creativity is overrated...

"creativity is the art of hiding your source."

--coco chanel

"the mediocre artist borrows, the great artist steals."

--pablo picasso

well, coco chanel and pablo picasso certainly were great artists, although i don't consider fashion an art as it's something that is ultimately discarded.  obviously, these quotes are a bit of overstatement, but they get the point across.  genuine innovation is not easy.  nobody alive today invented sleeves, for instance. we all have 2 arms, we need 2 sleeves.  as far as i'm concerned, i design with both form and function in mind.  we'll see what happens from there.

also, i am learning arabic...or how to write it, at least.  it's such a beautiful script...except not when i write it...not yet.  something many of you may not know about me is that i love islamic art.  in one of my art classes back in high school, i had a muslim classmate from whom i learned that muslims are not allowed to draw humans in any form because they believe that only God can create humans.  as a result, islamic art developed using primarily geometric shapes and patterns.  many of these are very beautiful and intricate, and i've been experimenting with incorporating some of these elements into some of my designs.  i hope homeland security doesn't get the wrong idea, as i have been on some arabic websites as of late.  please don't arrest me.

ONE MONTH UNTIL NEW YORK!

man, they don't make 'em like this anymore...

my summer has slowed down now and is the reason for my now weekly posts.  i apologize. landscaping has finally begun on the house.  we have BIG plans for both the front and back yards. and since i sadly have no job or other obligations this summer, i've been tasked with overseeing the work and making sure the workers do their job properly, which i suppose is an unfortunately necessary but terribly boring precaution, primarily because i can't leave the house.  to pass the time more enjoyably, i've been reading several books--some good, some regrettable.  perhaps i'll post my thoughts on some of the good ones later.  in an interesting side note, i apparently look like i'm 12 according one of the workers.

anyway.

to make matters worse, i even won't have a car for the next few weeks because my mother got into a accident the other day. thankfully, it was a minor one, but while her car is being fixed, she's driving my father's car and he's driving my car.  sigh...i was planning on getting a haircut and making it out to the contemporary arts museum some time this week, too.

even though the damage to the body appears minor, the fact is that the engine fan that sits directly behind the grill was damaged enough to cause it to stop working.  the result of which was that while my father was driving it to the shop, it overheated, causing me to have to pick him up.  while we were waiting for the tow truck to arrive, i walked into a curious home accessories store nearby called modern worth, and  i must say i was pleasantly surprised.  my favorite item was probably these bar soaps from portugal.  now you may be thinking, what's so special about soap?  as a germaphobe and self-proclaimed connoisseur of hygienic products,  a lot of things.

for one, these bars are more than twice as large as your standard dove or ivory springs bar. bigger soap, bigger cleaning power; it's a fact--everybody knows.  ever try to take a proper shower when your bar soap's become smaller than the size of your thumb?  exactly!  recipe for disaster, let me tell you.  these soaps are advertised to last at least 3 times as long as your ordinary bar, and they're milled seven times so they won't crack or split, which is very important for a soap bar.

also, the soaps come in 16 fragrances and are packaged in these rather ornamental wrapping papers that, for the more creatively inclined, could be put towards other uses.  you can check them out for yourself here.  apparently, they made it onto oprah's list of favorite things. truthfully, i never thought much about oprah.  i suppose most people would say she has good taste.

i have good taste, too.

independence day...

my family spent at least 8 hours a day this past three day weekend decorating the house--or rather, shopping for things to decorate the house with.  it was more tiring that i would have anticipated.  yet, not a single room is complete.  finding the right furniture and accessories takes time!  especially for a family with such specific tastes as mine.  as hard as it may be to believe, my parents are just as picky as i am.  some of you have asked for some pictures of the house.  i'll post them when we're finished!

in other news, it's interesting how gas prices influence behavior these days.  i used to jump in my car and go wherever i wanted to.  now, i find myself planning my errands more carefully so as to use the least amount of gas possible.  crazy?  nowadays, not so much.  how the times have changed.  i'm SO glad i won't need a car in new york.  speaking of new york, FIT has given me $6,500.00 in financial aid (out-of-state tuition is $5,121.00) but no housing yet.  i called residential life today and was told that even though i applied late, they were "very confident" they could accommodate me by the end of july. end of july?!  perhaps it's time to start looking for apartments...and planes tickets, too.  i register for classes on august 11.  oh, dear...

oh, one more thing: don't send any more e-mails to my duke account.  you can check my facebook profile for my current addresses.

my mom's new ride...

a new jaguar xf.

believe me, i was just as shocked as you probably are right now. unfortunately, it won't arrive until october.

it's been a while...

since my last post.  i'm currently waiting to receive my registration package from FIT and for them to 1) give me housing and 2) give me financial aid.  housing is kind of frustrating because i need to be on campus by august 16, which is not that far off, and if i don't get campus housing i need to find an apartment.  financial aid is a little more optimistic.  since i already have a bachelor's degree and am going to be a full-time student again, i technically qualify as a graduate student, which entitles me to more financial aid even though i'm not technically in a graduate program.  i hope.

i need words...

as wide as sky

i need a language large as

this longing inside

i need a voice

bigger than mine

i need a song to sing You

that i've yet to find

i need You...

now that my summer has slowed down, i've had some time to process everything that's happened in the past...say 15 months...and honestly, i'm not sure i can describe it.  perhaps it would be best to keep it simple.  this will probably be the least eloquent post ever.

about 15 months ago, i committed myself to pursuing fashion as a career.  15 months later, i've sent in my tuition deposit to the best fashion school in the country.  seriously...HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!

15 months ago, as i had minimal experience in all 3 fields of fashion sketching, sewing, and textiles that were needed to produce a competitive portfolio.  by january, i had sent in a portfolio that which included fashion sketches and photos of complete garments i had sewn myself, all with fabric swatches that indicated the type of fabric i used or intended to use with each garment or sketch. by june, i had received my acceptance letter from FIT.  the whole time, i was both elated and scared to death.  i'm still both elated and scared to death, because honestly, the hard part has just begun.

simply put, I AM SCARED OF FAILURE.  sometimes, i'm more scared than elated.  i thought i had never wanted anything else in my life more strongly than this.  and God made me wait longer than usual for the answer to my prayers--while most people received their decision letters in april, mine didn't arrive until june.  and in the past 4 or so months, God reminded me that there are infinitely more important things in life than this.  and i have no hesitation in proclaiming that He is right.

on the whole, the past 15 months probably qualify as the most wonderful period of my life so far, not just because of this, but also because of the relationships i have been so privileged to have been a part of.  the Lord is good.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being too wonderful for words.

free day!

today was my first complete free day since the summer started, as i had finished all my errands and whatnot yesterday.  what did i do with myself today, then?  why, i went to the museum of fine arts!  perfect timing too because admission is free on thursdays! the exhibition i was primarily interested in is called "designed by architects," which presented things like mantle clocks, flatware, tea and coffee service items that were designed by some of the leading architects of the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.  one of the my favorite pieces was this beautiful silver mantle clock by charles robert ashbee, who was a prime participant in england's arts and crafts movement:

then in the afternoon, i watched portugal play germany in the quarterfinals of euro 2008.  the game ended 2-3 to the germans, who now progress to the semis--a great game for the neutrals, although cristiano ronaldo didn't score.