I Did It!!!

I am writing this article to express how elated I am to have accomplished a huge and amazing goal I've always had - I am officially a Fashion Design graduate from FIDM in Los Angeles.  It is such a fantastic feeling.  I have worked so very hard to accomplish this.  This has been one of the most surprizingly difficult things I have ever worked for in my life.  The work was so intense but now the reward and sense of being finished is extremely sweet.  It feels oh so amazing to accomplish something you have always dreamed of doing.  I feel so alive when I go after what I want in life! 

What a fabulous article I now get to write to share that I have officially accomplished this major goal that I set out to do when I first began this blog after I left the city of DC.  It was a feeling beyond expression when I was driving back home to Utah when I passed this spot in one of the canyons where I almost gave up on my dreams.  A long while back I wrote an article about how I couldn't fathom how this was all going to work for me to make the major sacrifices that were required for me to pursue my dream of attending FIDM in Los Angeles for Fashion Design.  I had almost given up a little before school started because I had not found an apartment and employment was extremely questionable during the current economic state.  My brain had basically talked me out of going for this dream because the rational side kept trying to tell me that none of this was going to work out.  My heart kicked in when I was driving away from my City of Angels and tears fell down my cheek.  I knew at that moment that I had to tell my brain to just shut the hell up for a lil bit and let my heart take over for once.  I remember the specific spot I was driving through when I was completely overcome by these emotions.  Now after just recently graduating and accomplishing this amazing goal it was such a mind blowing experience passing through this same spot on my journey in the canyon realizing - wow I did this!  I went for this, I gave it my ALL, and I did it!!!  I remember those sad tears of thinking I had to give up on my dream and now I had tears of complete joy knowing that I did it! 

Your Capacity is Far Beyond What You Can Imagine

"Your capacity is far beyond what you can imagine." - Elder Richard G. Scott

I have been looking back on how my skills and knowledge in the fashion world have improved so much since the first day of school.  What I could do in one week, I can now do in a matter of a few hours.  It's amazing to see progress.

It's great to visualize what you want out of life, then analyze how to get there, and then finalize it!  Visualize, Analyze, Finalize!  These happen to be concepts a great fashion designer utilizes in the process of design, but can absolutely be applied to anything you want out of life.

Everyday in life we should pursue our goals.  Our goals should be balanced in terms of personal/family/spiritual relationships, career/work, and serving others.

So many times in life we hit bumps or even brick walls along the way.  Never give up no matter what.  Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.  Life is not meant to be perfect, but it is important that we are constantly pushing ourselves toward perfection.  Every step I take in my own personal progress, the happier I am on the interior and exterior.  Instead of thinking that something is impossible or you "can't" do something, STOP, rethink, and start with a "how can I..."  It's all about taking the first step, once you do that, keep working and then you will realize how everything just seems to work out and things will fall into place.  Just start by thinking "all I have to do is take the first step" and then TAKE IT.

I Will Go Where You Want Me to Go ;)

All I can do now is think about the countdown - the countdown of how many weeks/days/hrs I have left until I graduate from FiDM and leave LA.  I feel like all I am doing now is just waiting for the end of school to arrive.  I have the toughest month ahead of me in terms of what I will be required to produce.  It will be awesome to push myself as hard as I can and then look back and know how I really did give it everything I've got!

I've made my decision - I am moving, moving out of LA and to.... I'm sure it's not a big secret at this point but I am moving to.... Salt Lake City, Utah.  Home sweet home.  It's time to pull the plug from city life and recharge.  Not sure why, but I feel like that is the place where the good Lord wants me to be for a little while.  I'm not sure how long I will stay but I'm just going to lead with my heart for now, wait for my head to follow, and watch out for the opportunities around me.  My small business has officially started.  So many things in the works right now, but first I need to finish school and put in as much effort as I can in my final projects.  Once the final "school bell" rings for me, then I will full fledge commit myself to my fashion design business.  I'm going to pursue my next biggest goal and make this happen for me no matter what.

 

Fashion & Oxygen, Nothing More, Nothing Less

The past couple of days I have been contemplating the amount of work that is required to be successful in my fashion design program.  It's really amazing how many hours I put into working on fashion design related projects.  The other day I started my designing at 8am and continued throughout the entire day only taking breaks to eat.  I continued into the late evening, then into the late hours of the night, and then soon enough my alarm to wake up went off and I was still up and working (hadn't slept a minute).  I then had to jet off to 9 hours of class.  I got home at 9pm and then went straight to bed.  I was exhausted to say the least.  I keep looking at this week's schedule of projects and wow, I'm starting to think that I may have this busy routine quite often.  I'm glad I didn't really understand how hard I would have to work in this industry, because if I had really understood that at day one I may have seriously been scared away.  I do know that I LOVE fashion design because this may be one of the few things in life that I could happily do with this type of schedule.  This is my last quarter of school and it will be over very shortly.  I'm so happy that I've had the opportunity to experience this.  Fashion is the marrow of my bones.  I'm so excited to discover what the future holds for me in this industry.  This is what I was born to do.  What keeps me alive - Fashion & Oxygen, nothing more, nothing less.

