Hey y’all!

We’ve talked about a lot, and I hope it’s been encouraging. This week was a long week and I’ve been feeling so uninspired with finals week right around the corner! It’s terrible timing, buut my little “funk” me thinking about new ways to find inspiration. So often we get caught up in wanting to be original, and wanting to be such creative people that we forget there are no limits to the things we can do to feel inspired.

For me, YouTube has been my number one inspiration in the moments I need just a little push. YouTube isn’t just a social media platform but it’s an exhibit for people to display their crafts. Whether a new recipe, a game they love, a talent they want to show off, or even their love for fashion; millions of people flock to these sites just to help inspire other people to feel, think, or do something specific. It can be helpful!

YouTube inspires me in the moments when I’m feeling too tired, too bored, or even upset. Watching a video from my favorite creator can inspire me to get back to my work, try a new hobby, or even get up out of bed and change my day around.

Whether for your personal craft, a talent, or simply those moments where you feel like you’re in a little bit of a “funk”, it’s important to remember that there’s always a new strategy you can try to get those creative juices flowing again.

One new thing to try, is a vision board!

A tool used to help inspire and motivate, a vision board is a poster board that you fill with any pictures, quotes, or examples of all the things you’re wishing and hoping for in life. When making a plan to create your own, there are 4 questions you should consider before you get started.

• How big do you want it to be?

While it’s important to have enough space for all of your items, you don’t want too much space that it becomes overwhelming. Your vision board should have just enough to cover the goals you have set. Nothing less, nothing more.

• What do you want your vision board to reflect?

Do you need some motivation when it comes to your family, your career, your fitness life? Whatever you decide, make sure you focus on those specific things when choosing items for you board. Distractions can prevent you from really feeling inspired and motivated when looking at your board.

• Just one board, or a couple?

Take a look at the space you have in your room, house, etc. and decide what works best for you. Some people enjoy using multiple small vision boards to focus on different themes, while other people choose to use one big board and split it into different areas. Just make sure whatever you pick is the best option for YOU.

• What’s your go to style?

This is your chance to be as creative as you want to! Images are an important part of vision boards so picking the kinds of images you’ll use ahead of time will be helpful. Magazine cutouts, personal photographs, print outs from the internet, book pages, etc. are all options. When it comes to labels and embellishments, decide if you want your board to be on the more organized side, or a little more eccentric with stickers, glitter, markers, or anything else you like!

But even if something like YouTube or vision boards aren’t your thing, it doesn’t take something huge to inspire you! Start with the little things first that you can do anywhere at any time.

• Figure out why you need inspiration

Are you starting a new project? Do you need to meet a deadline? Dealing with writer’s block? Whichever it is, you need to know what kind of inspiration you’re looking for.

• Take a walk

You have no idea how good some fresh air feels until you’re outside. Yes, it’s cold outside, but with a good jacket and some gloves you’ll be fine. The air, the animals, the sounds can all bring a new perspective to your day, which is key if you’re looking to be inspired.

• Take a nap

While getting some outside time can do the trick, so can catching some Z’s. Rest up! If you’re too tired you won’t think clearly anyway. Who knows, maybe a dream you have can shed some light on something!

• Take a peek at your phone

I know it sounds cliche, but your phone gives you access to all sorts of inspiration. Scroll through the explore page on your news feed, google some random stuff, watch your favorite creator, or listen to your favorite song; whichever you decide, don’t stress yourself out too much, just enjoy a few minutes to yourself and eventually the inspiration will come!

 

It’s finals week now, and I’m feeling hopeful! We all have our moments and I know it can be rough trying to keep up with everything you have to do day to day, but inspiration lies in the little things, so don’t get overwhelmed. You’ve got this! Just get to it and while you’re at it, take a look at some of the cute ideas Carrie Elle has to get you started.

Until next time

 

♥♥♥

 

 

 

 

Every time I write, I want to make sure I’m leaving another step you all can take in your journey. Last time we talked about the art of finding your niche. Pushing your boundaries, finding something new, and really taking the time to evaluate what you enjoy can leave you feeling so fulfilled and glad you’ve discovered your potential.

