improving a little

I don’t blog enough. There. I said it. It’s the sad real truth. I love writing even though I’m not that great at it, but there’s that 10,000 hours rule that says if you do something for over 10,000 hours then there’s a high chance that you’ll become good at it. And I want to become good at writing. So in order to do that, I have to write.

And here we are. Here I am…. writing.

I’m challenging myself to write at least one post everyday for the rest of time. It’s something I really want to do, and I’m pretty good at following through with things if I want to do them enough. Some of these posts might be sappy some sad some weird some boring some short some extremely long. I’m not sure, but I want to write more so I’m going to. 

For today’s post I want to share a little detail of my day. 

I had my photography class this morning and we did the first round of critiques for the first draft of our first project. A lot of firsts if you didn’t pick that up. That being said, I didn’t really know what to expect from the feedback or from other people’s projects. I was pretty confident going into the critique but I left feeling pretty defeated. My project was essentially eaten alive in the most respectful way possible. I’ll share the photos below, but what I got out of this critique today is that it’s important to be beaten up. Maybe not physically (definitely not physically), but it’s important to feel destructible, to feel like you're at the bottom, to feel eaten alive. These feelings should push you to move upwards. It’s also important to know that your bottom, your worst possible situation might not be someone else’s. In fact, your worst case scenario might be someone else’s best efforts yet. You have no where else to go but up and that’s amazing. Sure, I felt defeated after class, but I thought about people’s comments and now I’m inspired to create something better, something people will have nothing but great things to say about. And even if other people don’t like it, because they most likely won’t, I’ll have improved my work just a little. 

That little improvement is what we should all strive for in every aspect of our lives. 

So let’s all improve a little together.

Thanks for reading.
xox
Chloe 

My Gals

I can’t put my finger on the reason why, but lately my friends and I have been very sentimental. I think as our junior year of college is winding down and we’re gearing up for senior year, we realize how fast our time together has flown by. 

We all met through college, none of us knew each other before and I think that’s one of the reasons why we truly treasure our friendships with each other. My friend group is small, strong, and very familial. We treat each other like sisters. We love each other endlessly, we bicker often, and we ALWAYS have each other’s backs. 

I was talking with one of my best friends the other day about how much we love our friend group. We were saying how, since we all live together, we’ve come to be more than friends. We’re family. And I know that sounds extremely cheesy, but there’s something special about living in a house with five of your best friends. You learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible, and therefore learn about each other, so much so that we might know each other better than we know ourselves. 

It’s a weird dynamic. I love my friends more than I think possible. We each have our strengths, our weaknesses, and our priorities, but somehow we mesh flawlessly (even on the days we all seem to be fighting). There are the ones of us who chat about anything, always. There are the ones of us that are the silent glue that keep the peace between us. There are the ones of us that can always light up the room when others are down. We’re just, well, us. 

I know I have another year with these gals, but honestly, I want more. The first three years of college have flown by, and I can’t even imagine how fast this next year is going to go. 

Here’s the best friends. Here’s to college memories. Here’s to the future.

College

What comes to mind when you think “college.” 

Animal house? Drinking problems? Too much school work? Stress? The Freshman 15? Excitement? 

Same. 

College is kind of weird if you think about it. You’re on your own, but also not really. You still have your parents support, you don’t really have to worry about “adult” things yet, but you still get all the freedom and independence that you craved oh so much during high school. 

I’m now about to go into my Junior year of college and as I’m writing this I’m sitting in my house thinking of all the things that made me nervous going into my freshman year of college. From what to pack, to what I would wear to class, to how the heck I would find my classes on the first day of school, to making friends, to understanding college parties and lifestyle. There were SO many new things. So many weird things that I never could have prepared for. It was a whole new world. 

I want to answer some questions about college for my past (pre college) self, from my current (almost upper class man) self. So here we go…

How do I find my classes? 
Walk around campus in the few days that you have before school. Don’t be afraid to ask for directions either. Everyone on campus was once new and in the exact same boat as you and will be more than willing to help you find your building and class room within the building. 

What do I wear to class?
Whatever your little heart desires. Whether that be a cute little dress and sandals or a big t-shirt and leggings. You do you. Just rock it confidently, that’s all that matters. 

Are parties super intimidating? 
They are what you make of them. Talk to people, don’t be shy! Don’t be afraid to say hey to that one person who sits three rows and five seats down in front of you in that random core class. They probably want someone to sit next to in class too — also who doesn’t like meeting someone at a party to end up helping each other in class. But also be aware, don’t take random drinks from random people. Don’t be dumb. I would recommend drinking at a pre-game (or in my case, in your dorm room with friends) before going to the party so you don’t even have to drink once you get there. That way you know your alcohol is safe and clean. 

