she art

life she creates with His grace

[her-heart]

It's been years.

a heavy sigh to start this quick write up before i lay my head on my two flappy fav pillows hehe. it has always been heavy, never did i feel a complete relief and rest of mind and heart since i started my journey here. but look at me now, only 1 month left before i turn fourth year. it feels so unreal na matatapos na ang college life ko one year from now.

sobrang fast paced dito, i always tell God ayoko na dito. i am not meant for constant and undending competition which leads to negative emotions, i tend to compare myself, i can't deny the fact that i always think of how much of a failure i am.

it was hard to admit na no matter how hard i try to meet certain goals i set for myself each semester, i always end up not achieving it— that i cannot do it.

but nonetheless, i will always and forever grateful that i get to experience this kind of hardship and challenges. i am now ready to accept what it means to be an iskolar ng bayan.

yesterday, i was reminded of what God can is not limited to what i can experience on a temporal level. hindi pala ang makakuha ng flat uno na grades and maging laude ang basehan para masabing God is good. hindi pala ang araw-araw na walang problema sa budget sa pangkain, pamasahe, allowance, fieldtrip, o school projects.

now, everything makes sense. the questions i kept for years...

indeed Lord, your time is perfect and beautiful.

everything i've been through has now starting to make sense to me. it was never because of me. it was not my capabilities and skills that enabled me to get this nor my experiences and achievements, not even my own efforts. it all boils down to whom i am trusting my future with, it is based on who He is.

[sonderreverie]

work was smooth today kasi hindi na ako stressed out sa glitchy na computer. i had to set up a few stuff though bc i really didn’t transfer everything from my macbook. apps lang talaga yung nilipat ko but the rest i had to manually add/download again. pinaka-matrabaho yung pag login ng lahat ng Chrome profiles na gamit ko hahaha pero kinaya naman. 🥲

ayun nga lang medyo na-overwhelm yata yung mata ko sa malaking screen. is that a thing? sakit ng ulo ko nung bandang hapon na. i think i’ll need glasses or kahit yung blue light glasses siguro. need pa mag-adjust ng mata ko kasi for so many years ang liit lang ng screen ko eh haha.

pero nakaka-motivate lalo mag-work kasi ganda ng desk ko. i’m planning on getting a bigger desk soon kasi medyo masikip for me but other than that i’m happy hehe.

[sudden-narratives]

𝒶 𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 — i am continuing the slow-paced life i have right now. everything is gentle, unrushed, and stolid; exactly the life i wish to pursue until God knows when. needless to say, contentment and satisfaction dominates my entire existence.

[allofthehousethatstood]

Sumali ako sa Panitikan '24 project ni Bernice and I'm so excited to re-read these four Filipino Classics™️ now that I am older, and hopefully wiser and better able to interact with the texts.

I already read Noli and Fili last year, but I'm excited to read a different translation this time. Actually, personal project ko na basahin sila in all the translations that I can. I already read the Charles Derbyshire and Harold Augenbram translations, this time I'm reading either Almario or Lacson-Locsin.

[gums]

i highly recommend for women and girls to be intellectually curious and difficult to shame

[forkpigeon3146]

it's late january

no later than 8am

the birds sit quietly on my windowsill

the early morning sun

filters in through the blinds

your breathing is even next to me

the pit in my stomach is unraveling

bit by bit

and i no longer feel alone

[miscellaneousdaydreams]

Letters, wax seals and pressed flowers.

I want to send them to friends who live half an hour away, to strangers from across the sea.

Choosing the flowers to carefully glue on the textured paper, remembering the exact moment I picked them.

Trying my best to make my messy handwriting look neat on the textured paper.

Slowly watching the wax melt as I prepare to finally seal the envelope where a part of me shall meet you after its journey with thousand others letters, but none as delicate as mine.

[morganharpernichols]

Reimagining Time With Art

You are free to be present to your life

without always worrying about time.

_

If you had a box of 100 crayons in front of you right now, how would you color time?

This is something I think about when I sit down to create a piece that involves clock imagery. For me, even the smallest subversion of not “finishing” the clock I am drawing and then, in many cases, creating a whole other world around it is a way of creating space to think about time in a different way.

Of course, I am not the first artist to make a piece involving clocks or time imagery, but I find it important to return to this practice of drawing “little” things like clocks, even if someone else has already “done it” before. I return to images like the clock not just to make a pretty picture but to imagine “time” differently, even if it’s just for a few moments.

Clocks - especially as we know them today - are not ancient. Our current ways of keeping up with time may help with modern-day logistics, but these current ways can only explain so much.

Now, one might think, “Well, this is a fun little creative exercise, but in real life, things are time-sensitive, and we don’t have to think about all of this…”

To which I say this: “When you’re moving through your day, you don’t have to actively think about the meal you ate or every hour of sleep you got in order for it to make a difference that you got good rest and ate a fulfilling meal. The same could be true of an art practice…it’s an opportunity to sit and think about something you don’t normally think about that might end up leading you to something deeper you didn’t even realize you needed to think about.”

