2018 the year of GROWTH

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n my last blog post I talked about my word for 2018. Last year my word was BALANCE and I do feel that I was able to maintain some balance in my work/life struggle which was amazing. I had been  working 6 days a week and progressively getting more and more burned out and neglecting myself and it came to a point where I had to choose between jobs which was DIFFICULT! As I am a classic work-a-holic I will go go go until the day I die but at some point my health and personal life really needed to become a priority again. This year my word is GROWTH and I truly mean growth in every aspect of my life, my business, my health, my love life, my relationships, spirituality ect. 

When I was in undergrad I was almost a psychology major, as in I took so many psychology classes I was only a few credits away from a full on major but then fell in love with the arts. Something that burned itself into my mind was Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. If you haven't heard of this before I would like to share it with you as I think it is a fantastic guide for creating healthy lifestyles. Below is a triangle which breaks down Maslows Hierarch of Needs. At the lowest level is our Basic Needs which includes Physiological and Safety. These needs are followed by the middle section which is our Psychological Needs, Belonging and Esteem. The highest level is Self- Fulfillment Needs which consists of Self-actualisation. If you too are looking for areas to grow in, in the new year it may be a good idea to take a look at this chart and identify where you are feeling strong and areas that may need some work. 

For me I am a work-a-holic, I put a lot of time and energy into my business, career, and self exploration constantly striving to achieve my full potential. My efforts are always focused on the top half of the triangle where things like Physiolgical Needs are neglected eating unhealthy, getting too little sleep, and not taking care of myself as well as I should. This is an area I aim to improve in 2018. 

My challenge to you is to take a good hard look at your life, and identify the areas that you are excelling in (give yourself a pat on the back and keep up the good work) and identify the areas that need some improvement. 

This is how I aim to GROW in 2018. I will keep you updated along the way.

IMAGE SOURCE: https://mrjoe.uk/maslows-hierarchy-needs-psychology-myth-busting-1/

Photo Series: AUGUST // Daughter of Wands

Shop the Passion City print HERE

A little late for the August tarot card read but here it is (sorry guys things have been CRA-ZY!) Secret Garden Social provided me with the following reading.

"The pull for August is the Daughter of Wands! She reminds us that we should be following our passions. We need to remember, or even FIND, what lights us up, what makes us truly excited and then follow it. With all the changes and acclimation to everything that has happened not only since June but the first half of the year, we should find ways to better attune ourselves to that which we desire."   -Secret Garden Social

I love this photograph of Mt. Rainier looming over the City of Seattle it reminds us of the inferiority of man-made objects and schedules, wants and needs and puts into perspective the extreme awesomeness (yes I said that) of the universe and the not so tangible things like our passions, dreams, and desires. The exciting thing about this concept is that our hopes, dreams, passions, and desires live in our minds and our hearts and are accessible to us even when we are ummmm say waiting for a delayed Ferry to Seattle ;) or sitting at a stop light, or you name it. These things should be what fuels you and August is the perfect time to strengthen your connection with them. 

San Francisco Blogcademy: A blogger must!

Paul and I flew down to San Francisco last weekend and I attended the Blogcademy for the first time. It was so much fun! and I learned so much. It was a two day workshop 10:00am-5:00pm both days with a lunch break and time to talk to other bloggers. I really feel like the workshop was well worth the travel and investment for the following reasons...

Networking opportunities -There were about 20 other bloggers in the class everyone with a different background, story, and blog focus. It was great to hear everyone's experiences and questions. It also made me realize that although my Pacific Northwest Style seems mainstream to me living here in Seattle it is very different from a lot of other bloggers. It gave me hope that I am not being sucked into an inauthentic vacuum.

Industry tips and tricks - I don't want to give anything away but I was really appreciative of how the headmistresses shared blogging advice in detail with us, coding, blogging audit advice, finances, and ever social media tips. That is only a dent in the mass amount of info that we received in the two day course and it really helped me to realize that there are so many resources out there to expand my blog.

Different perspectives on blogging - The class is taught by three very different headmistresses, Gala Darling, Shauna Haider, and Kat William each had their own experiences with very different perspectives yet are wildly successful I found it very refreshing that the class was taught to focus on what works for me while infusing suggestions of new techniques. 

MOTIVATION - Over this last summer I lost motivation to blog and fell into a negative patch in my life and this convention was a great motivator to get started again. I think I realized throughout the class that I actually have a story to tell, and I really do love blogging as a creative outlet. 

In closing I would absolutely recommend the Blogcademy for any blogger in any stage of their creative experience it was extremely insightful and motivating! 

Modcloth Fit Shop: Visiting San Francisco

One of my favorite shops of all time is ModCloth. Which is no surprise, I love that they update their website every. single. day. (10:00am Pacific Time) with new seasonal clothes everyone with a cute name and description. I love that they have so many reviews on each product which helps me to know what size and fit is best for me. There customer service is freaking amazing! Someone always gets back to me immediatly and my shipping has been upgraded a number of times. They are AWSOME! end of positive rant lol ;) Paul and I were in San Francisco this last weekend I was attending the Blogcademy and he had a meeting at Skywalker Sound... (proud wife bragging) Since I new I was going to be in San Francisco I wanted to check out ModCloths first FitShop. I was so disappointed when I saw that they intended on closing September 7th but was super excited when they decided to extend their stay until after the holidays!... if you are in the area you HAVE to go check it out. I made an appointment and was able to try on one of the dresses >>> The Guilded Grace Dress in champagne >>> I constantly drool over it was so fun and now I know how it fits. I am thinking of this dress for Christmas, actually, with some red accents.

