We buy a lot of things that we don't need everyday and collectively I think it's a bit of a problem that we have so much stuff. I am constantly trying to turn over a new leaf and just be a better person and too often this involves thinking that I need to buy new things to make that happen. This post is a little bit about the myth that new things will make you happier and that participating in capitalism is the only way to achieve what you want. I'm also not going too much into detail but I know everyone often does things without considering the consequences and even when we do it's hard to break away from the cycle so this is me trying to distance myself from that a little bit.

I'm encouraging you to look at your spending habits and maybe some things you have but don't need. Think about what you hoped those things would do for your life and how you can maybe change without them or with what you already have. Will it make you happier?

How To Take Straight A+ Notes

With final exams approaching I wanted to post some advice I have for note taking that I've been collecting for a long time! I really enjoy taking notes in class and not because I always use them to study but because I consider each page to be a unique piece of art. In a page of notes I document that class period with information and stories/examples/doodles that help me remember the lecture as a whole and context surrounding it.

I know how much people love Studyblr and very very cute pages of notes with banners and adorable markers but this is a different approach. My notes have always had a very organized structure and I make use of titles, margins, etc. but don't focus on making them perfect because they only need to make sense for me. I know that method works for some people because it helps them pay attention to what they are learning about but I prefer to take down as much information as I can in a way that is informative and makes sense to me. If you have never really been into note taking and are looking for another approach, then these tips are for you!

a playlist for april

where art lives / there is art in everything

There is an art in the stagnant things like Christmas lights turned on top of a closed book on a shelf. In silverware and china plates, air conditioning and cracks in the sidewalk. Coat hangers. Candles. Magnets and cloud formations. The number of people getting coffee in this morning and the amount of time it took you to count them. The shape of ice. There is are in all these magical mundane things that are somehow man-made and perfectly eclectic at the same time.

February in Poetry

February is the shortest month of the year but definitely not the shortest entry in my diary. A lot of the time I journal but on top of that I have a little collection of those same thoughts except in verse. Basically I condense an entry into a poem and keep a separate record of my life-  in poetry. Sometimes they rhyme and I call them songs but sometimes they are just fleeting thoughts I want to remember. Usually they are inspired by things around me or other songs I hear but they are still poetry to me and February is always a good month to write.

Most days I write down these little lines that come to me or short four line poems that describe my life at the moment so it is sort of like a journal but not quite. They really don't make sense but in general I've been liking my work from this month so this a bit of a monthly wrap-up in verse. Maybe someday I'll expand on them but for now here is just a bit of ideas. There are ups and downs to life just like there are in writing but I encourage everyone to exercise that muscle!