people). Did I mention we even have a list for all of the places we want to visit, and it just happens to include finding a spot with great oysters, because she likes them too! It's a little thing that makes my heart happy.

This is Dan, he is deep, has a great fashion sense and as you can see from this photo he makes me laugh! Dan is a fellow student at The King's College and we have bonded over long subway rides, Mr. Softee, and never ending searches for late night snacks (actually much of our relationship has consisted of looking for food...). Dan also gets the credit for introducing me to the Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery, a little hole in the wall place, known for their cupcakes and pudding.. just imagine chocolate chip cookie layered pudding or banana with nilla wafer pudding. if you ever find yourself near Delancey you have got to visit this quaint little bakery.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery

126 Rivington St (between Essex St & Norfolk St) 

Neighborhood: Lower East Side

(212) 995-1960

Now you may be asking yourself how does this tie into "comfort zone"? Friends can be important in aiding you when you are out of your comfort zone (i.e - new city, new job, new school) and the good ones encourage you to take more steps on the path of your destiny. But if you get too clingy, or content to bunker down with just the few friends that you have let into your "inner circle", then you may miss out on a lot. So keep your eyes open there are always new friends waiting to be made and who knows what new facets of yourself they will show you (and vice versa).

New York: A Treasure Map of Light - Part 1

As our plane was flying above the city I thought to myself "I wonder what it would be like if there was a treasure map of light to the city"? Imagine places where there would almost be some kind of special light/ glow causing you to pause and open your eyes a little wider. What if every city had a guide highlighting it's most magical corners and incredible inhabitants who perhaps are tucked into random areas, often overlooked? 

Looking back at the last couple of days I am certain that I stumbled upon this treasure map of light. I am constantly enthralled in wonder... 

 

Our original plan to fly standby into Laguardia did not work out, but we managed to catch a flight to Newark. When we arrived we decided to be daring and rent a car, because of all of my luggage (six suitcases). My dad did a phenomenal job of navigating the crazy streets of New York. We pulled into Sunset Park Monday evening around 8:30/9pm and my incredible roommate, Shaun, received us with such genuine warmth and hospitality. As the neighbors looked on with curiousity my suitcases were lugged into the apartment (thank you Shaun for your help). When I opened the door to my "shoebox - 9x6" room I felt immediately at home. Shaun had made my bed with a lovely quilt, set a present wrapped in Parisian paper and a "Welcome Home" sign on the pillow.  Those special touches made me feel like maybe I could really feel at home in this BIG city. 

Tuesday, we had a plan to tackle my room. After finding the perfect bedding, curtains, and lamp at Ikea (fyi: my Mom is a rockstar decorator) we pulled away and Mom spotted what looked like it might be cool lofts or an abandoned warehouse. My Dad graciously drove us over to satisfy our curiosity.Turns out that fascinating building was:

Fairway Market of Red Hook

480-500 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 694-6868

I was overwhelmed by the Fairway Market. Let's just talk about their olive oil and olive bar for a second... The olive bar is spectacular, buckets upon buckets of different olives filled with almonds, garlic, imported from here or there, seasoned with this and that. And as if their olive bar didn't win me over already they had to go and out do themselves with the olive oil. The photo you see below is just a portion of what they offer. Oh and in case you don't want to stare in despair at all of the bottles trying to rack your mind for any tidbits of Julia Child or Martha Stewart wisdom that may help in narrowing which olive oil you should take from the shelf, they have a bar with bread so you can try the different oils and tapenades. 

Wow! I just realized this post barely covers our first two days and has already gotten quite long.. Did I lose you Courtney? I think I will wrap this up now and come back in the next couple of days to share part two with you. But before I end this post, I just want to say I would not be here without you. Each of you have in some way invested into my life and sent me to New York in such a way that has made it really easy (fingers crossed, knock on wood) to transition into this new chapter in my life. I know I am not the only one in the midst of a change, there are quite a few of you out there at a fork in your own journey and I just encourage you to DREAM BIG, or as my Mom says "The dream you don't even dare to dream" (THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM). It doesn't matter if you are moving cross country, starting a new job, taking what may seem like a small risk or just stepping back to evaluate where you are in your life - each is an equally important step towards becoming who you are. I can't wait to hear your stories, because I have a feeling they are going to be pretty gosh dang amazing. 

top image: heat map of tweets and photos by Eric Fischer

Happy Weekend!

