Beating the Blahs and Finding Inspiration

Every year when Christmas ends, I feel depressed--for a myriad of reasons, but mostly because I know that the holidays are over and I don't have anything exciting happening for another 4 months. (My birthday is in April and I always look forward to that.) I watched this #HowToBeHappyJanuary video by Nikki Philippi and it inspired me to find new ways to enjoy the new year and really use this time to really get creative. I want to tell you what's helped me stay fresh and actually enjoy this wintery season.

1. Set Goals

Like I mentioned in this blog post, setting goals helps me find direction in my life and forces me to fill my days with purposeful activities. My goals right now are to find fun ways to exercise and develop my creative skills.

2. Go Shopping

Even though I'm trying to be less materialistic (another one of my goals), visiting my favorite stores and seeing new inventory helps me get ideas and feel refreshed. As a designer, I'm very aesthetically driven, so I feel very inspired by colors and patterns and even the layout of a store. I also enjoy buying a few fun things that are on my wish list, like these adorable shoes I ordered yesterday. Shopping with friends is great because it doubles as exercise and a social activity!

3. Simplify

I like to think of January as an opportunity to "prune" my life. I try to take the time to sit down, evaluate what my priorities are, and then try to eliminate as many of the little branches that get in the way of me becoming the kind of person I want to be. For example, I cut out "doing dishes" by buying a bulk package of paper plates and I cut out "getting ready" by cutting my hair. It might sound silly, but these little actions have helped me make room for bigger ideas and other goals.

4. Clean & Organize

I know everyone wants to get organized in the new year and I'm glad! I think cleaning your physical space helps you clear your mind and find new inspiration. If you want to really go crazy with cleaning this year, I would recommend this book.

5. Find New Music

Since I've been listening to Christmas music nonstop since September, January feels very quiet. I made a playlist of songs that feel wintery and fun that I've been trying to listen to whenever I feel a little off. I think music is a great way to bring a little pizazz to your life and it's fun to find songs that sound like "Winter" without sounding depressed.

6. Devour Pop Culture

January is a great time to visit a museum, watch the Oscars, or get into a new TV show. And obviously, don’t forget to read a good book! As we all know, inspiration can come from anywhere, so it's a great idea to go somewhere new to get new ideas. Bonus points if you document your experience with pictures or a write-up.

7. Hang Out with Friends

I think one of the biggest reasons I feel sad after the holidays is because I got so used to being surrounded by my family and friends. When everybody went home and I had to go back to work, I just about lost my mind. Find people you enjoy and spend time with them. There's nothing more inspiring than good people.

There's a lot of other ways to "beat the blahs," but if I had to sum everything up, I think the best thing you can do is find one thing that makes you excited and DO IT. Buy a new lipstick, take a staycation, make your own salsa, rearrange your bedroom, go hot tubbing, doodle in your journal, etc. Try not to waste time feeling sorry for yourself, get out there and do something!

For a bigger list of creative ideas, check out The Little But Really Useful Guide to Creativity by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.

Thanks for reading!

♡♡♡
Rebecca

5 Strategies for Balancing Digital Life and Real Life

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my real life and my digital life. I know that too much electronic consumption can be damaging to your eyes and your brain and your relationships, but I don’t always know how to put away my phone without throwing it away forever. I believe that media is a tool that can be used to connect and teach and yes, entertain, but when media controls us more than we control it, there’s definitely a problem.

Here’s some easy-to-use strategies for balancing real life with digital life. Each of these strategies is based on academic principles of health and technology, coupled with my own experience.

1. SET ASIDE “NO TECHNOLOGY” TIMES/PLACES

The best way to balance the digital world with the real world is to set clear boundaries. iKeepSafe.org cited a study that suggested, “Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Having a TV in the bedroom is also strongly associated with a higher risk of smoking and being overweight.” One of my goals is to make our family dinner table technology free. It’s not too difficult right now because there’s just the two of us (me and my husband), but when I have kids, I want them to know that family time is not technology time.

Read the iKeepSafe article HERE.

