the beach

Alright, let me tell you a few reasons why the beach is my absolute place to be, ever.

• The sound of the waves. Probably the most calming sound in the world.
• The feel of the sand on your toes. It's so soft and warm :)
• The water! Especially when Lake Michigan isn't 40 degrees. I love swimming in it. I love wading in it. I love feeling the breeze off of it.
• The sun. Personally I don't get hot very often so the heat isn't ever a problem for me, but I mean. If you get sweaty there's a lake right next to you to cool off in, soooo. It works out pretty well.
• The sound of the birds! And watching seagulls is pretty fun, too. They're hilarious if you just watch them for a while. 
• All the great photos you can get there :)
• It's a great place to go with you family, but it's also a great place to go with your boyfriend :) it's romantic.

Now let me clarify here. I'm not talking about a packed Laguna Beach type deal - YUCK. I'm talking about being in nature. I'm talking about experiencing the beach, not people watching. THAT is the kind of beach experience I love :) The sky, the waves, the sand. <3

tranquility :)

lunch breaks

I work in an office. It has its pros, and it has its cons. It's the first time I've ever worked sitting down all day, it's the first time I've had a regular schedule, it's the first time I've joined the typical 8-5, Monday-Friday routine. I had a hard time adjusting when I went from part time to full time, I must admit. The hardest part, for me, was having so little time to work on my art and music. So one night, while googling 'how to survive your office job' I stumbled upon the following book:

The Artist in the Office, by Summer Pierre. The book made me realize that there are tons of other people out there, like me, trying to live two lives, trying to work two jobs - the one that feeds your body, and the one that feeds your soul. My mom bought the book for me back in April, and I've read it three times so far. There are so many great little ideas sprinkled throughout the book and I am so glad to own it, because sometimes it's enough to just read a page or two and get some inspiration.

One page, especially really hit home.

Previously I had been spending my lunch breaks in my car, feeling stressed out about the fact that I had to go back to work soon. Either that or I'd use my lunch break to run tons of errands, which is never fun. This book inspired me to make the most of my lunch breaks! Since then I've been taking walks, taking photography, making music, and writing blog posts! (I'm on my lunch break as we speak, haha.)

But my favorite lunchtime activity is definitely the walks. It took me a while to finally get up the motivation to start doing it, but once I started, every day that it rains and I can't walk I'm extremely disappointed. Walking wakes me up, I never get that 2:00 sleepy feeling anymore. Walking gives me some time to be alone, in nature, one of the best de-stressers I've ever experienced. And it also gives me a chance to pick flowers!

Anyway, there's some pictures for you :) My lunch break's over, now back to work!

warped tour 2011

 OK last weekend Trevor & I saw WARPED TOUR in Tinley Park. Great experience, I haven't been to warped tour since 2008 and even though I was only familiar with a few of the bands there, it was still incredibly fun.

Some of the bands we saw there:

Relient K

Simple Plan

• DRUGS
• Less Than Jake
• Big Chocolate
• I Set My Friends On Fire

and a few more bands I was previously unfamiliar with. It was incredibly hot all day and we tried to stay as cool and hydrated as possible, but that was tough. I almost passed out at one point but after we stood in the half an hour long line to get water, I felt better.

It was a great day, but we were very glad when the time came for the air conditioned car ride home. Videos from the day:

( more videos from the day on my youtube )

eight days a week

eight days a week - the beatles

latest cover song

now that you know who you are, what do you want to be?

How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?

Now that you know who you are, what do you want to be?

- The Beatles, Baby You're a Rich Man

When thinking about my profession, I've always known I wanted to do something creative, whether it be in art or music. I chose graphic design because I felt like it would be the most profitable option, and I could do my music (maybe join the symphony) and photography (maybe sell some art prints) on the side. But I'm starting to really, really like photography now...

 (These are my little brothers and sisters btw. minus Rob)

Anyway, originally I didn't want to take anything but artistic photos, and to make a living in photography you've gotta take wedding pictures, portraits and senior photos A LOT. But I'm starting to really enjoy taking portraits and event photos, I could get used to it. And to be a photographer for the news would take you to a LOT of different places and events, which would be quite interesting.
I guess this is something that needs more research on my part. But in the meantime, go to my Deviant Art and tell me what you think of my photos there!

♥ clare