I took some time to think about my own personal recipe and realized that life can get so jumbled up sometimes, it’s often difficult to figure out where to start in your new mode of what I like to call, “self- discovery.”

BUT… you know I have an answer for that !

An avid lover of YouTube, I spend hours upon hours scrolling through the most random videos that spark any bit of my interest. Clean with me videos, Mukbangs, vlogs, absolutely anything as long as the energy is right. On one of my more recent YouTube videos, I came across this amazing video about bullet journaling, and let me tell you, it’s a hidden gem.

The perfect mix between organization and creativity the whole concept of bullet journaling is designing your own personal notebook to fit your own personal needs, interests, goals, and theme. Used for anything from tracking your daily mood, to planning your week bullet journaling can set you on the right track to be the best version of yourself.

Now I’m no pro, so I can’t share any how to’s, you can find those from amazing artists on Youtube like this or even some cool beginner friendly blogs like this one.

What I CAN do is share the three things I’ve found to be most important while starting my own bullet journal.

 

Find the right notebook for you

Some people use graphing notebooks, small notebooks, planner sized notebooks, etc; whichever one you choose make sure it fits your needs. Actively make a plan and make sure the size, type, page number, and space on the pages will be your best creative fit

Get some cute supplies

We don’t get to enjoy the childlike things in life often, but now’s your chance. Think of your bullet journal like a coloring book. Get a little crazy with it ! There are so many stencils, pens, markers, and supplies that can make your journal not only useful, but super cute !

Don’t be afraid to look for some inspiration!

Don’t shy away from places like Pinterest and YouTube, they can be your best friends when starting something new. Don’t forget that while this may just be a new hobby, or a one time thing for you, for others they have spent time perfecting this craft and there are always new ideas to try.

Do something exciting, switch it up and go get yourself some cute markers and a nice little book. Take your time and learn a new craft ! You might even like it.

See y’all soon ♥♥♥

Hey !

The last time we spoke, we discussed how the idea of “happiness” isn’t one that can be given to you or taken from you by anybody but yourself. In that discussion I suggested that anybody who felt they were lacking in the whole happiness department, should find new strategies to discover what makes them the happiest.

While scrolling through Facebook recently I came across an article about figuring out what your gift is. The author (whom I can’t seem to find) notes that for people with Type A personalities, (me me me) it’s easy to mistake a flaw for a skill. For example, a person who can be viewed as overly critical, can actually be seen as a person with a keen eye for detail, logistically sound, and a knack for finding problems that can be fixed that others might not find.

With this in my mind, I got to wondering what I considered to be my best gifts or talents. Not someone who loves sports, plays an instrument, or is talented artistically. I was stuck. So I began to google things. Google had an answer for me as always.

What is a gift ?  By definition it is “ a natural ability or talent, an aptitude for something.”

AN APTITUDE

Literally defined as the capability to acquire something, I began to smile to myself realizing that literally anything can be one of your gifts. Anything you’re willing to practice, develop, and perfect to the best of your ability is a gift. Something that makes you special in your own creativity and passions. These passions are what I feel allow you to make the best out of any situation.

Reflecting on my last post, these passions allow you to reflect meaningfully on what makes you happy. Through the process of learning, failing, and growing in passion, you can look yourself in the mirror and figure out who you really are and ask yourself the questions no one else will.

“What will I put up with?”   “What pushes me to my limits?”   “What am I capable of doing?”

Now let’s rewind to June 25, 2018.

It was my dad’s 60th birthday. I had the house to myself, the kitchen was at my disposal, and my hands just seemed to know what to do, how to mix it, and how to charter the unknown. What started out as a simple birthday surprise for a man with an exceptionally sweet tooth, blossomed into so much more than I ever thought it would be. What started as the moment of my desire to give an original gift that would last in memories, left me feeling inclined to see what more I could do.

