Tag: 2018

life curation

2018 Goals – Next Round of Updates

Mstldelano3 Comments

Happy Monday, friends! I was due for another 2018 goal update, so I figured that I’d do it now, before the end of the month.

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My last goal update post reiterated my three overall goals to accomplish during this year, as well as steps I intended to take to bring me closer to those goals.

For those that don’t remember, my goals are as follows:

  • Publish some of my writing
  • Travel more
  • Dabble in an art career

Here are the updates as promised! I’ll also share my next round of tasks for each goal.

Goal 1: Publish some of my writing

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I intended to take 3 different actions before the end of the month of April. Those actions were:

  • Start on the 2nd round of edits for my novel
  • Complete 1st round of edits for my how-to book
  • Purchase a MasterClass membership to get additional writing assistance

So, I’m happy to say that I finished my 2nd round of novel edits (go me!) and did my first round of edits for the how-to book (yay!). I opted out of purchasing the MasterClass membership in April because I determined that I would be taking several online classes during the next few months. However, I’ll revisit the MasterClass purchase in September.

My new writing goals are as follows:

  • Finish writing out supplemental/resource material for the how-to book
  • Allow my friends to read a draft of my novel for feedback
  • Resume work on novel # 2

Goal 2: More travel

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My travel goals were simple: mostly decisions and research. Those goals were:

  • Make a decision on my London travel: whether I will do one or two trips this year
  • Start pricing my London and New York airfare and hotel stays
  • Reserve rooms for weekend trips in May

 

Due to some changing priorities at work, I had to reassess my travel plans for later this year. However, I did the weekend trip that I planned to do in May (my embassy weekend). Now that I’m halfway through the year, I’ve got another set of goals. These are:

  • Finalize details for birthday trip in August
  • Finish paying off October cruise balance
  • Start budgeting for international trip in December

Goal 3: Dabble in an art career

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As you all recall from previous posts, my art career goals involve working in the art world as opposed to creating art. My last round of goals were a bit more ambiguous, but funny enough, I made progress just the same. Those goals were:

  • Reserve my space in the Christie’s course(s) I plan to take in New York this summer
  • Begin another online art course
  • Narrow down the opportunities I’ve listed to those most advantageous for the path

I opted out of taking a Christie’s course this summer due to those previously mentioned changes at work. I’ve had my hands full with the Cultures and Identities in Europe and Inside Opera courses, so I put a hold on my ALISON art course (Color Theory for Artists and Designers). Once those two FutureLearn courses wrap up, I’ll see if there are any more suitable art courses that I want to take: if not, I’ll resume my ALISON course. I also got a great idea for dabbling in an art career on my terms, and I’m really excited about that (I’ll share more as I finish ironing out the details).

Now, my goals for my art related career is as follows:

  • Complete an art course
  • Create a website for art career “secret project”
  • Read “Institutional Time – A Critique of Studio Art Education” by Judy Chicago

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My timeframe for completing these tasks is August 15th. So, look out for updates to my new incremental goals in the next few weeks.

Thanks everyone, for stopping through and for keeping me accountable. I truly appreciate it. Talk to you all soon!

life curation

Joy Challenge Update: How Things Are Going So Far

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Hey friends! I figured that I would share a Joy Challenge update, since I’m a little over halfway through the month. I’ve been throwing myself into the challenge and really focusing on having a good time and reducing/eliminating my stressors. I’ve also been following my “highest joy”, including making reservations and buying tickets for events that I want to attend.

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I’d fallen behind in journaling about my joyful experiences, but as soon as I realized I’d been slacking, I got focused and picked up the pen again. It’s important to continue doing all of the steps, so I can get the most out of consciously enjoying myself.