Even in our digitized world, the analog clock on the wall remains a strong image, and perhaps what we can learn from this image is that sometimes there is room to see it as a “prompt” - something to work with, work around, something to find our way through, asking, “Where in my life can I forget about time?”

I cannot tell you when or where you will have to shift your focus to “time,” but I can tell you that there is still room to consider for yourself the ways in which you might “color” it differently…or forget about time altogether. - MHN

[morganharpernichols]

May every brushstroke you paint with your life play a small, yet meaningful part in exploring how the process of painting itself is its own work of art. One of the most common questions I am asked is why and how I share my work every day. I am also asked some variation of this: “Why don’t I work on something and post it weekly? Or monthly?” I tried that, but it didn’t work for me. Due to my particular version of autism/ADHD, I prefer to break things down into smaller sizes. This is still difficult because I don’t want to “clog” people’s feeds or take up too much space. Even though it’s natural for me, I still get insecure about sharing often. However, there has been an image that has helped me: a paintbrush. And here’s how that image became important to me: I came across a quote by the African American sculptor Augusta Savage one day while researching her: She said, “I have created nothing really beautiful, really lasting, but if I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent, I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work.” This quote holds even more significance to me because it highlights the unfortunate fact that despite being the only black woman commissioned by the World Fair, Augusta Savage’s work was destroyed after the fair in 1939. This quote made me realize that sharing my work in my own way can help others learn, even if it’s just how to be present or take a deep breath. My daily work can help others learn in their own way. For me, a paintbrush symbolizes the process and how I can return to it daily in my own way. Often with help, those little things become books and more! But most days, it’s just moving from one little piece to the next in my own way. I definitely challenge myself to make larger works like books, and at the same time, the small daily sharing helps me stay with the process. Each piece of my work is like a brushstroke on a larger canvas that will not be finished until the end of my life. Augusta Savage’s words have taught me that letting the work live beyond me in the way it wants to is what matters. And if it ends up being broken up into a million tiny pieces, I am more than okay with that. – Morgan Harper Nichols

[malusokay]

dreamy quotes to live by ✧˚₊‧

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them."

"Compliment recklessly! Say the nice things 5that come to your mind! We've got better things to do than resist the urge to be kind."

"Her world was the colour of perles: White, pink, and softly glowing."

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

"I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living."

"My goal in life is just to be a very warm person. I want to be as loving and kind as I possibly can be."

"Sometimes you have to create your own sunshine."

"It's part of her beauty, this quality of being not quite there, dreamlike."

"A girl should be two things: who she wants and what she wants.

"They say love is the best investment; the more you give, the more you get in return."

"Elegance is the only beauty that never fades. A woman can be beautiful as well as intellectual."

"Imagination is everything. It's the preview of life's coming attractions."

"Treat yourself like the princess you are and make Aphrodite proud."

"I Love soft-spoken and loving. There is so much power in femininity; don't ever look at it as being weak."

"Luxury must be comfortable; otherwise, it's not luxury."

As always, please feel free to share your own favourite quotes in the comments!! ♡*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

❆‧₊*:・love ya ･:*₊‧౨ৎ

[csuitebitches]

Reading tip for when you’re reading something educational (self growth, skill based etc)

When you start your self development journey / want to take it even higher, most of us turn to reading books or articles. We take notes and highlight the areas that we found impactful, we remember those points for a couple of days and then boom - we forget.

books are such a wealth of information but it’s not possible to read every single book you’ve read once multiple times.

you might find it frustrating that you can’t seem to remember all that information when you need to, or you keep racking your brains trying to remember exactly where you had read that particular insight.

here’s a method to help you out.

If you have a kindle / read online, make a Word doc/ pages doc of all the things you’ve highlighted. Copy the highlighted areas, which would be areas that you found hopefully/ intriguing/ interesting, and paste them on the word doc. Use only one document for all your notes of different books and every month or so, take about 30 minutes to rapidly go through them. if you read physical books, take a photo of the sentence/ paragraph that you liked, crop it out so that the other stuff isn’t there, and put that photo in the document.

this allows for a couple of things - information isn’t lost when you finish reading the book. Sometimes we find the solution to a problem too early and when the problem crops up, we don’t remember that we had already found the answer. Two, it allows for revision and three, you may see that with time, the way you understood that particular point changes.

this is not for fictional or fantasy books - this is for books that talk about self development, marketing, sales, technical know how, etc. Stuff that you should remember and would impact your progress positively.

[becomingthatgirl111]

what to invest in to look and feel good this 2024

nutritionist or books on healthy and balanced nutrition

dental treatments

endocrinologist, if you need to know and take care of the functioning of your hormones

treatments for the care of your skin and hair, such as hairdressing, good products for hair and face, facial cleansing, treatments that your skin needs, go to a dermatologist if you need it, know what type of skin you have and know what are the right products to take care of it.

gym, a sports activity or time to do some exercise on your own, such as training at home. this not only helps your body look good, but also improves your physical and mental health.

psychological therapy, there are still people who believe that the psychologist is only necessary for people with serious problems, but that is not so, a therapist can guide us and help us to improve in the areas of our life that we want.

energy therapies, which would be complementary to psychological therapy, such as reiki, energy cleansing, access bars, among others.

quality time with yourself, do the things you enjoy, your hobbies and also time with people who make you feel good and from whom you can both enrich each other.

and if you have more ideas about this, share them in the comments, it can be of great help to other people ✨

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

Becoming an Intelligent Woman

My Dears,

There is no greater goal than being a fine woman who is intelligent, kind, and elegant. As much as we all want to be described with these adjectives, it takes a great amount of discipline to get there. It is very doable only if you are ready to put in the work.