Those are obviously just three little questions from a long list that I had, but I feel like the answers can be applied to a lot of things: don’t be afraid to ask for help, be confident, and be aware. 

College is the time of your life. The time to learn who you are and who you want to become. It’s fun, it’s an adventure. 

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

aaptiv

You know when you find something new and you want to share it with the entire world and just scream how great it is from your rooftops? I bet you know the feeling. Well the other day I was avoiding a conversation, and like us millennial seem to do ever so often, I jumped on my phone and scrolled through the infinite bounds that are known so well as “social media.”

As I was scrolling, I saw an ad for an app that had something to do with working out. I was bored, too full from lunch, and dressed in workout clothes that I had no intention of actually working out in, so you could say I had a calling to look more into the app. As I started to research it more I decided that it seemed pretty cool and hit that download. 

I literally — not ten minutes ago — finished the 15 minute leg workout, and let me tell you something… it was amazing. The music was good, the instructor tells you what to do and is motivating, and it went by so quickly.

I looked at my phone thinking I was only 5 minutes into the workout but I was three minutes away from being done. 

Now I’m literally sore, in the best way possible, from 15 minutes of doing a workout in my bed room. I can’t wait to try the elliptical and treadmill workouts once I get to the gym. It’s so awesome because you have someone telling you what to do, the music is already picked out (the worst part of working out on my own is picking good and motivated songs), and it’s fun!  

This isn’t a sponsored post whatsoever, I just needed to share this amazing discovery with you all.

If you’ve tried aaptiv before, what do you think?? 

Thanks for reading! 
xox
chloe

little black dress

I feel like little black dresses have been under appreciated lately. I haven’t been hearing much about them and it kind of depresses me. I’ll be the first to say it: I’m a minimalistic fashionista. I don’t like all the bells and whistles. The simpler the better. Honestly, if I could just wear jeans and a striped tee everyday and not feel like a cartoon character (the ones that never change clothes) then I would be my happiest. Instead, I scramble everyday to find a variation of that outfit. 

Recently, Tobi.com reached out to me to work together and I couldn’t have been more excited. Before they reached out I had purchased a sweater and a suede jacket, and let me tell you, they are two of the most awesome pieces I’ve ever order online — which is saying a lot! 

Anyway, I picked out this little black dress and I fell in love with it. It’s a little different that “just a dress” because of the cutout and thefitted waistline. I’m obsessed. This dress will most likely be making an appearance at my sorority formal in the spring, and I can’t wait. 

I think the reason I most love little black dresses is the fact that they can be worn with anything. Like you could totally dress it up with fancy heels and bag and necklace, or dress is down with some booties a cargo jacket and big bag. The options are endless, even for a minimalistic person like me! 

Let me know which outfit you like better in the comments below: casual or fancy. 

dress | fancy: shoes | bag | necklace  | casual: shoes | bag | jacket 

Thanks so much for reading! 
xox
Chloe 

Clarisonic : Mia Fit

One of my favorite parts of my day is showering. It takes me a lot of will power to work up the effort of actually getting into the shower, but once I’m there, I could stay for hours. It’s a little mini oasis in the day where you can just get lost in your thoughts and think about everything. 

I’m in a class called Creative Concepts this semester and, like the name suggests, it’s a class based and surrounded by thinking creatively. We have a ton of different projects that really get the creative juices flowing. For example, we had to create advertisements for Tinder, invent three new products (they could be absolutely anything), and also come up with the branding for a new beer. 

Most of the projects are done in pairs so we almost always have a partner to bounce ideas off of. I love working with other people on these projects because it allows me to get to know other people and how creativity works in a way. It’s funny though because when I ask most people when and where they get their ideas they almost always say, “the shower.” 

I don’t know if it’s just a college thing but almost all of us are more creative when we’re in the shower. It might be because this is literally the only time we have alone, but it could be something about the moldy white walls lit up by florescent lighting that really get us to be creative.

When I was sent the Clarisonic I was super excited because it meant that I could have an excuse to stay in the shower even longer than I already do. I used to have a Clarisonic Mia when I was in high school, and I loved it to death. I never had acne and I honestly think I have the Clarisonic to thank for it.  I’ve used the Mia Fit a few times and I absolutely love it. It seriously leaves my face feeling softer and cleaner than ever. I will most likely still be raving about it when I’m on my death bed — I’m that in love. 

Christmas is coming up and if you’re in need of some extra shower time or an acne free face — or both — I totally recommend putting it on your wish list! 

Thanks for reading! 
xox
chloe