We had an absolute blast in San Francisco! and although we are SO tired from all the things we packed into 3 days it was well worth it. Stay tuned for more posts from our trip. 

Antiquing for the Soul

 

One of my all time favorite things to do on the weekend is grab a cup of coffee and walk through antique shops. My favorite shop is in Seattle it is called the Pacific Gallery Antique Mall. I find myself wondering a little about the people who owned the items before they came to the shop - but more so about the future possibilities. Maybe it's because I usually see other young couples strolling through the shops as well talking about how they will re-purpose an item. I love that walking through a store of used, old, and worn items can cheer me up it is as if it gives hope for my own life. That no matter how dull things seem to be there is always hope and a new creative twist waiting in the near future to give life new purpose.

 

I really wanted to take this little gargoyle home it is supposedly rare because it is a linx. I loved it because Paul and I always refer to Kevin (my cat) as a "guard cat" or "guard lion" since we do not have a dog. Apparently this garden sculpture is 60 years old. As Paul and I left I saw another customer purchased it... so hopefully it gets a good home. I did find a cute little wooden toolbox which I will be re-purposing soon so stay tuned for a DIY post on that. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if you have time can stroll through an antique shop or two.

Spring Thaw at the Big Four Ice Caves

 

I could not be more excited to share a blog post with you all than I am with this one! This was an absolute blast to plan, shoot, and edit. Paul (my husband) and I just bought a new car (more on that later) and for our first road trip we decided to drive out to the Big Four Ice Caves, so of course I had to plan the perfect fashion shoot. For this session I wanted to create an outfit that embodied my surroundings. I wanted the shoot to invoke a sense of the cold but to point towards the impending spring thaw. I opted for a warm faux fur jacket over a black jumpsuit adorned with my new Moorea Seal necklace which is amazing I love it so much! It is the Tribal Queen Necklace it is great quality, heavy and super fun to wear for winter scenes like this or for tropical vacations.

Modcloth Style Gallery - Click to Shop!

faux fur coat / Forever 21 

jumpsuit / Similar

necklace / Moorea Seal

boots / DSW

 

  

 

The hike out to the Big Four Ice Caves is overall very easy, people were walking out to the caves with small children and dogs. It is about a 2 mile round trip hike. That being said the ice cave itself is VERY DANGEROUS! we did not go inside of it. There are chunks of snow that have fallen from the ceiling that are as big as cars and I would not want to be inside there if one fell. If you are wanting to hike out to the caves there are plenty of safe viewing spots as well as a gorgeous waterfall. I hope you enjoyed this shoot and get a chance to go on an amazing adventure of your own soon!

3 Year Blogaversary Celebration!

T oday charcoal and ash turns 3 so you guys get triple the pics! I have loved every minute of my blogging experience and I am so excited that I found a hobby where I can let my creative side flourish. That being said I am ready for this blog to be more than just a hobby and that's why I have chosen today the anniversary of the beginning of it all to announce that I will be attending my first ever professional blog conference in San Francisco this September. I will be attending the The Blogcademy taught be three sassy and successful headmistresses Gala Darling, Shauna Haider of Nubby Twiglet, and Kat Williams of Rock n Roll Bride. I am beyond ecstatic to be participating in this game changer of a conference you can check out the Blogcademy promo video below. (I don't think it is sold out yet, so check it out!) Ahhh did I mention how excited I am? I mean like really excited! I am already planning my questions and outfits! I can not wait to gather new ideas, gain business advice, and meet other bloggers! I'm also excited to bring the quality of my blog to another level for my amazing readers... I know I have just a few but I appreciate every one of you. You deserve to have exciting, intriguing, and gorgeous photos and content to discover ever time you visit this blog. Thanks for being here! If you have not done so already I would like to invite you to subscribe to charcoal and ash to receive updates, previews and more exciting things in the near future.

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Modcloth Style Gallery - Click to Shop!

leather jacket and necklace / Sheinside

dress / Modcloth

tulle skirt / DIY

A big thank you to my husband Paul for always supporting me in whatever crazy thing I come up with! I love you so much and feel truly blessed to be married to someone who loves all of me during the good times and the bad.

This photo shoot was done at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I was really lucky because the tulips were almost 3 weeks early this year so there were not a lot of visitors yet. Normally these fields draw thousands of people to the area at the beginning of the tulip festival starting April 1st. I highly recommend visiting especially if you are a photographer! The contrast of the blue mountains, fields of gold daffodils and fuchsia tulips is unreal. If you do end up visiting bring boots! it is really muddy and be sure to stop by the Calico Cupboard Cafe on your way out they have the best locally grown food and a huge selection of glutton free bakery items. Another fun thing is the giant flock of snow geese that roam the area. You can see the giant flock in the background of the last few photos of this post - I totally had the urge to run towards them to make them fly.