Here are steps you can add to your routine in the next 4 weeks that will make you 1% more intelligent than you were before. This is a process that should become a habit not a goal. It is long term, however, I want you to devote just 4 weeks into doing these steps first and recognize the changes that follow.

Watch documentaries: This is the easiest step, we all have access to Youtube. Youtube has a great number of content on art, history, technology, food, science etc that will increase your knowledge and pique your curiosity. I really did not know much about world history especially from the perspective of World war 1 & 2, the roaring 20s, Age of Enlightenment, Jazz era, monarchies etc but with several channels dedicated to breaking down history into easily digestible forms. I have in the last 4 weeks immersed myself into these documentaries. Here are a few I watched:

The fall of monarchies

The Entire History of United Kingdom

The Eight Ages of Greece

World War 1

World War 2

The Roaring '20s

The Cuisine of the Enlightenment

2. Read Classics: I recommend starting with short classics so that you do not get easily discouraged. Try to make reading easy and interesting especially if you struggle with finishing a book. Why classics? You see, if you never went to an exclusive private school in Europe or America with well crafted syllabus that emphasized philosophy, history, art, and literary classics, you might want to know what is felt like and for me this was a strong reason. Asides that, there is so much wisdom and knowledge available in these books. In these books, you gain insights to the authors mind, the historical context of the era, the ingenuity of the author, the hidden messages, and the cultural impact of these books. Most importantly, you develop your personal philosophy from the stories and lessons you have accumulated from the lives of the characters in the books you read. Here are classics to get you started:

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Candide by Voltaire

Paradise lost by John Milton

3. Study the lives of people who inspire you: I dedicate one month to each person that fascinates me. I read their biography (date of birth, background, death, influences, work, style, education, personal life) For this month, I decided to study Frank Lloyd Wright because I was fascinated by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I began to read about his influence in American Architecture (Organic architecture, Prairie School, Usonian style), his tumultuous personal life, his difficult relationship with his mentor (Louis Sullivan), his most iconic works etc. By the end of the year I would have learned the ins and outs of people I am inspired by through books and documentaries. Here are other people I plan to learn more about:

Winston Churchill

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ada Lovelace

Benjamin Franklin

Helen Keller

John Nash

Isabella Stewart Gardner

Caroline Herrera

Ernest Hemingway

Catherine the Great

Ann Lowe

My dears, I hope you enjoyed this read. I cannot wait to write more on my journey to becoming a fine woman. I urge you to do this for four weeks and see what changes you notice. Make sure to write as well, it is important to document your progress.

Cheers to a very prosperous 2024!

[thereignclub-trc]

Practice who you want to be. Show up as that person on a daily basis. Do they wake up early to prioritize a healthy breakfast and a workout before the day starts? Do they have discipline for hard tasks? Are they consistent in dedicating a certain amount of time to their dreams? The only difference between who you want to be and who you are right now is the action in between the two. Start acting like you already have what you want, there’s no choice but to achieve what you want when you are already living like it’s yours.  

[sonderreverie]

i finally found the name/term for the interior decor/aesthetic that i love. apparently it’s called the “Nancy Meyers” aesthetic (as in Nancy Meyers the filmmaker). i’ve only seen a few of her movies kaya hindi ako masyadong familiar sa aesthetic niya. i used the keywords “colorful minimalist” saka “grandma core” (😫) nung una kasi hindi ko talaga alam pano i-describe yung vibez na gusto ko.

like i want neutrals, woods, rattans, but i don’t want my home to not have colors. gusto ko may pop of colors but not too in-the-face, ykwim?? and then i stumbled upon the “coastal granddaughter” aesthetic. i loved it too pero feeling ko pa rin may kulang hahaha. all i was seeing were baby blues. i wanted to see other colors. and then this video that i watched, sa hashtags merong #nancymeyersaesthetic. i clicked it and ayun rabbithole na lol.

ang ganda lang and it captures everything that i want in interior decors perfectly. sabi ko kay seph ganitong vibes yung gusto ko for our next apartment. i also want a green couch—nung una iniisip ko if it would blend with the Nancy Meyers aesthetic well but i figured that, yes, it would. 😍

[her-heart]

make my messes matter

make this chaos count

let every little fracture

in me chatter out loud

i’ve been waking up at 3am consistently and it feels so bad. i am drowning in deep thoughts. there will inevitably be storms as i venture out to sea, but that will not stop Him from leading me right where i need to be. and then all of these noise suddenly started to die down.

[luthienne]

Jack Gilbert, from Collected Poems; “The Answer”