• What recipes I could try
• What new tools I could use
• How I could craft my skills
• How I could develop this new gift

Fast forward to this October. A little less than a week ago. Me, My Sister In Law’s birthday, and a Mocha Cupcake with Espresso Buttercream Frosting.

Thinking about the time between the two recipes, I’ve realized that the past four months have been full of growth. Discovering myself, what I want out of life, who I want to be, and what I stand for.

And the whole time, I’ve just been baking!

Testing new recipes, techniques, and styles, I’m learning to never limit myself in the kitchen, but most importantly to never limit myself in life period. As bold as I am in the kitchen, this boldness is now showing up in my life, my decisions, and in my demeanor. I’m finding a niche I never thought I had all through a recipe.

It can all be so simple, but in order to find your niche, you have to start today. Use the resources around you, guides, tips like this one, and follow your heart and head to get where you want to be.

So here’s my own recipe for you !

1. Gather your tools

• Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. Purposefully. Not to judge or chastise yourself, but to honestly evaluate what you’re working with. You can’t work towards a passion until you know the things that can help or hinder you

2. Find a recipe

• While I enjoy baking in my free time, for you it could be cooking, writing, community service, etc. Everyone feels differently about the things they love and you can’t compare where you are and what you’re doing to somebody else in a completely different walk of life.

3. Heat up the oven

• Make sure you’re ready to start your own journey. As appealing as it may sound. You have to be ready to deal with the ups and downs of figuring out what’s truly meant for you. Prepare for the process

4. Bake it !

• Engage in the process ! You’ve made this plan. Follow through on it. Take this time to explore your talents and where they can take you. You don’t need to just have one and they don’t need to be by the book. Make sure you’re consciously evaluating how you feel during the process.

5. Taste test !

• You think you’ve found something, so how does it make you feel ? What does it bring out of you ? Have you seen some growth within yourself ? Evaluate !

Recipes leave so much room for a beautiful end product. Whether a new dish or pastry, the people who spend their time crafting the best recipes, yield the best results. So make sure you put in the time and effort into yielding the best version of you. In the meantime for the people who thought it sounds delicious. Try out that real recipe for those Mocha Cupcakes. They were amazing !

 

 

See y’all next time ♥♥♥

The summer of 2018 was a game changer.

Headed into my junior year of college, with excellent grades, scholarships under my belt, and a full family support system I seemingly had it all, but there was one thing missing… my happiness.

Going through the different stages of life, “growing up”, and going through the motions of becoming a successful and productive member of society it’s so easy to lose the sense of how happy you are. You work, you go to school, see friends, maybe a significant other, but at the end of the day are we really evaluating how content we are in our environment, our experiences, and the people around us?

I wasn’t.

For so long, I let the energy, actions, and words of others dictate how happy I could be and it drained me. It took the tears, breakdowns, and real life experiences to show me that I deserved to claim my happiness in this world. To reclaim it as if I was Maxine Walters.

Fortunately enough, our happiness is what we make of it. Literally defined as “the state of being happy”, there is not one person out there that can tell you what should make you happy, why, or how. On the other hand, it is 100% our responsibility to own our happiness. It’s not anybody else’s place to make or keep you happy. It starts with you.

Breathe. It can be overwhelming, but your journey is never over.

Here are a few of the best techniques I’ve found that have helped me. Take a quick read and see what you can get from it !All you have to do, all i’m  ASKING you to do, is grow just a little bit. I’m still learning myself, but if I can do it, so can you.

Until next time

♥

Hey guys !

I’m Reese, a college junior, and a girl who has found herself at a time where life is full of questions.. and I plan on answering them ! Through some explorations with food, lifestyle decisions, new projects, and inspirations, Curious Thinking will be the reflection of my own growth process. Hopefully, this space can be one that allows you to grow in some way too. Even if growth isn’t your personal goal,  I hope you enjoy my content and my suggestions for living your most content life! There are no rules, guidebooks, or instructions for figuring this whole “life” thing out but it sure is a journey and I would love to invite you along for the ride ! Let’s look, learn, and grow together !

Live as if your life is the message to the world – Anonymous