2. FIND CREATIVE ALTERNATIVES TO MEDIA CONSUMPTION

While doing research for this article, I discovered “Folk Rebellion,” an organization dedicated to finding life offline. Their website states: “Since the late 1970’s there’s been a 50% drop in the unstructured outdoor activities . . . The number of children riding bikes declined by more than 20% between 2000 and 2010.” (Check out Folk Rebellion HERE.) To be honest, this information stings a little. I work full-time as a designer and I spend SO MUCH TIME inside, looking at a screen. Some days I get home and I just have to close my eyes because they burn from staring at that bright backlight. Studies suggest that media limits our brain activity because it’s so single-sensory (meaning it only involves some of our senses--usually sight and sound). If we can find alternative activities that are multi-sensory, things like making a good meal or taking a bubble bath, we’ll create a much stronger connection between our minds and our bodies, and also experience greater joy in those real life things.

3. MAKE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY A PRIORITY

One of the biggest problems with massive media consumption is that we consume it sitting down. (If you don’t see why that’s a problem, watch this TED talk.) I believe that if we make physical activity a priority, we’ll be less interested in living on a screen and we'll want to have more real-life experiences. Not just that, but exercise gives us more energy, better sleeping habits, and stronger muscles! I personally want to try and take a 15 minute walk every day, either by myself or with a friend, just to unwind and enjoy real life/real nature/real time.

4. CREATE, DON’T JUST CONSUME DIGITAL MEDIA

It has never been easier to create and publish media online. So why don’t more people do it? Some of our hesitation may come from fear (after all, the internet can be a very scary place), but I think the real reason is LAZINESS. It’s easy to sit on the couch and scroll through Facebook. It’s much harder to illustrate a picture, edit a video, or type up a poem. But these activities are much more beneficial than mindlessly consuming . They help us make sense of the world, develop our talents, and explore different fields. I think it's important to fine-tune and express our own thoughts every once in a while, rather than just absorb everyone else's. And don't be afraid to create something just for the sake of creation. There's value in that, too.

Read more about consuming less and creating more HERE.

5. VALUE REAL LIFE AND REAL CONVERSATIONS MORE THAN ANYTHING ON A SCREEN

Here’s the truth. The only way you can ever balance real life and digital life is if you understand that one is superior to the other. The friends, the status, and the fun you have online can never compare to what you have in real life. So don’t try and force it! Use digital media to enhance your real-life connections, not REPLACE. This article from Psychology Today said it best: “Fundamentally, technology creates a mediated and low-resolution approximation of life that does offer utilitarian benefits and some entertainment value. But is it "real" enough to want to substitute much of real life? I don't think so. I'll take high-resolution and unmediated life any time.”

Visit Pyschology Today's article Virtual Life vs. Real Life HERE.

For more inspiration, check out these articles about creating a healthy balance between real life and your digital life:

No Sidebar: Unplugging
It's Tactical: Tips for Balancing Your Digital Life and Your Real Life
Quora: Tips for Creating a Healthy Balance Between Ones Real Life and Digital Life


I wonder if I could also ask a favor of you readers, because managing my real life and digital life is something I really struggle with. If you have a suggestion or strategy for other ways to balance your life online and offline, would you share them below or send me an email? I would love to learn from you.


Thanks for reading!

♡♡♡

Rebecca

Media Literacy: An Introduction

Note: If you've been watching my site the last few days, you've probably noticed a few changes here and there. After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided that along with creative design, I want to focus my work on visual marketing and media literacy.

I realized a couple weeks ago that even though I'm pretty careful about the media I consume (TV, music, websites,) I'm not as careful about the media I create. To be honest, I don't really know how to create media that's healthy and positive. I know my designs look good, but does that mean they are good? I'm not a terribly academic person, but I want to be smart about the work I publish online. So while I'm still going to share design tutorials and organizational tips on this blog, everything will be based on principles of positive media creation and consumption.

With that introduction, I wanted to write something today about media literacy. As an Advertising/Communications major at BYU, I learned a lot about media and its ethics and effects. Even though media is something we literally see ALL THE TIME, it can be really boring to talk about. So my goal is to write about media in a way that's straightforward, smart, and easy to understand. Enjoy!

WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY?

Media literacy is the ability to access and interact with media. That includes books, TV, and anything on the internet. Basically anything that you consume with your attention rather than your mouth or your wallet is media. Creating media (writing books or publishing a blog post) and consuming media carefully (muting commercials or tuning in to a specific podcast) TOGETHER make up media literacy.

Here's a definition of Media Literacy that I really like:
". . .a constellation of life skills that are necessary for full participation in our media-saturated, information-rich society (1)."
-Digital and Media Literacy Plan of Action, Renee Hobbs

WHY IS MEDIA LITERACY IMPORTANT?

I did a little research to explain how relevant Media Literacy is. The Institute for Communication Technology Management shared a report on American consumers in 2015 and they estimated that Americans consume both traditional and digital media for over 1.7 trillion hours total, which comes out to approximately 15.5 hours per person per day (2). That number seems almost impossible, but when you calculate all the time you spend watching TV and looking at Instagram at the same time, it adds up pretty fast. Media Literacy is important because there's so much media in the world. Too much for one person to ever read and see and digest everything. Some media is good and some is really really bad. Media literacy gives you the ability to spend LESS TIME with the bad media and MORE TIME with good media. I know that sounds like something a Kindergarten teacher would say but it's true! Media literacy gives you the tools to create your own media, which is important because we can become artists and advocates for our own causes.

I think it's important to note that Media Literacy is not "Anti-Media." The National Association for Media Literacy Education says that Media Literacy is for anyone who wants a more enlightened way of understanding our media-driven environment.

"Today’s information and entertainment technologies communicate to us through a powerful combination of words, images, and sounds. As such, we need to develop a wider set of literacy skills helping us to both comprehend the messages we receive and effectively utilize these tools to design and distribute our own messages. Being literate in a media age requires critical thinking skills that empower us as we make decisions, whether in the classroom, the living room, the workplace, the boardroom, or the voting booth (3)."

HOW CAN I BECOME MORE MEDIA LITERATE?

This is something I hope to address more in future posts, but the basics of media literacy are:
1. Accessing media
2. Analyzing the media we see and knowing whether it's positive or negative
3. Choosing what media we consume
4. Creating our own media messages

Once we learn what makes media positive or negative, we can more carefully consume and create our own media. I really believe we need to have a better understanding of media literacy to survive in the modern world and I hope I can help people (myself included) achieve that understanding.

If this is Media Literacy is something that interests you, here are some great online resources for media literacy education:

Media Literacy - Partnerships for 21st Century Learning
Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action - Renee Hobbs
Media Literacy Defined - National Association for Media Literacy Education
What is Media Literacy? A Definition and More - Center for Media Literacy


Thanks for reading!

♡♡♡

Rebecca

WORKS CITED

(1) Hobbs, Renee. "Digital and Media Literacy: An Action Plan." 2010. Web.
(2) "USC Marshall School of Business." How Much Media? Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
(3) "Media Literacy Defined." National Association for Media Literacy Education. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

Learning to Love Your Job

I was at church a few weeks ago and had an interesting realization. We were talking about decision-making and gaining wisdom in difficult situations when my good friend, April relayed the following experience:

April said she was selected for a student-teaching position at a low-income school in the fall and was struggling to enjoy her work. She said, “After several months of dragging my feet around the classroom, I just decided I was going to make the best of it. And honestly, the best choice I ever made was the decision to love my job.” I was so impressed by April’s story I wrote it down in my journal and made a decision right then and there to love my job (more). Here are a few concrete things I have done to love my job, not just in the last few weeks but over the course of several months.

1. Recognize That Work is Work

This is something I have to re-realize every time I get bored with my job. Maybe I just haven’t found my “DREAM JOB” but for me, work is work. Even at it’s best it’s not terribly fun and exciting, and it’s never something I would want to do on the weekends. But work is important to me because it helps me develop professional skills and provide for my family and contribute to society. That sounds cheesy but it’s true. So even though it’s not what I’m just dying to do on a Monday morning, it does give meaning to my life and so I want to do it well.