This time around, the biggest focus for me was unapologetically pursuing joy. Many times, I “held back” from throwing myself fully into the activities that bring me pleasure, because I feared being viewed as too ambitious, too self-assured, or too  much of an “overachiever”. I’ve been penalized for these traits before (usually in the form of being denied things that I was qualified for – like promotions – or harsh criticisms), so I suppressed these attributes. But this shift to embracing joy and delight unapologetically has been SO good for me! I really feel like I’m hitting my stride and getting into a groove. This has been such a fun experience!

 

art · life curation

The Next Art Course On My List

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I had such a positive experience with my previous ALISON course (Great Artists and Their Works) that I decided to try another. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be diving into Color Theory for Artists and Designers on ALISON.com. I’m neither an artist nor a designer, but increasing my knowledge on the subject would be extremely advantageous.

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I reviewed the modules that comprise this lesson and I was impressed with the variety of color-related topics that will be discussed. This seems like a really good, brief “in-between” class to take while I figure out the rest of my educational plans as respects my future art-related career (I wrote about my short-term art career goals here).  Besides, I like makeup too much not to get a better grasp on certain color concepts.

Yeah, today is a brief post. I’m working on the edits for the novel, as well as the art career stuff, so I’m keeping this short so I can pour my energy into those other things on my to-do list. That’s it for today – chat with you all tomorrow!

life curation

2018 Goals – An Update

Mstldelano5 Comments

Back in January, I outlined 3 goals that I have for this year. As a point of accountability, I want to share how things have been going with those goals, as well as the next steps to take in the upcoming weeks.

Goal 1: Publish some of my writing

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Technically, this blog is a way of publishing my writing, but I don’t heavily edit anything that goes on here, and I want to have a consolidated work (like a book). I mentioned previously that editing and publishing are tests of my discipline and focus, as I tremendously enjoy getting the thoughts on paper but don’t really enjoying reviewing what I’ve written. Here are the actions I intend to take before the end of the month:

  • Start on the 2nd round of edits for my novel
  • Complete 1st round of edits for my how-to book
  • Purchase a MasterClass membership to get additional writing assistance

Goal 2: More travel

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I’ve done one of my major trips – Nairobi, Kenya – but I’ve been eyeing a short trip to London sometime this summer (this ties into Goal 3). I also have a family cruise planned in October, and maybe (hopefully!) one more London trip in December. I’ve also been taking more roadtrips over the past several months, and next month will have me taking a trip almost every weekend! Anyway, here are the actions I intend to take over the next couple of weeks:

  • Make a decision on my London travel: whether I will do one or two trips this year
  • Start pricing my London and New York airfare and hotel stays
  • Reserve rooms for weekend trips in May

Goal 3: Dabble in an art career

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I’m not an artist, but I aspire to work in the art world, as either a consultant or a curator. I’ve researched a few opportunities to help me get a feel for the museum/auction world, but other than listing out those resources, I haven’t taken any other actions. That stops this month. These are the actions I intend to take in support of my future art career:

  • Reserve my space in the Christie’s course(s) I plan to take in New York this summer
  • Begin another online art course
  • Narrow down the opportunities I’ve listed to those most advantageous for the path I’m pursuing.

That’s all for my 2018 goals update. I’ll try to remember to post again at the beginning of June, to let you all know how much progress I’ve made. Talk to you all soon!

 

life curation · reading list

The Best Year of Your Life: The “Dream It” Section

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Happy Monday, beloveds! What better way to start a week than to discuss some of the things I’ve done during the past (almost) two months in preparation for my best year ever?

strangecharmed

(photo courtesy of StrangeCharmed.com, one of my new favorite websites)

As you all recall, Debbie Ford’s The Best Year of Your Life was my December reading list selection, and I reviewed the book in January. I didn’t want to make the review too exhaustive, because I intended to reference it throughout the year. This post is the first of those references, and I’ll share my takeaways from the first section of the book, the Dream It section.

