Sound Advice

Wearing:

Asos eyelet crop top
DIY shorts (from Ralph Lauren pants)
Topshop 2 Part Geek sandals
Mac "Party Parrot" lipstick
Purse from Barney's
Vintage and/or gifted jewelry

A year ago, a friend of mine convinced me to move out of state or to a bigger city.  She encouraged me to move because she had recently decided to move out of state herself.  "Small town, small minds," she told me. 

At the time I was going through an huge transition in my life.  I felt like I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life.  I had a plan.  A plan, that is...until I heard her advice.  We talked for about an hour about why it was a bad idea to live in this small town we both called home.  I found myself getting carried away and even began to daydream about where exactly I'd move to and when.  Then my well-meaning friend advised me to seek a job in a different field.  It was still within the giant umbrella of the art world, but so completely different than what I know I was meant to do.  Instead of painting and drawing by hand and computer and working for myself, I "could be making big bucks working for Lucas or Pixar" by doing "animation or whatever."  

Something I swore to myself I would never do as an artist was to work corporate.  I won't go into the boring details of working independently vs. corporately.  But I'll just keep it simple by saying that your artwork will no longer be your artwork if you work for a corporation.  I may eventually cave in in the future.  But for now (while I still can) I want to remain independent.  Besides, I love my little town.  I would not mind moving at all.  But for now this is the place I have chosen to live at.

Secondly, animation is not my field.  People who aren't familiar with the art world don't necessarily know the difference between good ol' fashioned art and animation.  But there is a huge difference.

Anyway...there is a point to all this, I promise.  Just bear with me.  

That entire conversation had my mind reeling for a few weeks.  I began to doubt my future and my career path.  Eventually the excitement wore off.  And reality forced me to be...well realistic again.

Not too long ago I heard a quote from a pastor.  He said to be careful of the advice you get from others.  You may be getting some great advice about your career or life, but be careful of it.  He said to take a good look at their lifestyle, morals, and goals and see if it matches up to yours and what you want to do.  I happen to agree.  We need to be weary of the advice we take from others.  Wish I had heard this before my friend gave me advice!  While her and I share some basic morals and values, our lives are completely different.  I choose my love of art over taking any high paying job that will not satisfy me.

I thought I'd pass this along to you guys.  Maybe some of you are in a rut and need major advice.  Be weary of who you take advice from!

xo  Azu

Boho on the Road

Wearing:

Polo Jeans Co. blouse
Gap denim shorts
Steve Madden "Bommbay" espadrilles
Wicker bag from Barney's
Mac "Girl About Town" lipstick
Vintage/and/or gifted jewelry

My boyfriend and I went on a trip to Nevada a few weeks ago.  This isn't the only outfit we took pictures of, but I don't think you'd want to see the last set.  I didn't sleep much on the trip and I looked terrible.  The last night we were there I slept exceptionally well.  Finally!  Good sleep = good pictures, IMO.  Sleep is hard to come by as it is (at least for me).   The first night I only slept for 3 hours at the most.  It kind of put a damper on the trip for me.  I'd waited the entire year for the trip and didn't feel too great for most of it.  But I'm glad that I had one good night of sleep.  One good night is better than none, right? :)

I wanted to wear something comfortable but kind of boho for the long drive home.  So I wore this loose fitting blouse and my old denim shorts.  These espadrilles are super comfy!

These pictures were taken at a rest stop overlooking the Sierras.  If it looks hazy in the background it's because there was a huge forest fire directly in front of us.  I think it was right on South Lake Tahoe or on the road to it.  Actually...I obsessively tried to search online to see where exactly the fire was.  Nothing showed up, though.  There've been so many fires lately.  It worried me to think that it was so close to an area I love.

Ok...I've got to go.  So glad it's Friday.  Have a great weekend, everybody!

xo  Azu

White on White

Wearing:

Vintage lace tank top
Topshop "Baxter" white jeans
Hat from the fair
Zara leopard print pony hair sandals
Vintage quilted purse
Estee Lauder "Stay Scarlet" lipstick

As the Summer is quickly coming to an end, I can't help but look back and feel a little relieved.  I don't think I've ever felt this way about Summer before.  I live for the hot weather and the longer days.  But it seems as if as soon as the warmer weather began, again, so did the tragedies.  My grandma, a friend, and three of my pets died in a period of 4 months.  At times it was more than I could handle.  I hesitated on even writing about it for a while because I wasn't ready to type out the words.  It's been an unusually morbid Summer that made me wish for cooler days ahead.  The beautiful California heat just didn't mesh well with the chaos and sadness around me.  It almost felt unfair.  I felt at times as if I shouldn't go out and enjoy the sunshine.  And when I tried to, I couldn't.  I was paralyzed with sadness and grief.  (Even admitting that makes me get a lump in my throat.)