Wow. Can you believe it's finally (almost) here?! I move to New York on Monday. My parents will be in New York with me for two days before they have to return to Seattle for a wedding. I have already informed them of the top priorities for when we arrive: Ikea and Trader Joes. I thought it best to make use of the limited time I will have, with their extra arms, to stock up on lots of pasta and tomato sauce. My Dad on the other hand has been doing his research scoping out coffee shops. I have this sneaking suspicion that finding good coffee might be number one on Dad's list, well, that and maybe visiting the Frick.

It's hard to imagine that once my feet hit the ground in New York, I will be there indefinitely.. In the past I have always extensively planned for the couple of days I would have, to soak in all the city had to offer. Whether it was visiting my favorite fashion magazine store near Bryant Park, having breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, sitting on a pew at St. Batholomew's Church, going to Uniqlo on Broadway to stock up on my favorite jeans or ducking into The Strand to load up on books, I made the most of every moment.

At this moment, there are definitely more than a few butterflies in my stomach... A fellow blogger, Oh Happy Day, has inspired me with her writing about the risk she took in moving to Paris. In one of her blog posts she talks about the uncertainty of it all, how scary it is to go somewhere without having everything figured out. I am super thankful that my housing is secure but I still am working on pinning down the job, which is kind of a big deal, but I know it's just a matter of time.

Thank you everyone who has been reading and commenting along the way, your words are a great source of encouragement to me. The next time you hear from me, I will be writing from New York!!

Letters To And From Brooklyn

Earlier this year I started a Pinterest board "30 for 30 in 2012" and one of my goals was 
"to write more letters" I had no idea when I created the board the unique way in which this would become a reality. I never imagined a move to New York would be the key to my goal, but I am most looking forward to the letters that will come and go from my little place in Brooklyn. There is just something about writing to friends across country and around the globe for that matter that causes a person to want to speak more clearly, more beautifully. Perhaps you know when putting pen to paper that your letter may survive for generations? You begin to evaluate what is truly important, what is worthy of mentioning? Letter writing causes one to look at life through a different lens.

Favorite quotes about letters/letter writing:

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.  ~Phyllis Theroux

Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.  ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I am tired, Beloved,
of chafing my heart against
the want of you;
of squeezing it into little inkdrops,
And posting it.
~Amy Lowell, "The Letter"

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters.  You can't reread a phone call.  ~Liz Carpenter  

The one good thing about not seeing you is that I can write you letters.  ~Svetlana Alliluyeva

I consider it a good rule for letter-writing to leave unmentioned what the recipient already knows, and instead tell him something new.  ~Sigmund Freud

I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter. - Steven Wright

print source: galaxy eyes

Inspiration: Royal Copenhagen & Royal Cafe

One of the brilliant bloggers I follow, The House That Lars Built, just hosted a lovely workshop "Blog'n'hagen" and I am drooling over the visit the attendees took to Royal Copenhagen and Royal Cafe. Doesn't everything look so vibrant and magical?

I would love to host or participate in a similar event in Brooklyn, New York. What do you think? Wouldn't it just be amazing to explore a city with fellow creatives...If you could choose any city to explore with fellow creatives, what would it be?

learn more about the Blog'n'hagen here: https://www.facebook.com/Blognhagen

photo source: chasing heartbeats/royalcopenhagen

New York City: 18 Days

"I will look back on this and smile because it was LIFE and I decided to live it."

source: unknown

New York City: Dream Jobs

 

"In NYC, you can find a job with anything you’re passionate about.  I went to a tea cafe once and the guy behind the counter was explaining all the different teas to us and said he was a “Tea Whisperer” so if we told him what flavors we liked, he could match us up with a great tea.  Other than the fact that this guy was a little weird, I was amazed that this guy has so much passion about something random like tea, and there is a perfect job for him in this crazy city.  It’s amazing.  I just don’t know if I actually have that much passion for anything.  I can’t say I want to be a travel writer as much as people want to make it big on Broadway or in fashion.  I don’t know.  I really, really,really want it, but is that enough?"  - Honest Hotelier

Photo by: Vincent DiPietro in Union Square (2011)