2. Get Involved

I work as the marketing coordinator at a cosmetic dental lab and when I feel like I’m not as invested in my job as I should be, I like to sit down and make a list of all the things I could do to make my company more successful. Some things are a little out of my hands (other peoples’ messy desks), but there are a lot of things I CAN do that would help my office. I read somewhere once that the best thing you can do at work is think of the number one problem your boss has and take care of it. I love that idea! My boss really needs his office redecorated so that’s something I want to get done soon.

3. Be Grateful

This is the number one thing I have to remember when I feel frustrated with my work. There are so many great people who don’t have jobs or who have jobs that don’t pay the bills and they would give anything to come to work everyday and take home a nice paycheck. Heck, there have been times in my life when I would give anything to have a steady paycheck! A job is a privilege and I should be grateful for it.


Other things that have helped me to make a “bad” job better:

• Make friends
• Find a great pen to write with
• Try to compartmentalize your personal life and your work life so that you don’t have to worry about work when you’re not there
• Decorate your office—make it cute!
• Get a calendar and keep track of all your tasks
• Make a list of all the skills you've developed at work
• Try to remind yourself why you have a job and what your long-term goals are, that way you can feel good about your work instead of dreading it.

I know there’s a difference between a BAD job and a job that’s bad because you have a bad attitude. In my experience, most bad jobs are actually great once you decide to like it. I don’t know if I’ll ever have my “dream job” but I hope I can always find joy in my work, regardless of what I’m doing.

Thanks for reading!

♡♡♡

Rebecca

10 Tips to Make Your House a Home

My sister just moved into a new house at the beginning of January, and she's been asking for my advice to make it feel less like a house and more like a home. The hardest thing for me when I decorate my space is keeping myself from buying everything at once. I really don't have the budget to go on a home decor shopping spree, so I have forced myself to be patient (and creative!) with decorating. Here are 10 easy and free ways you can bring warmth and style to your house, apartment, or dorm room.

1. Greenery
If you look at professionally decorated spaces in magazines or online you'll notice that every room has at least one organic element. Fresh flowers are nice, but even plain brown branches can be beautiful when placed in a nice vase. Go outside, clip some plants, and place them in a tall glass or pitcher. Don't be afraid to get creative! Pine boughs can last a long time if you place them with water or spray them with water regularly. Collect several and make a garland for your mantle or bookshelf.

2. Candles/Potpourri
There's nothing more delightful than walking into a home with a good smell. If you have candles, light them whenever you're home, or if your budget is tight, make your own stove-top potpourri with oranges, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Check out this great recipe here!

3. Music
Music is wonderful because it costs nothing and adds so much flavor to the atmosphere in a home. Pick some music that speaks to you and play it in your living room. Keep it on when you have company, as long as it's not too loud. Some of my favorite artists include: Frank Sinatra, John Mayer, Yo Yo Ma, and anything by Claude Debussey.

4. Containers/Boxes
The biggest stumbling block for most homes is clutter. I truly believe that if people kept their homes clean, they wouldn't need to decorate so much! If you do have clutter (or if you're like me and live in a small student apartment), find storage that is fashionable AND functional. Ikea and Target are great resources for these types of items. Use boxes, baskets, or bowls to collect items and store them in more attractive ways. Don't overlook things like books, keys, and cosmetics. I put all my lip balms and chapsticks in a little dish on my bathroom counter and I was surprised how great it looked.

5. Pictures
Every house feels a little more friendly with some family pictures. If you don’t have any printed photos, you could draw a picture of your family or copy a favorite scripture and frame it. Don't go overboard though! See tip #6.

6. Artwork
Beautiful homes don't just display family pictures and wedding portraits. They add an element of elegance by showcasing beautiful artwork. Original art can be very expensive, so find ways to achieve the same look for less. The New York Public Library is available online and most of the collection is in the public domain. Find something that compliments your current décor, print a copy, and frame it. If you have more time, consider making something on your own! Copy a piece of abstract art and add your own style to it. Don't hesitate to make it BIG. Oversized art is very in right now.