It's been quite a journey.  But I finally feel like things are getting better.  I always try to find the positives in things and find meaning in every situation.  So now I can only hope that these trials have made me a stronger person at the end.  Maybe the next time tragedy strikes, I'll be strong enough not to fall apart.  Especially since now I have gained a few extra guardian angels :)

xo  Azu

Leather Skater Skirt

Wearing:

H&M rose print t shirt (oldish)
ASOS leather skater skirt (Buy it here.  It's not the exact one, but looks just like it!  The faux-leather version is available here for much less.  This one is a micro version on sale.  And here is the same skirt for all of you lovely curvy ladies)
Kate Spade "Isis" sandal
Estee Lauder "Stay Scarlet" lipstick

These pictures were taken behind Home Depot.  Classy... I know.

I bought this skirt a few months ago and these shoes about a month ago.  My boyfriend bought me the shoes for our anniversary.  Isn't he the best?  :)  I've worn them a few times already but this is the first time you've seen them on the blog.  Kind of wish they were half a size smaller.  I always have trouble with shoe sizing.  My feet actually got wider in the last few years.  That's what happens when you work from home and take online courses.  I used to hear people complain about their feet getting wider.  I never believed it...until it happened to me!   Oh well.  Take care of your feet, ladies.

I'm keeping this post short and sweet!  I just got back from a trip, so I'm still adjusting to reality.

xo  Azu

Burberry Shorts Round 2

Wearing:

Equipment shirt
Burberry shorts (last worn here)
Vintage quilted leather bag
Dollhouse pumps
Burberry watch
Vintage/gifted jewelry
Mac "Girl About Town" lipstick

It's usually scorching hot by late July and early August here in California.  Or at least, for a few days at a time.  After the 4th of July we've had some unusually cool weather.  It's been foggy and cloudy for the remainder of July.  This isn't really a big deal.  But I wanted to get a lot darker before the summer came to an end.
That little fact may scare some of you.  I know there are many people out there who are scared of the sun because of the myths that it will give you cancer.  Let me assure you, I only stay out in the sun for no longer than an hour each day (usually 20-30 minutes).  I've built my tan up slowly.  I think that's the best way to do it.  That way you don't burn yourself.  Plus, getting a little bit of sun everyday is healthy and good for you.  It's the best way to get vitamin D because your skin immediately absorbs it.
See...?  A little bit of sun isn't bad for you :)

In other news,  I finally caved and bought myself an Equipment shirt!  I always thought they were lovely, but seemed a little overrated.  I'm usually not one to splurge on something so basic, but I know this will last me a long time.  I'll wear it a lot too.  At least, I hope I will!  It's really soft and versatile.  I definitely recommend investing in one.

In case you're wondering what size to get, go for your usual size.  I bought a XS.  I'm generally a XS and this shirt fits true to size.  Obviously, it's not fitted.  But it has that perfect relaxed fit.  One of the reasons why it took me so long to buy one is that I was unsure of the sizing.  But the lovely Jessica from HapaTime wrote a little review on the sizing.  Thank goodness for bloggers!

xo  Azu

In the City

Wearing:

BB Dakota leather vest (old)
French Connection lace top
Express belt
Topshop "Baxter" white jeans
Nine West sandals (old)
Dior "Glossy1" sunglasses
Mac "Fresh Moroccan" lipstick

Going to San Francisco made me miss the city!  It was a nice little break from vineyards and wineries that I see everyday.  I used to live in SF for a brief time and I really enjoyed it.

The boyfriend and I went to the Waterfront for lunch.  It was delicious!  We then did some shopping and went to Tropisueno for dinner.  I love Tropisueno.  Their food in incredible.  If you're ever there, get the Camaornes Tropisueno and you won't regret it.  And while you're there, check out the amazing mural across from the bar.  My boyfriend painted it a few years ago.

I threw in a crappy cell phone pic so you could see the detailing on the top.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I love this top!  I'm 99% sure it's from French Connection.  I can't find it right now, so I don't know for sure.

xo  Azu