WHAT and IF

What and If are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of you life: What if? What if? What if? You only need courage to follow your heart... 


So then, follow your ♥ !


I recently watched the movie "Up in the Air", it had a great message overall but one line that I loved was this:  "Do you know why little kids love professional athletes so much?"  The answer was because professional athletes follow their dreams.  Life becomes magical when you do just that.  It's time we all ask ourselves about what it is that we are passionate about, what it is that we want to experience, what it is that we want our lives to aspire to.  It's never too late!!!  I will say this again - If you aren't living your dreams, you're already dead.  


So who is this gal you ask, what business does she have gett'n up on her soap box preach'n to the crowd about liv'n your dreams, well if you've been reading my blog since day one then you will realize the shape that my journey is taking.  I hit the reset button and quit a high profile job to take the biggest risks of my life to pursue fashion design.  The journey is underway and still going, this is a dream I will spend the rest of my life developing.  Fashion is never finished ;-)  There are  other dreams I aspire to have that go along with my design pursuits and those will be my next paths I will take once I graduate from FIDM in eight short weeks.  What an exciting yet perhaps a little scary time this is in my life!  What's the next step?  Where do I go from here?  I know what I want, now to look at the plan and tackle the first and next and next tasks to get there.  

Lucky to be Here

I can't help but count the days I have left in LA when it feels like there are so few left (only approximately 60 days).  When the end of a story approaches sometimes in our lives it is bitter sweet.  Going to fashion design school at FIDM has always been a dream of mine.  This was one of those dreams I thought would always remain just a dream.  I couldn't fathom it actually becoming a reality.  Well it's a reality, and I'm kicking butt at it.  I love it.  I could design all day and night, and I actually have to prove that I can do just that frequently with my busy schedule and intense curriculum.  It's a good thing I love it so much.

It's going to be hard to leave the comfort of some of the very fun friendships I've ever experienced here in LA.  I've met some amazing people who I would do anything for.  LA has been a place where I've been able to fully be who I am.  The circle of people I've been so blessed to meet have done nothing but hold their arms wide open for me.  That will always be in my heart forever.

On another note - I won't miss the crazies talking to thin air and all the homeless people peeing on the sidewalk.  I won't miss the weirdos who follow me on the street and completely creep me out.  I won't miss the druggies trying to bum 63 or 42 or 57 cents off of me to "ride the bus".  I won't miss the plastic Hollywood clubbing losers.  Haha, but these experiences have helped me to see reality for what it is, to really evaluate the direction I want my life to head in.  Seeing this has made me realize how much I want to have a family of my own, how much I want to find an awesome guy to fall madly in love with and experience being a mom someday.

LA took me as I was and will shortly be sending me out a better person.  I've seen my share of devils in this angel town.  Who would have guessed that I would find me - who I am - here in LA.  Thank you LA!  But you're not getting rid of me quite yet, we've still got 60 days :)  Let's make the best of it!!

10 Weeks

10 weeks left in LA, [I think].  10 weeks until I graduate from my Fashion Design program at FiDM.  10 weeks until another chapter finishes and time to start a new one.  10 weeks until no more hustle and bustle of the big horizontal city.  10 weeks until I get to embark on a new journey.  But until then, the next 10 weeks are going to be the 10 weeks that shape and develop who I am.  These next 10 weeks may just be the most critical 10 weeks I might have in my life for a while.  It's hard to say what will develop after this, I know what I have in mind and it will be a matter of working hard to get it, but it will take time.

I'm back in LA, got back last night.  I felt like a stranger strolling around the unusual rainy streets this evening after being away for a couple of weeks.  When I transition from Salt Lake City, Utah to LA I feel like I'm on a whole different planet.  It almost feels like another time period.  I can't say that it's entirely a positive or a negative feeling, perhaps a bit of both.  Living here is not something you can describe or accurately express to those outside, but it is merely an experience to be understood by only those who too have lived in LA.  I'm sure I will spend the next two weeks readjusting to the place that I consider home for now.

Today I felt alone in a city that has over 8 million people.  Yes there are many many many people out there in LA, however I find myself just wanting to almost shut it all out for now.  I came here to do one thing - study Fashion Design.  Self mastery will be my focus.  Sorry world, you are just going to have to keep all of your problems for a later time.  I've only got 10 weeks left!