the beginning of a brand new adventure.

as i mentioned in my last post, i lived in ireland for two months. my lease in paris ran out, right when my french student visa expired. i needed a place to live, and to plan, because i wasnt quite ready to return to the states just yet. my friend aoife was up for the challenge. she had recently moved into a three-story house fifteen minutes outside of dublin. she asked her new flatmates, and they agreed i could stay as i long as i pitched in for garbage collection and propane for the stove. i instantly agreed. so i brought my tiny backpack, packed with warm weather paris clothes and showed up on aoifes dooorstep. it was then that she told me the tiny little hiccups: one, ireland was COLD. two, we didnt have a room yet, we were living in the laundry room. the laundry room had one queen bed, an armoir, a washer plus dryer, and literally nothing else, if you dont count the mold and snails that came in from the broken window above the bed. i couldnt complain, i was living there for almost free. but it was a little depressing after the charm of being called 'daz', a form of laundry detergent, wore off.

but the house, and the people in it, were amazing. the rooms (yes, even the laundry room) were large and run down, exactly how i like them. it reminded me of the place i lived while in brooklyn; an artists squat. grafitti drawings, and mural paintings covered the walls. it was a completely inspiring place to be.

it was there that i met lynn macpherson, of salty philip. during my brief time in ireland, i worked under her. i learned a lot working under her and was inspired to finally pursue a career path that i had recently begun mulling about in my head. lynn was a scottish designer, living in ireland, fresh from berlin where she had owned her own shop. lynn made eco-sustainable designs only, something i would eventually like to incorporate. on top of that, lynn was only twenty-four. she had owned two shops, and had a studio i was in awe of. these are some pictures from her photoshoot from her most recent collection. the professional ones can be found on her website, linked above. lynn is the one with an umbrella.

ireland is full of artists doing what they love. granted most of them are on the dole, an irish form of welfare, it is nonetheless inspiring. being around lynn and seeing her working, not only showed me it was possible but got me excited to start my own career in fashion.

being with this girl helped too. in case you dont recognize her, thats kulka from ravelry, her blog here. after blogging back and forth for years, i finally met her last year my first time to ireland. then when i returned, there was no question we would become great friends. she would like to start designing her own knitting patterns and we talked drunkenly for ages of opening an etsy shop. she recently started art school at 25, and is giving me the courage to pursue fashion design school at such a late age.

so that was ireland, two months full of inspiration. that coupled with the inspiration given by spending the last several months with an amateur fashion photographer in paris, has given me the drive needed to pursue fashion school.

i used to think that speaking about something made it less likely to happen, a form of jinxing if you will. but over the past year ive learned that not speaking about things doesnt make your dreams happen or problems go away. in fact, not speaking does just the opposite: that simple act of ommission can make everything worse. it is through facing your problems, asking for help or advice, or even just talking until your head is clear, that accomplishes anything and everything. donc, i am appealing to you, blogging world, to offer me advice, even more inspiration, or to simply be a sounding board for me bounce ideas off of. 

in less than a week, i am moving back to arizona. i need/i want/i have to finish my last semester of university. however, rather than returning to flagstaff, i will be (eep, those dreaded words ever college student dreads to say) living at home and attending the nau phoenix campus.

i have my reasons, more than i would have thought. the least selfish is i really need to be closer to my parents, my sister, and my nephew. i have spent the last eighteen months away from them, and am planning on spending the next three years away as well, while pursuing my next degree.

the more selfish one is that i will save money. i need to save up thousands of dollars before i can move back to europe. granted, my income will be more in europe, but i will have tuition, rent, AND student loans from nau to pay off. living at home while in america allows me to work, and actually save money.

now for my favorite reason, the one i am most looking forward to. my mother is a seamstress who used to have dreams of designing herself before she became a hippie fighting against the vietnam war. and she has agreed to devote the next six months to teaching me everything she knows about sewing, and helping me create my portfolio/application. 

the average fashion school in paris requires a sort of portfolio. they dont look at transcripts of high school or other colleges, they simply look at your work, your innate talent. this works in my favor, as my grades arent exactly shining. (the first time i even encountered the grading system, i was fourteen. after leaving the montessori school i had attended since four years old, i arrived at a public high school and received my first failed math quiz. i havent ever quite adjusted.)

anyways, the portfolio. the portfolio changes from institute to institute, but the most common version is simple. five drawings of original garments, and five photos of those finished garments.

something so simple decides my future. so you bet i am going to work as hard as possible to overcome my slight 'handicaps' and say loud and clear 'i deserve this!' most people who attend fashion school are fresh out of high school and been already making clothes for years. i am certainly not fresh out of high school (going on five years now!), and, if my knitting is not counted, my experience with making clothes through sewing, though existing, is novice at best. (the next few months will fix that!)