7. Blankets and pillows
Part of making your house a home includes making it comfortable. Soft blankets and pillows on the couch or even on the ground can help you and your guests feel more welcome. If you don't have any sort of blanket, try using sheets, curtains, or dish towels. Cover your coffee table with a tablecloth or put a table runner on your TV stand. The more layers you can add to your decor, the more "decorated" it's going to feel.

8. Bottles
I have found that a classy soap dispenser or matching set of soap and lotion bottles can really make a kitchen look nice. Make sure to hide your ugly scrub brushes and sponges in the sink so your counter stands out. Place soap on a small plate or block of wood and consider wrapping twine or ribbon around the spout.

Note: If you've done all these things and still don't feel like your house is very "homey," read the next two tips. Be deliberate with your placement of decorative items, and your house will look polished and complete instead of eclectic and messy.

9. Something Seasonal
Don't you love visiting houses that are decorated for the season? There's something so welcoming about a boxwood wreath in the spring or a jar of candy canes during Christmas time. Find ways to incorporate seasonal elements like flowers or pinecones into your décor. Even a just framed print can bring extra flavor to your living space. Look up "Seasonal Printable" on Pinterest and you'll be amazed at what you can find.

10. Vignettes
A vignette is technically an art term for a small illustration or portrait that fades into the background. Vignettes in decorating are somewhat similar. A vignette is any grouping of items that creates a focal point. I like to create vignettes on my coffee table, outside my front door, and near the kitchen sink. Get a small stack of books, a candle, and a picture frame, and Presto! You've got a vignette. If you want to see some vignettes that are both beautiful and thoughtful, check out this blog.

Decorating can be so overwhelming, especially if you feel like you can't spend any money. Don't be afraid to shop around your house and try new things. And if there's something from Pottery Barn you really want, make it a priority, be patient and save up for it! I found these great articles about making your house a home if you'd like additional inspiration:

Make Your House a Home by Reluctant Landlord
10 Ways to Create a Home with Warmth and Grace by The Better Mom
Making Your House a Home by Darling Magazine
Turning a House Into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget by The Nester
Making Your House Beautiful by Frugal Rules


Thanks for reading!

♡♡♡
Rebecca

Reading Response: Choosing Civility

I recently finished a book I found at my in-laws house called Choosing Civility: 25 Rules for Considerate Conduct by P.M. Forni. I've been really interested in "being classy" lately, and I was excited to read something that might give me concrete ways to improve my behavior. Forni's book first outlines the history and etymology of courtesy, then illustrates 25 ways to practice this civility in every day life.

Some background on Forni—He was a successful literature professor at the University of Pennsylvania who realized that he would be a failure if he taught his students how to analyze Dante but didn't teach them how to treat each other with kindness. So he started "The Civility Project" at Johns Hopkins in an effort to assess the significance of manners, and politeness in contemporary society. You can read more about the project itself here.

Choosing Civility explains courtesy this way: In medieval times, there was a certain code or list of rules you had to use when conversing in COURT or with royalty. Some of them were arbitrarily designed and others had considerable thought and meaning behind them. Those behaviors were (and are) associated with superior qualities of character and expected in those close to royalty. Therefore, as we practice handling ourselves and those around us with care, we acknowledge the royalty within us all.

What I like about this book is that Forni doesn't simply explain the "P's and Q's" in a medieval context. He explains how developing good manners enhances the way we live right now. This quote sums it up well:

With a training in civility we develop the invaluable habit of considering that no action of ours is without consequences for others and anticipating what those consequences will be. We learn to act in a responsible and caring way. Choosing civility means choosing to do the right thing for others . . . The byproduct of doing justice to others is the enrichment of our own lives. I hope that we will never tire of rediscovering that being kind is good for the [human]kind.

Here are P.M. Forni's 25 Rules for Considerate Conduct:

Choosing Civility was a great reminder for me to evaluate the way I treat people around me, especially at work. I'm going to make a greater effort to get along with people and let my behavior help them, not hurt them.

♡♡♡
Rebecca