Living Out of A Suitcase

I never realized that I got dressed in a certain formula until I was forced to live out a suitcase (ok, 2 suitcases) for the past month and a half. When all of your clothes are folded or rolled into a small rectangular space it makes getting dressed in a spontaneous fashion extremely difficult, that is for me at least. It seems that the way I get dressed every day relies heavily on the visual layout of how I arrange my clothes. When I lived in the dorms for 5 years I always kept my closet door open and I would lay out some of my absolute favorite clothing or jewelry pieces around the room. I did this 1) for a decorative tone and 2) because I needed to see my clothing in order to remember that I had them.

Yes, apparently I am either so overwhelmed with how much clothing I have that I need to see it to remember that I have it or I really am just that forgetful, let's assume for now that it's the first one.... What this experience has taught me or strongly reminded me is that I rely on visual stimulation to inspire me. If I were to live in a blank white walled room I would probably feel overwhelmingly suppressed, like the soul was being sucked out of me and I wouldn't be able to create or get dressed in a way that makes me feel content. However when I am in a room filled wall to wall with beautiful materials, costume jewelry, lamps, photos, and other random knick knacks I feel heart burstingly inspired and most like myself.

In this past month I willfully admit that I am disappointed in the way that I have been getting dressed. It has been slovenly, unexciting and I will even go as far as boring. I am bored with the most basic pieces that I have and after wearing a bright yellow outfit yesterday for no reason other than I wanted to I have not felt so invigorated to dress eccentrically more so than ever before. Last night I stayed up late to rip up magazines and create some sort of organized but slightly haphazard visual layout that would make me smile and push myself creatively every morning when I wake up and this morning I did just that.

My conclusion to this story is that living out of a suitcase sucks and sadly as much as I am drawn to the idea of jumping on a train with just one bag and boundlessly traveling I don't think I could ever do it. I rely on floor plans and wall layouts and being surrounded by the art that inspires me to feel most comfortable. Maybe one day I will learn to let go of all of these things, maybe not, either way I am quite comfortable with who I am at this moment in time and may I find some sort of drawer situation to get me out of these fucking suitcases.

{Interior} Style

As important as my personal style is to me my interior style holds an equal amount of importance. I always say that our environment and audience influence the way that we dress ourselves and that is especially true when it comes to my bedroom. I can not create to my fullest creative extent if I am in a white walled room as I expressed clearly yesterday in White Walls. I need to cover the small space that surrounds my bed with magazine pages, sketchbook scribbles, jewelry, clothing that is a work of art, found items, dried flowers, glass bottles and make believe galaxies. My room is a museum of my heart, a sanctuary for my creativity and vulnerability. It is my soul pouring out wildly, un-apologetically and ferociously. I've gone through several attempts to organize my room in a more coherent manner but I've come to accept that that doesn't work for me. I am a little chaotic, all over the place, messy, erratic and bursting at the seams so it would seem appropriate for my room to be the same. I think we all know that our bedroom or interior space of any sort is important to creating a reflective state of mind so I have for you all today some photos my interior space, maybe it will give you some insight into my state of mind.

Interior

"My room is a museum of my heart,

filled with books and dried flowers,

teapots and mountains of pillows,

musty air thick with incense and imperceptible heartbeats.

A sanctuary of springs creativity and autumns fragility,

it is the in-between of seasons."
-Unknown

Here is a look at my room, the place I spend at least 70% of my time if not more. I've drafted at least 3 versions of this post over the past 4 months but never felt like it was ready. I finally have found a state of satisfaction with my interior choices within this small and awkward dorm room. In order to create I must surround myself with inspiring things, otherwise I feel like I'm suffocating.