Writing down your thoughts is something that takes a lot of time and practice. When you first start a journal it often feels foreign and you find yourself filtering things you say even though "no one will ever read it." That's what blogging feels like to me- a journal that never loses that new feeling. A place to filter things just a little bit, making them bigger and better than reality somehow. The thing is I don't want it to feel that way, but how do you retrain your brain to be completely honest in public?

I honestly don't know the answer, but like all things in life I suspect it takes practice. What I do know is that journaling and blogging both stem from a deep human need to share our feelings and connect with someone, even if it's only with ourselves. They also stem from a desire to leave a legacy, something to be remembered by.

I've been thinking a lot about what my life looks like from an outsider's perspective and just how much I filter that experience for others. I've also been thinking a lot about where I'd like to see my life go on the next five to ten years. As much as I love planning I've never been big on setting personal milestones but as I approach my last year as a twenty-something it feels like it's time to start thinking in the long term.

It's not enough for me to sit idly by and watch the years slip by like water through my fingers. I want to take my life and mold it into something that means more. A life that positively impacts our world in some way. To be a giver not a taker.

I don't know what my legacy will be yet, but you better believe I'll be chronicling it by pen or keyboard. Hopefully unfiltered. - b.

My earliest memories of making art aren’t really memories at all, but stories that my mom has told me over and over again until they’ve become real in my mind. She loves to tell people how I learned to draw and craft before I could even write my own name. Her favorite story being one where I crafted a miniature nativity scene out of erasers and blocks at the age of 3. Meticulously drawing faces on each character, and dressing them in different colored tissue. It’s from these stories that I began to see a recurring theme of religion and in particular the birth of Christ (see above). At first I thought it a little heavy for a small child to dwell on such heavenly beings, but after talking it over with Ryan it made perfect sense.

As a small child the most significant characters in my life, outside of my family, were those figures I saw repeatedly on Sunday mornings and at holiday celebrations. I was too young to understand the idea of a movie star, or cartoon character, but through repetition I was able to grasp that baby Jesus and the biblical characters that surrounded him were significant in some way. There is no way that I could have understood the symbolism of what I was making, but it eased its way into my subconscious anyway.

Years later in college I would again find myself drawn to the idea of religious iconography and of symbolism as I studied art history. I could write a whole post on just that, but I’ll save you the art history lesson for now. I now happily seek out the symbolism in things, though not in an overtly religious way, and it delights me when I spot something in my work.

Funny that a silly little sketch my mom saved for over 2 decades now holds so much meaning. I suppose that’s equally symbolic. - b.

On a busy Friday afternoon at work I took a break from my normal desk views to take part in a special workshop during lunch. I had been dreaming of attending one of these workshops for sometime but consistently missed the sign-up (they're popular). Lucky for me one of my sweet colleagues was unable to make it and gave me her spot! 

Terrain, one of the sister brands to to the company I work for, hosts a special topic gardening workshop once a month so they've pretty much got these things down to a science. The topic was fall container planting and it focused on techniques and tricks to create a visually appealing and cooler-temperature-friendly outdoor planter. I'm a big dork and love to get schooled so this was pretty much heaven for me.

Terrain's product specialist was on-hand to guide us through the entire process and educate us on the plants we had to choose- there were ornamental leafy greens, peppers and grass, climbing ivies, and asters. Here are some of the tips she shared I found the most interesting:

+ Smaller container plants can be planted at an angle so that their leaves face out and create a more aesthetically pleasing composition.

+ When thinking about your container garden's composition remember these things:

1. Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than even. Three being an optimum number

2. Choose plants with varying textures and heights to create visual interest

3. Consider the colors you're using- what is the overall look you're trying to achieve?

+ For container gardens without drainage use a thin layer of gravel or rock before adding your soil. The rocks allow for water to drain away from the roots and sit as a reserve for when your plant needs more water.

+ Plants shouldn't be watered on a schedule, instead check the soil to decide whether your container needs water or not. If the top inch of soil is dry you should wet the soil evenly, if it's moist let it be. 

In the end I walked away with a beautiful new fall container filled with an ornamental pepper plant, cabbage and grass. Kind of an amazing work opportunity don't you think? I've already signed up for another workshop, this time on porcelain jewelry. Oh no- I think I'm addicted. - b. 

PS- Thanks to Maddie for the pictures of the workshop! Sometimes it pays to have a photographer as a friend ;)