Happy Halloween!
I know it’s been a hot minute since I posted but I’ve been busy working on creating some new content for you all. As much as I love the concept of street style photography, I’m trying to mix in a little bit more of editorial style content because I believe that expressing creativity takes many forms. For me, it’s stylizing photo shoots with my photographer, Marley. We are going for more of a story during every shoot instead of just snapping away an outfit. Today’s trend that I’m majorly obsessing over: the metallic leather jacket!
As a blogger it’s very easy to get discouraged and feel the burn out when it comes to taking photos. It’s a hard field because not only is it super competitive, it’s also hard to keep things fresh. There are so many times where I end up feeling uninspired and it truly affects the quality of my work plus my mood. Inspiration is all around us, but sometimes we forget to see it because we are so caught up perfecting ourselves, which isn’t always healthy.
We are all creative. How we express our creativity varies, which is why every person has their own way to express themselves. That’s also why blogging is so fascinating, to be able to share your ideas and dreams with the world and have people feel inspired by your inspiration. It’s also amazing because it allows people to connect based on commonalities. I feel so grateful to be doing what I do and connecting with all of you wonderful people. It’s such a treasure.
But as I said, finding inspiration at times can be a challenge. Getting that ‘jump start’ becomes increasingly difficult when you feel you’ve tried it all. In order to get out of that creative rut, I’ve really explored ways to help myself, and hopefully you, to get that fire burning inside you again.
5 Ways To Inspire Yourself
- Disconnect! This sounds simple, but it’s not. Shut down your phone, your laptop, and look around you. What do you see? Maybe a color or a building, or a texture can make you feel something. Take that feeling and think of ways you can use it in your creative life. For me, whenever I’m driving, a song or a street will inspire me. For example, one day it was a gloomy day but with peaks of sunlight, the palm trees looked so gorgeous. It reminded me of the seventies in some way, and so, I created a look that way ultra seventies casual and shot with that concept in my mind (the look is coming this week). When you disconnect, you can really soak in all the inspiration that is around you.
- Don’t Compare! We live in a society where everything is online. It’s natural to compare our lives, our Instagram feeds, our FB with everyone else. Don’t! Nobody is you. Nobody sees things the same way and it’s important to remember that. What may work for you may not work for someone else. It’s funny because I see a lot of girls changing their style so significantly because it’s the “trend”. It doesn’t look right always because instead of taking a trend and making it their own, they’re trying to emulate someone else. Comparison is never okay because you will never be someone else, and someone else can never be you. Appreciate and accept your own mind, vision and soul, it’ll be much easier to stay inspired.
- Take Risks! Sure, some people may not like it, but we don’t live for others. We live for ourselves. I know that sometimes my darker photography doesn’t really connect to people, but it does for some and that’s enough. You have to take creative risks (if you want to) because if you’re proud of the outcome, that’s going to help you continue to stay inspired and kick some major butt. Risks are also great because they show you what may not work for you, or that maybe your comfort level isn’t as high or low as you thought. By taking some risks you allow yourself to be challenged and you can’t grow if you don’t face challenges.
- Journal! Write down the ideas you’ve thought of, even if you think they’re silly. Sometimes we forget what inspired us at one point. Sometimes we forget how we feel about certain things but if we write them down, we can go back to them and re-explore something that once made us feel something. Inspiration is not just about getting a final product. Inspiration is a FEELING. It’s a feeling before you create, during you create and after you create and it never goes away. Even an emotion can be a source of inspiration.
- Trust Yourself! You know yourself better than anyone else. Don’t ever let someone force you to do something, or feel pressure to try something you know deep down won’t work for you. I see it all the time, “Oh, maybe I should be sexier!”, but if you’re not someone who get inspired by feeling sexier, than what’s the point? It’s all about trusting your instincts.
Today’s outfit was actually inspired not only space travel but also the emotion of feeling lost. I had a very hard week when it came to my heart and for a while I felt more lost than ever with what I truly wanted to do. It was a very powerful feeling and I’m still torn about the decision I made. I probably won’t know how I truly feel about it until the dust settles a bit, but I took what I felt and poured into this shoot. I hope you guys enjoy this more creative and editorial style post.
I found this metallic leather jacket at Zara and instantly fell in love. I love metallics but mainly for a statement piece. I toned the rest of the look down with naturals and denim so the jacket really could be the star of the show. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll love a lovely metallic jumpsuit if I had the courage to wear it!!!! I literally have worn this metallic leather jacket every day with dresses, skirts and denim and it’s just been the eye-catching item I have right now. What do you think of this metallic trend and would rock a metallic leather jacket?
Photography by Marley Cumbee.
Metallic Leather Jacket: Zara, Denim Skirt: TopShop, Tan Booties + Black Turtleneck: Forever 21.
-SHOP METALLIC LEATHER JACKETS-