Chapter 1: Creating a Powerful Intent – I’ve been doing affirmations for quite some time now, but I recently changed my daily affirmation to the one provided in the book. Daily, I affirm, “This is the best year of my life”. I’ve noticed that I have had a much “smoother” day-to-day experience, My life isn’t “perfect” but it’s good and I am more aware of the little ways that show my life as being good and satisfying. I can improve on this step by using some of the tips in the book, such as writing my affirmation on signs and notes and posting them in my office and home. I could also use it as a background on my phone and computer.

Chapter 2: Exposing the Fantasy – I need to redo this step. I did it in December but I didn’t put as much time and energy into it as I would like. I need to specify the feeling I associate with my “fantasy” life and then clarify exactly how I will activate that feeling daily. This is a key principle of law of attraction, so I’ve done it before but I’ve never been consistent about it. The consistency will really make the difference.

Chapter 3: Stepping Into Greatness – I could stand to redo this step, as well. My vision for this year isn’t as laser-focused as I would like. It’s a bit fuzzy, so getting really clear and then identifying the personality traits that would make it possible would do wonders for realizing this best year of my life. Off of the top of my head, traits such as discipline and boldness (extroversion) would bring me closer to my dream. But, I want to make sure that I’m invoking the best qualities to bring about my ideal life, so I’ll spend some more time on that.

So I’ll post again, in a couple of weeks, just confirming the progress I’ve made on redoing the activities from Chapters 2 and 3. I’m looking forward to sharing that with you all!

life curation · Uncategorized

Taking Time for Me

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One of the gifts I’ll give myself for 2018 is a social media fast. I’ll still maintain the Instagram account related to this blog, and I’ll also be sure to continue doing my daily posts (as I have for months now).

shutterstock

Truly carefree : this is how I’m living (photo from Shutterstock)

But I’ve grown weary of people “living” on social media and not taking advantage of life OFFLINE. Worst, I don’t want to become one of those people.

I’m excited to spend this self-imposed hiatus taking care of all of the things that I want ticked and tied before I jump headfirst into my big goals. This break is overdue and much needed.

Don’t forget to take time for YOU as this new year begins.

Love and blessings to you all!

beauty · style

The Color to Add to Your Wardrobe in 2018

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Happy Friday, beloveds! Can you all believe that we’re officially in the full swing of the holiday season? Hanukkah ended a couple of days ago, Christmas and Kwanzaa are ahead of us . . . The end of 2017 is fastly approaching, and I am excited for everything that 2018 will hold!

I am always looking out for the trends to see in the upcoming seasons. As a result, I faithfully listen out for Pantone’s color of the year. This sovereign of shades recently announced that the color of 2018 is  (insert drumroll here):

ULTRA VIOLET!

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Pantone describes this shade as “A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade [. . . ] [it] communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

I’m already looking for stuff in this incredible shade. I think I’m smitten with how otherworldly it looks: deep, muted but extremely eye-catching. Perhaps a purse, shoes, or even some cosmetics in this shade might be just what I need  . .  .

In fact, I couldn’t wait until the new: I had to see if I could find some lipstick or eyeshadow in this shade RIGHT NOW. Ka’Oir and Coloured Raine didn’t disappoint.

Ka’Oir has two lip options: the Kashmir Matte Liquid Lipstick in Riches is a shade lighter than Ultra Violet, but it keeps the same mystery and intensity of the Pantone shade. Then, for when you’re feeling extra, the Rude Girl Glitzstick Package captures the ethereal quality of Ultra Violet and ups the ante by adding glitter (the glitter is what deepens the shade, making it look more like Ultra Violet).

(l to r: Riches; Keisha Ka’Oir modeling the Rude Girl Glitzstick)

For the eyes, Coloured Raine has Fetish, a shimmery shadow that perfectly matches Ultra Violet but adds the star fact with glittery finish (as of today, it’s sold out – let’s keep our fingers crossed for restocks!)

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Fetish by Coloured Raine

Have you seen Ultra Violet popping up in any fashion or beauty products? Let me know in the comments below!