  

now, for those of you that are starting to worry, dont. this is NOT becoming a fashion blog. you will not see me posting daily updates of my outift, or anything like that. although, that works for some people and i find it interesting to read, thats not what im interested in doing. i have no desire to be a model, i want to be the one that dresses the model, that designs the clothes, the one in control. speaking of which, i will eventually need a model for my portfolio, if any of you are in phoenix!

so, if any of you have any tips and advice or even funny stories, please let me know! i am going to be upset, disappointed, overworked, and frustrated the next several months. i just know that this is going to be very difficult, returning to america from a year in paris. returning to school after six months break. and knowing now that my future rests solely upon my shoulders.

but honestly, even more than all of that, this is going to be so much fun. i am starting a new adventure, just as this one closes. and i am more than happy to still have you to share it with.

all photo credits: aoife mcgarry

formspring friday, art inspiration, and five days.

first some art: 

 

[berges de la seine à chatou, maurice de vlaminck.]

we studied fauvism in my art history class yesterday. it was then that it hit me: i am studying about a movement of art in its home country, and in its native tongue. beyond that,  in the early 20th century, a new movement was formed that combined fauvism and cubism. it was labeled "l'ecole de montparnasse", because all the artists lived in montparnasse. guess where i now live? montparnasse! i tend to forget, get wrapped up in my money troubles, but i am amazingly lucky.

well, my first week on formspring? it was much more fun than i expected, although i did feel a bit narcissistic each time i answered a question. it got to me think about things that i had been avoiding for a while now, so thank you! if you have a formspring, let me know! i want to know more about you.  

questions i have answered this week: 

whats on your needles now? and next?
well, a few weeks ago i finished my manu. sadly, i havent cast on anything since then and am starting to feel just how much i miss it. problem is, none of the patterns out there are catching my interest. i really want to make a lacy cardigan or featherweight hoodie, but nothing is striking me as interesting. i chose manu because of all the little details, which were quite interesting. manu is a wonderfully written pattern and produces an amazing garment. but even that got a little old with its miles and miles of stockinette.

i want a challenge. i think its high time i start designing.

either that, or ill just make a summery, v-necked version of this thing of beauty.

do YOU have any ideas for me??

If you could go anywhere after you leave your semester abroad, where would you go, and what would you do?

i've been thinking a lot about this, because my desire for a prolonged return to the states is not strong. dont get me wrong, i want to go home and see my family. i just dont want to stay.

in a perfect world, i would return to france with noodle in tow.

in an ideal world with no money problems, i would spend a semester teaching english or studying in greece.

in my highest hopes and dreams, i would live on a farm in south america and learn to spin wool into yarn from llamas or sheep.

Delete Your Response favorite thing you ever knit? link to pattern?

that's easy! my truffle cardigan, hands down.

project page. blog post. tutorial.

Who's the most overrated athlete?

now, you know i pay no attention to sports... so, you tell me.   

Girl, you crazy. How'd you get so CRAZY?

hahaha no clue but im definitely glad i am!

what do you miss most about the states?

it's hard to think of things like that right off the top of my head and not in the moment... um... i definitely miss my family, my dog, speaking without feeling self-conscious of an american accent, and peanut butter. oh, and everything being open on sunday.

How do you support yourself while living abroad? Did you save for a long time? Do you have help? I would love to study abroad, and I was just wondering how you do it :]

i took out an oversized loan, to be honest. i really wish i had saved up instead, but i was unable to find employment over the summer. in paris, i have a job which really really helps. in addition, im planning on getting a babyspeaking job after school ends. my parents, and especially my sister, have been a huge help, i couldnt have done this without them. if you can study abroad, do it! it is worth it, no matter how hard you have to save or how much debt you incur! 

Where do you get inspiration for your knitting?

when i was living in arizona, i would scour the internet through ravelry or various fashion blogs. thats changed since living in london and paris. i now just watch people on the streets and sometimes am even inspired by the architecture. also, the cold weather and rain really make a person want to knit! 

Do you have any plans to write your own knitting patterns?

yes, i do! i actually have two sketches drawn up already. i have a very rough draft of the one i'm most excited about, and even a few swatches. i'll be looking for test knitters once ive actually finished the garment!!


Have you broken any bones? If so, how?

surprisingly, i have never broken any bones.

Do you want to be buried or cremated?

cremated, with my ashes spread along the coast of oregon.